Benelli Kite

[william]

I don’t usually go public over a new acquisition, but I have to make an exception. Last week I went to see Larry Carter and brought home a short version Benelli Kite. Initial observations are as follows: WOOHOO!!! This thing is fantastic. Grip - the most comfortable factory grip I have handled including all the famous names. Trigger - to my mind as good as any out-of-the-box, mechanical or electronic. I’ve not found another A-P that makes it as intuitive to shoot small groups. I really feel like writing a long review, but this isn’t the proper venue. I’ll still find ways to make bad shots, but the Kite will make that task more difficult. Thanks, Larry. Additional comments after we've spent some more time together.

[cbpersel]

Fantastic. Good to hear somebody write about the Benelli. I really wanted to buy one, but I live in Canada and the Benelli factory does not produce a special sub 500 fps model (like Steyr, Morini, Pardini, etc.) that would exclude it from the Canadian firearm category. Otherwise, I would have purchased one myself. Be sure to give us an update.

Craig Persel

[william]

The factory spec for the Kite is 145 M/sec which I believe qualifies it for non-firearm status in Canada. There's every reason to believe the short barrel will further reduce muzzle velocity. The Canadian government really ought to consider adopting the Euro standard 7.5 Joules muzzle energy - wouldn't that make things simple!

[gadfly]

ask him how many other A-P's he's gone through to get to this point.
It makes his WOOHOO all the more special.

[Guest]

Do you know where I can find a young model of the Benelli kite? Has any other person given this to there child and whats the good and bad about it?

[Jay V]

Do you know where I can find a young model of the Benelli kite? Has any other person given this to there child and whats the good and bad about it?

Larry Carter (www.larrysguns.com) has the Kite Young in-stock. The short version and the "Young" are the same as far as I know.

The first thing you notice is the case it comes in - silver, Italian design, really nice. The gun looks and feels high class too. The Nill grip is my personal favorite. The Kite has an ambidextrous cocking lever, which is very nice for LH shooters. Very nice trigger also.

The Kite Young is best used by larger, more experienced, juniors in my opinion. The supplied small cylinder (there is an extra small one also, which I didn't try) is still pretty big and fairly heavy for a junior gun. Larry said something about possible changes to the size of the cylinders. With the regular small cylinder it's noticeably larger and heavier than the Steyr LP-2 Jr/ Short model.

Overall a very nice gun, just make sure the shooter can handle its size.


Jay V
IL

[Guest]

Is the grip adjustiable in all directions?

[Benelli-sceptic]

The Benelli Kite, William?
You are very fond of its optics, yes, but how well will it shoot? And how well will it do after some use?
The Benelli history of match firearms has so far left something to be desired. But have they (Benelly) finely made a breakthrough?
I have testfired several Benelli .22 and .32 auto match pistols during the last two decades. There have been severe problems with triggers, functioning reliability and so on. Some flaws were obviously caused by ingeneering shortcomings. Like the first .32 Benellis that had feed ramps that were not an integral part of the barrel. And that caused a lot of trouble.
And the .22 autos? Lot of feeding problems. And triggeres that were lousy at best.
But the .22 Benelli match autos have grown better, slowly. And at the moment there is one clubmember firing a new one. With satisfaction so far.

Let us hope the Kite will be durable.

And William (you do not happen to be closely related to the importer of Benelli arms, do you? No, certainly not) the velocity of the short versions of the Morinis, Steyrs, FWB are the same with the long versions. I would expect the same for the Kite.

My one cent,
(Formerly) sceptical about Benelli auto pistols.

[stale]

The Kite is supposed to be an economical alternative to
the todays best match pistols.
Allthoug it is, in some country's prices higher that these.
It is a straight foreward design and no hitech. Very similar to fas 609.
The grip is the best part of the pistol.
Trigger system is identical to fas 609, and had to be re-adjusted twice during a 300 shot test.

stale

[Greg Derr]

I have to diagree with Benelli sceptic. I found the MP90 a very well made pistol. I shot the 22 for two season of Standard Pistol with no failures at all. The accuracy was great. I managed a 580 in one match and 584 in training, I think this was due to the low bore axis and balance in the 10 second series. The only thing I could find which I would change (no fault of Benelli) is the ability to mount a red dot scope on the gun. In the US many use a red dot for NRA shooting indoors, the Benelli did accept a scope OK but breakdown requires the removal of the scope. Just a small thing. I see many Benelli 95's on the line in the area, no more than the typical problems with any other gun. Greg Derr

[william]

