Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
The Benelli Lupo Alpha looks like an Italian design team got loose with a CAD file and a bottle of Pinot Grigio, but this 5.73-pound hunting rifle flat-out performs. It is light, slick, weatherproof, and with the right load, it shoots tiny groups that make the futuristic stock a lot easier to love.
This Alpha dog is born to hunt.
Benelli’s new special edition Lupo Alpha rifle sports a unique stock with stylish lines and a dozen sculpted holes that make you wonder if its Italian designers sipped too much pinot grigio and went full rivoluzionario. If you’re a traditionalist, you may not like it. But some, especially younger shooters, will love it.
The Alpha’s stock isn’t just about appearance. Benelli engineers broke new ground in rifle stock design and manufacturing with the Alpha. The stock is 3D-printed using the principle of biomimicry to replicate the hollow, truss-filled, and porous structure of bird bones. The net result is a lighter, more efficient rifle stock with exceptional structural integrity.
Top Dog in the Benelli Lupo Pack
Beneath the Alpha’s modernistic exterior, there’s a handy, superbly accurate, and solidly built lightweight rifle that you can’t truly appreciate until you take it afield. Lupo is Italian for wolf, and the dominant wolf in a pack is called the Alpha. I would rank the Alpha rifle as the top dog of Benelli’s Lupo lineup, and it is truly designed to hunt.
Nearly every major component of this rifle differs from traditional designs. That includes the action, which uses a chassis-style configuration with a free-floated barrel mated to a steel block in an alloy receiver. The partially fluted, three-lug bolt cycles with exceptional smoothness. The sharply angled and sculpted bolt handle has a short, 60-degree throw, which helps with quick follow-up shots. It also provides plenty of clearance to let you mount scopes using low rings on the pre-installed, one-piece Picatinny rail atop the receiver. The bolt has a strong, wide claw extractor and plunger-style ejector.
BE.S.T. Finish Makes the Lupo Alpha a Weather-Beating Hunter
The action and barrel are protected with a proprietary BE.S.T finish, which stands for Benelli Surface Treatment. The finish is a hybrid combination of physical vapor deposition and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technologies that make the gun impervious to the elements. The Alpha is initially available only in 308 Win and 300 Win Mag chamberings. Both models have the matte-black B.E.S.T. finish on exposed metal and a “charred timber” stock color, which is basically greyish with thin, black thread-like patterns within it.
Even the barrels on the Alpha differ from most factory barrels because they undergo a proprietary three-step process that, according to Benelli, controls stress, preserves straightness, and locks in precision. First, barrels undergo a vacuum heat treatment that eliminates internal stress at the molecular level, creating a barrel that resists deformation under heat and pressure. Secondly, barrels are rifled using an electrochemical process that etches without physical contact, preserving bore straightness and producing uniform lands and grooves. Finally, barrels undergo a minus 300-degree cryogenic treatment that relieves any remaining micro stress, increasing durability and accuracy.
Threaded, Crio-Treated Barrels Built for Suppressor-Ready Hunting
Alpha rifles in 308 Win have 20-inch barrels, while guns in 300 Win Mag have 22-inch barrels. Twist rates for both models are 1:10, and barrels for both are threaded 3/4″ X 24 and topped with a radial brake that you can quickly swap out for a suppressor. The Alpha’s stock design precludes the use of Benelli’s Progressive Comfort recoil system used in other Lupo models, but the muzzle brake pairs with a substantial recoil pad to do a decent job of mitigating recoil. A soft Combtech cheek pad also helps reduce impact to the cheek.
The rifle ships with shims that you can insert between the action and the buttstock to allow you to adjust drop and cast. The gun does not come with sling swivel studs installed, but they are included in an accessory kit that ships with the rifle. To install them, you simply pop out the rubber plugs in the bottom of the stock, revealing molded stud holes designed to accept standard sling swivel studs. You just screw the studs into the molded holes.
The Benelli Lupo Alpha Trigger Is the Real Accuracy Cheat Code
The adjustable trigger on my test rifle deserves special praise. It broke crisply and creep-free, at an average pull weight of slightly less than 2 lbs., 1 oz. That proved to be perfect. With lightweight guns such as the Alpha, even a little finger pressure on the trigger can transmit some wobble to your riflescope’s crosshairs unless you’re shooting from a rock-solid rest, using good shooting technique, and focusing intensely on keeping the crosshairs where you want them. The Alpha’s light trigger helps tremendously with that, and it undoubtedly gives the rifle greater accuracy potential.
Unlike many factory rifles, the Lupo does not require you to remove the action from the stock to adjust the trigger. You simply remove the magazine and look inside the magazine well to locate the obvious trigger housing, and you will see an Allen head screw inside of a gold-colored bushing. You then use the supplied Allen wrench to adjust the pull weight. Turn counterclockwise to loosen the screw and reduce pull weight, or clockwise to tighten the screw and increase pull weight.
Tang-Mounted Safety That Actually Makes Sense in the Field
This wonderful trigger pairs with a two-position, tang-mounted safety that locks the bolt down when you engage the safety. I prefer that arrangement on a hunting rifle because it prevents the bolt from accidentally opening if the bolt handle is snagged on brush. The safety requires a bit of pressure to operate, so it’s also unlikely to be accidentally bumped out of position.
If I had to nitpick one component of the rifle, it would be the detachable magazine, which fits flush with the bottom of the action. The magazine does not drop freely into the hand when you press the magazine release lever. You have to depress the lever and pull the magazine from the rifle, and it takes a little force to reinsert the magazine into the bottom of the action. This takes a little getting used to, but it is not a fatal flaw. It just makes it much less likely for you to accidentally drop the magazine from the gun in the field.
