In 1967, Italian Bruno Civolani invented the inertia-operated semiauto shotgun, and in doing so, he revolutionized shotgun design. Benelli utilized the design in their autoloading shotguns, first with their Model 121 shotgun in 1968 and later with their first 20-gauge offering, the SL (Super Luxury) 201, in 1973. In 1983, Benelli’s shotguns took another evolutionary step forward with the release of the Montefeltro, a semiauto inertia-operated shotgun that utilized a rotating bolt head, detachable trigger guard/trigger group, and a wraparound design. Benelli shotguns were first imported to the United States through HK, but that changed in 1997 when Benelli USA was founded in Accokeek, Maryland.

Benelli Montefeltro: A Proven Shotgun Platform

Though it hasn’t earned as much press as its Super Black Eagle cousins, the Montefeltro has been a staple for shooters and hunters since the first guns were imported from Italy in the 1980s. Shooters soon learned to appreciate the simple, reliable Benelli Inertia-Driven design, which utilized the force of recoil to operate the shotgun. When fired, the shotgun moved rearward except for a floating bolt head, and that compressed a spring in the bolt which unlocked the bolt and sent it rearward. This rearward motion extracted the spent shell, and the bolt was driven back into battery by a return spring in the stock. Upon its return stroke, the bolt picked up a shell from the carrier, the rotating bolt head locked into battery, and the gun was ready to fire again. It was simpler and lighter than gas-operated guns and had fewer moving parts. Rather than siphoning gas into the operating system like competing semiautos from Browning and Remington, gases and debris exited the barrel, which made cleaning much simpler. The Benelli Montefeltro’s sleek, simple system and outstanding reliability made it a popular choice at dove hunting lodges in South America, where daily shot counts climbed into the thousands. Life expectancy of those guns far exceeded competing brands, and there are certainly some Montefeltro shotguns that have survived hundreds of thousands of rounds floating around the dove fields of Cordoba.

These lightweight, reliable autoloaders quickly caught the attention of American hunters, and the Montefeltro has become a staple for upland enthusiasts. I own one that I have carried for years, and it’s my go-to wild bird gun for everything from grouse and pheasants in the east, to chukar and Hungarian partridge in the Rockies. I very likely have more rounds through my Montefeltro 20-gauge than any other shotgun in my battery, and I’m a fan of the Benelli design.

In 2023, Benelli revamped their Montefeltro line, making some minor upgrades that improved an already excellent design. This year, the company is applying those same upgrades to the Montefeltro Ultra Light, a trimmed-down version of the standard Montefeltro shotgun. The changes are relatively minor—more evolutionary than revolutionary—but they have improved the Montefeltro Ultra Light’s performance and have made it an even more desirable autoloading upland shotgun.

Design Changes for the New Montefeltro Ultra Light

First, I want to be clear that the features that made the original Montefeltro and Montefeltro Ultra Light guns so desirable have remained largely unchanged on the new Ultra Light shotgun. There’s still a chrome-plated bolt with a rotating bolt head, and the Inertia-Driven system remains intact, so you can still expect the never-say-die level of reliability that made hunters love the original Montefeltros. The new Ultra Light models come with a reduced-length magazine tube that holds four rounds, and it will accept optional extensions to hold additional ammo. The receiver is lightweight anodized aluminum, and the Crio gloss blue barrel measures 24-inches on the 20-gauge model and 26-inches on the 12-gauge version. Both 12- and 20-gauge models come with 3-inch chambers, and both come with three (cylinder, improved cylinder, and modified) flush-fit Crio choke tubes with notches that help identify constriction when the tube is in the barrel.

In an effort to shave weight, Benelli’s new Montefeltro Ultra Light shotguns come with a 7mm carbon fiber stepped rib, with a silver mid bead and red fiber optic front bead. (Additional interchangeable yellow and green beads are also included.) It’s far different than the flat rib on the standard Montefeltro, but if I’m being completely honest, I prefer the stepped rib design on the Ultra Light. The carbon fiber also adds an elegant aesthetic to this classically styled shotgun.

The most obvious changes to the current Montefeltro/ Montefeltro Ultra Light guns have to do with receiver and control geometry. As much as I love my Montefeltro, I know that if I don’t pay close attention while loading the magazine, the carrier will pinch my thumb. The new Montefeltro guns, like the Ultra Light, have a beveled loading port which is much easier to load quickly and greatly reduces the odds of pinching. The rear portion of the receiver is also angled more sharply, which makes it faster and easier to access the crossbolt safety. These changes to the receiver geometry may seem subtle, but they’re about more than looks. The new Ultra light is an easier gun to operate than previous Montefeltro models.