A few points in no particular order:
1. I have no relation to Larry Carter except as a satisfied customer. Mr. Benelli-sceptic, with whom are you connected?
2. At nearly 60 I feel a little silly referring to my Kite "Young," so I'll stick with short.
3. I don't think feeding / ejection will be major problems in an air pistol. Nor will the Kite be subject to the battering forces of a .22 or .32.
4. I've shot 150-160 pellets and the trigger is exactly as it was on shot #1. It may shift over time ¿Quien sabe?
5. My first A-P was a Tau 7 which I really liked. I wasn't nimble enough to deal with CO2 caplets and got tired of having my pistol encased in ice. Next came an Izh-46 with which I shot my first match in 2000. I keep it as a backup "just in case." Not wanting to pump, and a few extra $$$ got me to a Pardini K2s - a truly wonderful pistol. It turned out to be too front heavy for my old and tender elbow so after a year I switched to a K2s short (Junior)which I have shot for 2 years. Along the way I experimented with Morini 162EI, MatchGuns MG1, and friends' Hammerlis and Steyrs. I always came back to my Pardini until I found the Kite.

[(former) Benelli sceptic]

Hello, William.

It was ment like a joke, William, because you were so enthusiastic about the Kite. Enthusiastic like a good persuasive salesman. I had no intention about offending you. So I ask for excuse.

I have no bias toward any manufacturer, and I am not "connected" to any of them. But I have some experience.
In am only a few years from 60 myself, William. I have enjoyed a looong life with much shooting fun. Same with you, it seems. And I have experienced disapointments too, from guns that were not up to good engineering/manufacturing standard. A couple of those were (early production) Benelli autos.

I am perticularly fond of air pistols, and have tested every new model that came within reach. But I have not tested the Kite yet, but I am about to. A couple af my shooting pals have. One disliked it. The other still shoots it. But then the latter got his free from the importer for promotion.

So the question of how good the Kite still remains somewhat undetermined (by us).

[Bill177]

I too have old age joints and shoot a K2. I bought a pair of the short cylinders. Now, depending how I feel - I can shoot light or heavy. Works for me.

[cbpersel]

The factory spec for the Kite is 145 M/sec which I believe qualifies it for non-firearm status in Canada. There's every reason to believe the short barrel will further reduce muzzle velocity. The Canadian government really ought to consider adopting the Euro standard 7.5 Joules muzzle energy - wouldn't that make things simple!

Actually, I contacted Larry Whitmore with Canadian Shooting Sports and he was nice enough to set up correspondence with the Canadian Government regarding the Benelli Kite air pistol. Here are the government's concluding remarks.

"For this particular air pistol, we had to create a new FRT record. Based on the discussions we had with Benelli USA, and technical information that we obtained from Benelli Italy, we have classified the air pistol as Restricted. In short, the pistol is manufactured with a velocity exceeding 500 fps. "

I hope this information is helpful.

Ken McCarthy
Registrar of Firearms (Canada)
tel.: 613-941-5209

[(former) Benelli sceptic.]

Well, yes, then, I´m "in".
Finally, I have also fired for testing "The Kite". (= the flying dragon?).

First: The lined pistol case: flashy, silvery, fancy. Wow, I liked that one! I just got to have one of those pistol cases.
The pistol: Like Jay V. said, it appears and feels somewhat "big".
It has a bilateral cocking lever. Good. The trigger was ok. There was a soft feel of the gun at let-off, - a slight muzzle rise. But not bad. Or no better or worse than similar APs.

The sight adjustments demanded a screwdriver. (You could probably manage the windage adjustments with your fingertips, but..). As with the Morinis: I do not like to use a screwdriver to adjust my sights. Benelli and Morini: please look to Steyr and Matchguns in that regard, - and learn.

Averall rating? About average.

I have to inform you, though, that this was the second "Kite"-pistol of the owner. The first one suffered at arrival from air leakage, and a "loose" barrel. The barrel could be rocked slightly from side to side, no matter how well the barrel fixing screw(s) were tightened. It was returned to the importer, who replased the gun wih the one I was allowed to testfire.

My five cents,

(formerly) a bit sceptic about Benelli pistols.

[shaggy 1800]

Hey guys i'm the happy owner of a Kite. There must have been a couple of diffent versions made. For example my kite has a nickel action does the one you have?? because a mate of mine got a very early one and the gun was completely blued and my rear sight is fully adjustable with out a screw driver. intresting.

good to see the Kite is around in other countrys i know of only two in New Zealand :-)