Benelli Kite
The Benelli Kite is a single shot .177 inch calibre pre-charged pneumatic air pistol designed for the 10 m Air Pistol ISSF shooting event. It is manufactured by Benelli Armi SpA of Italy.
| Benelli Kite | |
|---|---|
 Benelli Kite | |
| Type | Pre-Charged Pneumatic air gun |
| Place of origin |  Italy |
| Service history | |
| Used by | 10 m air pistol shooters |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Benelli Armi SpA |
| Variants | Benelli Kite, Benelli Kite Young |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 0.8 kg (1.8 lb) (no magazine) |
| Length | 433 mm (17.05 in) |
| Barrel length | 240 mm (9.45 in) |
| Cartridge | 4.5 mm (0.177 in) diabolo air gun pellets |
| Action | Pre-Charged Pneumatic |
| Muzzle velocity | 145 m/s (adjustable 135-165 m/s) |
| Effective firing range | 10 m (10.9 yd) |
| Feed system | single air gun pellet |
| Sights | open, fully adjustable |
The Kite was used by Francesco Bruno to win a gold medal in the Italian Championship 2008. It is also used by Tanyu Kiryakov, who won gold in the 10 m Air Pistol at the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988.
Design details
Like all air pistols designed for the 10 m Air Pistol event, it has fully adjustable sights, a mechanically adjustable trigger (for stroke and weight of 1st and 2nd phase and trigger stop) and an anatomically adjustable grip available in three sizes and for left and right-handed shooters. The model pictured here is fitted with a stabilising balance weight, designed to further improve stability of the pistol during firing and to minimize recoil.
The barrel is manufactured by Lothar Walther with 12-twist right-hand rifling and 450 mm pitch. Air power is supplied from an under-barrel cylinder, available in four different capacities: long (300 shots), intermediate (230 shots), medium (180 shots) and short (80 shots). It uses atmospheric air compressed to 200 bars (20,000 kPa). A pressure gauge on the end of the cylinder allows for constant monitoring of the pressure.
The Benelli Kite features micrometric rear sight adjustment with four settings:
1 click = 1 mm windage (left/right adjustment) at 10 metres. 1 click = 2 mm elevation (up/down adjustment) at 10 metres.
The sight aperture is adjustable by lever and screw.
Performance
The following tables show the results achieved by competitive shooters using the Benelli Kite in major competitions:
Gold medals
| Competition | Location | Date | Competitor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian Championship Master | Bologna (ITA) |
September 2003 | Alberto Cardinali |
| Italian Championship Student | Bologna (ITA) |
September 2003 | Elena Ruan |
| European Championship |  Gothenburg (SWE) |
November 2003 | Mikhail Nestruev |
| Finnish Championship |  Finland |
2004 | Teemu Lahti |
| Intershoot Den Haag |  Netherlands (NED) |
February 2004 | Joao Costa |
| European Championship |  Győr (HUN) |
March 2004 | Mikhail Nestruev |
| ISSF World Cup |  Munich (GER) |
August 2005 | Mikhail Nestruev |
| Mediterranean Games |  Almería (ESP) |
2005 | Francesco Bruno |
| Italian Championship | Milan (ITA) |
September 2005 | Francesco Bruno |
| Finnish Championship | Finland |
March 2006 | Kai Jahnsson |
| European Championship |  Moscow (RUS) |
February 2006 | Tanyu Kiryakov |
| Italian Championship | Milan (ITA) |
September 2006 | Francesco Bruno |
| Italian Championship | Bologna (ITA) |
September 2008 | Francesco Bruno |
| Italian Championship Juniores | Naples (ITA) |
September 2008 | Andrea Scafa |
Silver medals
| Competition | Location | Date | Competitor |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Championship | Győr (HUN) |
March 2004 | Tanyu Kiryakov |
| ISSF World Cup | Milan (ITA) |
June 2004 | Tanyu Kiryakov |
| ISSF World Cup |  Fort Benning (USA) |
May 2005 | Mikhail Nestruev |
| Internationaler Wettkampf | Munich (GER) |
January 2006 | Tanyu Kiryakov |
| ISSF World Cup | Munich (GER) |
May 2006 | Joao Costa |
| ISSF World Cup | Milan (ITA) |
June 2006 | Tanyu Kiryakov |
Bronze medals
| Competition | Location | Date | Competitor |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISSF World Cup | Granada (ESP) |
October 2006 | Tanyu Kiryakov |
| European Championship |  Winterthur (CHE) |
February 2008 | Tanyu Kiryakov |
Picture gallery
The four vent holes drilled on the barrel increase arm stability and reduce vibration to a minimum when the pellet is fired.
The trigger can be adjusted in terms of inclination, rotation and distance from the grip.
The 22-opening compensator applied to the barrel's muzzle ensures stability of the pellet's trajectory and limits the dispersion of the shot pattern.
Power is supplied by an interchangeable, pre-charged compressed air cylinder, available in four capacities (of varying length). An integral pressure gauge enables the pressure in the cylinder to be constantly monitored.
Chambering of the pellet is facilitated by an extended guide channel. Once in the guide channel, the pellet is automatically chambered by the sliding probe.
The adjustable rear sight allows adjustment of elevation and windage without the need for tools. The blade allows variation in the target window range (between 2.2 and 4.2 mm) and elevation (between 1.4 and 2.5 mm).
See also
- Benelli Kite Young - smaller version of the Kite, for junior competitors.
- Benelli Armi SpA
- 10 metre Air Pistol
- ISSF shooting events