ERA-TAC picatinny rail - Benelli ARGO

Introduction

Picatinny rail consists of slots with 5.23 mm spaces between one another, which means that it can be used across its entire length. It is simple to mount and interchangeable – if something is made for a Picatinny rail, it will fit regardless of the manufacturer or manufacturing date. It is affordable, resilient and reliable – this is why it so commonly used by professionals and military. Because of all its great qualities, Picatinny rail has been dominating the rail market in the recent years.

Picatinny is a big step forward from the Weaver standard. Weaver has a few predesignated slots while Picatinny has slots all over its surface, allowing the device to be mounted wherever the user finds it fitting. Weaver's slot is 3.8 mm wide, which is why ring mounts made for a Weaver rail will also fit on a Picatinny rail while ring mounts made specifically for a Picatinny rail will not fit on a Weaver rail. This is one of the main reasons why Picatinny is a far better mounting solution.

Recknagel is currently the biggest manufacturer of mounts in Germany. Their Picatinny rails, known for great fit and finish, are mostly made of high-grade aluminium (a few are also made of steel), which is why they are very reliable. Screws are included. Currently, a common trend among rifle manufacturers is making receivers out of aluminum – mounting a Picatinny rail made of aluminum on one of those receivers is thus not problematic. Their products are marketed either under the name Recknagel or Era-Tac.

About the rifle

Benelli Armi S.p.A. was formed in 1967 from a motorcycle business. Benelli brothers were passionate hunters as well as fine engineers – with the help of Bruno Civolani, they developed an extraordinary hunting shotgun that used a simple inertia driven mechanism in place of a conventional gas-operated system. Today, they are best known for producing shotguns for law enforcement, military and civilians. Benelli M3 12 gauge, used by American SWAT teams, is perhaps their most famous firearm.

Benelli Argo is a semi-automatic rifle powered by Benelli's Auto-Regulated Gas Operated system (it uses gas when it is shot to reset the bolt and load the next round – it is referred to as very reliable). Its action is cylindrical/round shaped and is of the same diameter throughout its length. The dimensions are the same as that of Browning BAR, meaning that mounts for BAR will fit Benelli ARGO and vice versa. Benelli Special has the same dimensions as the standard model. The rifle's bolt is equipped with three locking lugs. Argo features a small hatch as an ejection port and has 4 holes drilled on the action (two in the front and two in the back). The rifle is available in the following calibers: .308 Win, .30-06 Spr, .300 Win Mag, 9.3x62 and 7x64.

Rifles Benelli Argo, Browning BAR, Browning Acera, Browning Maral, Winchester SXR Vulcan and Fabarm Iris have actions of the same dimensions, which is why they share the same mounts.

A: 12.7 mm
B: 81 mm
C: 12.7 mm
BHU: 0 mm
Fi: 6-48
R1: R18
R2: R18

Mounting instructions

Remove all the stains (grease, oil etc.) from the rifle's receiver with a cleaning fluid (acetone). Once the surface is clean and dry, check whether the screws match the rail and the holes on the receiver. Make sure that the Picatinny rail is compatible with the rifle by inspecting the mounting holes on both. Before mounting the rail permanently, apply a minimal amount of thread-locking fluid 278 or 648 on screws and contact surfaces. Be careful not to get the fluid in or near the mounting holes. Carefully clean the remaining excess fluid around the rail with a cleaning fluid. Using a torque driver, screw the screws appropriately (up to 2.2 Nm) – do not overtighten.

Warranty

The product has a warranty period of 10 years.