TheBenelli Kiteis a single shot.177 inch calibre pre-charged pneumaticair pistoldesigned for the10 m Air PistolISSF shooting event.It is manufactured byBenelli Armi SpAofItaly.
| 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) |
| Barrellength | 240 mm (9.45 in) |
| Cartridge | 4.5 mm (0.177 in) diaboloair 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 byFrancesco Brunoto win a gold medal in the Italian Championship 2008. It is also used byTanyu Kiryakov,who won gold in the10 m Air Pistolat the Olympic Games inSeoul 1988.
Design details
editLike all air pistols designed for the10 m Air Pistolevent, it has fully adjustablesights,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 byLothar Waltherwith 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 200bars(20,000kPa). A pressure gauge on the end of the cylinder allows for constant monitoring of the pressure.
TheBenelli Kitefeatures micrometric rear sight adjustment with four settings:
1 click = 1 mmwindage(left/right adjustment) at 10 metres. 1 click = 2 mmelevation(up/down adjustment) at 10 metres.
The sight aperture is adjustable by lever and screw.
Performance
editThe following tables show the results achieved by competitive shooters using theBenelli Kitein major competitions:
Gold medals
edit| 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 |  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
edit| 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
edit| Competition | Location | Date | Competitor |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISSF World Cup | Granada(ESP)
|
October 2006 | Tanyu Kiryakov |
| European Championship |  Winterthur(CHE)
|
February 2008 | Tanyu Kiryakov |
See also
edit- Benelli Kite Young- smaller version of theKite,for junior competitors.
- Benelli Armi SpA
- 10 metre Air Pistol
- ISSF shooting events