(GunReports.com) — Gun Tests Magazine has named the Benelli Ultralight 12 Gauge as the publication’s “Best in Class Shotgun” for 2013.
The exact test model was the Benelli Ultralight Model No. 10802 12 Gauge, $1649, originally reviewed in the February 2013 issue.
Contributing Editor John Taylor ran the original test. He said, “First, let’s look at some of the ways Benelli shaved pounds. The Benelli weighed in at a mere 6.4 pounds on our scale, putting the Model 1100 challenger in a different weight class at 8.4 pounds — a 31% uptick. For the North Dakota pheasant hunter who pushes rather than blocks, that 2-pound savings means a lot.”
Gun Tests Publisher Timothy H. Cole said, ““Because we don’t accept advertising, consumers can trust these awards. We rate guns solely on their own merits. The ‘Best in Class’ winners show accuracy, reliability, tight fit and finish, are often handsome, and offer a lot of value for the dollar.”
Every December, Gun Tests’ Editor Todd Woodard surveys the work of the magazine’s staff over the previous 12 months to select about a dozen Guns of the Year choices. From those Guns of the Year, the staff chooses the magazine’s “Best in Class” winners based on the initial reviews of the products — Grade: A or Grade: A- ratings — plus additional owner experiences with the test guns and comments from the Gun Tests readership.
About the Benelli, Taylor added, “The Benelli’s stock-shim kit allows for substantial changes in the fit, so that alone is a major advantage, assuming you know how to fit shotguns.”
Woodard said, “In a December 2012 test, we compared the Ultralight to a lightly used veteran Remington 1100 in 28 gauge, and the Italian came out ahead. This time, new chamberings, new guns, same result.”
The Benelli Ultralight 10802 Semi-Auto 12 Gauge joins a Charter Arms Pitbull 9mm Luger revolver, a Howa 2N1Combo rifle in .243 Win., a Kimber Pro Custom Defense Package (CDP) II 45 ACP, a Liberty Custom Leather Savannah IWB Holster, and Black Hills’ 60-grain M223R4 223 Rem. jacketed soft-point round as the magazine’s “Best in Class” 2013 honorees.
Gun Tests is a subscription-supported monthly 32-page four-color magazine. It does not accept commercial advertising.
Click for more information on Gun Tests magazine.