Continuing with the ease-of-operation upgrades is a large bar-style bolt release that replaces the traditional bolt release button on previous Montefeltro guns. The cartridge drop lever has also been redesigned. Traditionally, the cartridge drop lever (or shell drop lever, which is pressed up to release a shell from the magazine tube) has featured a slightly concave face with serrations, but the new Montefeltro Ultra Light features a more prominent, rounded design. It’s located in the same position as the cartridge drop lever on previous generation Montefeltros, but it is easier to access. The crossbolt safety is now round in shape, instead of triangular.

The Montefeltro Ultra Light comes with a walnut stock which, along with the receiver, is treated with a WeatherCoat surface treatment to protect the gun from the elements. Benelli’s website lists the walnut as A-grade satin walnut, but the model I tested certainly had excellent wood that’s better than the quality of walnut on my original Montefeltro.

Like other Benelli products, the Montefeltro Ultra Light comes with a shim kit for adjusting cast and drop. The redesigned pistol grip is more pronounced than previous models, and the forearm’s finger groove is curved rather than the straight groove on older Montefeltro shotguns. The new Ultra Light also comes with a recoil pad with radiused heel that measures .8-inches long, over twice that of my older Montefeltro.

The larger recoil pad is a nice addition to these light shotguns. The 20-gauge version weighs in at just 5.3-pounds, while the 12-gauge weighs 6.3-pounds. Overall length for the 20-gauge version is 45.6-inches, while the 12-gauge measures 47.6-inches. Length of pull for both the 12- and 20-gauge guns is 14 3/8-inches.

Field Testing the Benelli Montefeltro Ultra Light

The 20-gauge Montefeltro Ultra Light proved to be just as reliable as you would expect from a Benelli. For testing, I launched clay targets from a Caldwell Claymore thrower and broke the first 25 straight. The Benelli is a lively gun, light and agile, and quick to the shoulder. Recoil is noticeable but not unpleasant, thanks in part to the cushy recoil pad, but this probably wouldn’t be the best option for someone who’ll be shooting hundreds of clays a week. You certainly could, and the Benelli has no issues feeding light 7⁄8-ounce target loads, but a gun with a bit more heft will help reduce recoil fatigue. It also cycled 3-inch magnum loads, but recoil levels jumped substantially.

What this gun is perfect for is upland hunting, especially when you’re climbing, covering miles of public land, or hunting in dense grouse woods. Overall length is just about 1⁄2-inch more than a Browning Citori Feather 20-gauge over/under with 28-inch barrels, and the Benelli weighs over a half-pound less than the Browning. I’ve learned my lesson chasing wild birds on public land, and I want a gun under 5 1⁄2-pounds. The Benelli fits the bill perfectly, so if you’re planning to chase birds in big country, this is an ideal shotgun. Ditto if you’re planning to spend most of your time in grouse coverts. Of course, the Benelli’s design allows you to quickly remove the shell from the chamber without cycling another round into the action, so you can unload the gun in a hurry while handling dogs and crossing fences. As an all-around upland gun, the Benelli Montefeltro Ultra Light is hard to beat, and it should be at the top of your list if you’re looking for a new hunting shotgun.

The new receiver geometry makes this an easier gun to handle in the field, and I especially enjoy that it is easier to load than previous Montefeltro iterations. That’s not such a big deal while upland hunting, but if you’ve ever pinched your thumbs multiple times while reloading on a high-volume dove or pigeon shoot, you’ll especially appreciate the redesign. I also like Benelli’s decision to include cylinder, improved cylinder, and modified chokes with the gun, instead of the standard IC-M-F chokes that come with most shotguns since the included choke constrictions make more sense for a 20-gauge upland gun with a 24-inch barrel.

Benellis of old were infamous for their “click,” a failure to fire that resulted when the bolt head was not closed with enough force to rotate the lugs to the locked position. You can make the new Ultra Light stay out of battery if you gingerly release the bolt to the forward position, but it’s much harder to keep these guns out of battery than the previous versions of the Montefeltro. Also, when I managed to lower the bolt so gingerly that it did not go into battery, a simple tap on the rear of the bolt handle rotated the lugs into place. It’s not impossible to close the bolt without rotating the bolt head into battery with the new Ultra Light, but it’s less likely to happen than with older guns. Unless you’re deliberately trying to prevent the gun from operating properly, as I was, odds are the “Benelli click” is a thing of the past.

It's also worth noting that, while Benelli guns have an enviable reputation for reliability, you can screw them up. Almost always, failure to operate is a result of failing to properly shoulder the gun or too much or too little lubrication. It’s my experience that Montefeltros (and other Benelli autoloaders) prefer to run with a light layer of lubrication on the internal parts. So long as they aren’t too dry, or sopping wet, they’ll continue to run properly, and that was the case with the test gun.

The new Montefeltro Ultra Light is a good gun made better, and it’s a natural choice for upland hunters. It’s not dramatically different than the previous-gen gun, but the quirks of the old gun have been addressed with the release of the new version. Like its predecessor, the new Ultra Light is a superb choice for upland hunters, a firearm that works hard every day and doesn’t disappoint its owner.