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Benelli MR1: Not Actually an AR15!

Sold for $1,380 (with a second rifle).

The MR-1 is a recently introduced 5.56mm tactical black rifle from Benelli, which is remarkably not an AR15 or AR18 in disguise. Instead, Benelli took the gas system from the M4 Super 90 shotgun and combined it with a 3-lug rotating bolt (akin to the Leader T2 and Barrett M82) and the handling of a Benelli shotgun. The rifle is being sold as a civilian rifle in the US and Italy, with no signs of serious attempts at military contracts (which makes sense, given that Benelli and Beretta are owned by the same company, and Beretta has a good lock on the current Italian service rifle). It seems to me that the purpose of the MR-1 is to grab that slice of the 5.56mm modern rifle market which is populated by sport shooters who are being dragged towards ARs by all the popular media surrounding them.

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