The Five-Round Magazine Has One Quirk, but It Feeds Like a Champ
Apart from that slight stickiness, the double-stack polymer magazine, which holds five rounds, is well designed. It’s exceptionally easy to load either in or out of the gun, and it positions rounds for flawless feeding into the chamber without damaging bullet tips.
My test rifle, chambered in 308 Win, weighs just 5.73 pounds. For testing, I mounted a Leupold VX-4HD 3-12X40 scope, which brought the rifle’s full-up weight to a little over 7 pounds. I find this to be a comfortable weight for most hunting scenarios, but you can obviously go a little lighter with a smaller and less powerful scope.
I ran the rifle through its paces with four factory hunting loads and one factory match load, and was not disappointed. Velocities, measured with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chrono, were predictably a little slower out of the rifle’s 20-inch barrel. Variation ranged from 37 fps to 112 fps, slower than the advertised velocities for the factory loads. That’s not enough to make much difference at practical hunting distances. You lose an inconsequential amount of velocity with the short barrel, but you’re gaining a firearm that’s much handier when equipped with a suppressor versus rifles with standard-length barrels. Given how well this rifle shoots, that’s a tradeoff I’m happy to make.
Sub-MOA Accuracy From a 5.73-Pound Hunting Rifle
Benelli tests every Lupo rifle in-house to certify sub-MOA accuracy, and my test rifle came with a printed target group representing that the rifle shot a 0.68-inch, three-shot group with Federal’s Gold Medal 168-grain 308 Win load. My best group using that same ammo was considerably better than that, measuring just 0.48 inches, and that was not even the best-performing ammo I tested in the Alpha.
That honor goes to Nosler’s 150-grain Ballistic Tip load, which printed 0.41-inch average groups and a single ragged-hole, 0.38-inch best group. That is simply outstanding accuracy for a rifle weighing less than six pounds. A couple of other loads turned in average groups measuring slightly more than one MOA, but three of five tested loads delivered on Benelli’s sub-MOA accuracy promise. Notably, I shot all groups in a full-value wind varying 5-13 mph, and only one round was a match load. The other two were hunting loads. Clearly, with ammo it likes, and in the hands of someone who knows how to shoot ultralight rifles, the Alpha is capable of very good accuracy.
Final Verdict on the Benelli Lupo Alpha
Functionally, the rifle ran flawlessly while feeding, firing, extracting, and ejecting with zero hiccups. Of course, that’s what you would expect of a firearm with an MSRP of $3,199. That pricing reflects this rifle’s special-edition designation. Some publications have stated that only 1,000 rifles in 308 Win will be made, but according to Benelli, there is no long-term production cap. There is an annual production limit due to the capacity of the machines used to 3D print the stock.
I do not doubt that the Alpha will be a fine performer in the field. Whether you like its modern aesthetics or not is a different matter. I’m sure that some will love it and some will hate it, just as some hate most any new gun or cartridge that departs from their accepted norms. I’m equally sure that won’t matter because these special edition rifles will likely sell out.
Benelli Lupo Alpha 308 Win Accuracy and Velocity Data
| Load | Avg. Velocity (feet per second) | Avg. Group 100 yards | Best Group 100 yards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Gold Medal 168 gr. | 2,591 | 0.80 | 0.48 |
| Nosler Ballistic Tip 150 gr. | 2,738 | 0.41 | 0.38 |
| Hornady American Whitetail 150 gr. | 2,728 | 0.95 | 0.87 |
| Remington Core-Lokt 165 gr. | 2,601 | 1.11 | 0.94 |
| Hornady Precision Hunter 178 gr. | 2,536 | 1.20 | 0.94 |
Note: Velocity was an average of 3 shots, measured with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph. Accuracy is taken from three, three-shot groups at 100 yards in wind varying from 5 to 13 mph.
Benelli Lupo Alpha Rifle Specifications
| Action/Length | Bolt action/short action |
|---|---|
| Chambering | 308 Win, as tested |
| Stock | 3D printed, biomimicry design |
| Stock Finish | Charred timber |
| Barrel | 20-in. |
| Barrel Finish | Matte black BE.S.T |
| Rifling Twist Rate | 1:10 |
| Threaded | 3/4×24 |
| Magazine/Capacity | Detachable, 5-rounds |
| Sights | None, 20-MOA Picatinny rail for optics |
| Trigger | Adjustable, 2.2 – 4.4 lbs. |
| Weight | 5.73 lbs. |
| Overall Length | 40.08 inches |
| Length of Pull | 13 14/16 in., as measured |
| MSRP | $3,199.00 |
Pros and Cons of the Benelli Lupo Alpha
- Pros: Extremely light at 5.73 lbs., excellent trigger, slick 60-degree bolt throw, weather-resistant BE.S.T. finish, suppressor-ready threaded barrel, legit sub-MOA potential.
- Cons: The styling will split opinions, the detachable magazine is a bit sticky, and the premium $3,199 MSRP puts it squarely in special-edition territory.
Mike Dickerson is an award-winning writer who has published thousands of magazine and newspaper articles. He is an avid hunter and recreational shooter with decades of experience, specializing in rifles, shotguns, optics, and ammunition. He is also a proud Vietnam veteran who maintains close ties with the US military.
Experience
Decades of hunting experience spanning North America
Deep relationships with major industry manufacturers
Extensive training in long-range shooting
Stories published in virtually every major American hunting and gun magazine
Highly experience wildlife and landscape photographer
