Wild boar hunting in 2024 with the Benelli Endurance rifle

There is a pleasant buzz around the packs of dogs waiting to be released at the meeting point for the hunt. Giorgio Paraporti reminds all the participants of the rules to be followed, and in the meantime Andrea Barbieri, head of the Montefeltro Tour Operator, hands me and my press colleagues the Benelli Endurance rifles for the day of wild boar hunting that awaits us. We are in Umbria, Italy, in Montenero di Todi, and we are guests of Benelli and its staff who, in the heart of the hunting season, following a concrete philosophy of communication, want to give us the chance to try out the performance of its firearms directly in the field. Endurance semi-automatic rifles are available in different versions, from the Wood version with a wooden stock for the more traditionalists to the Comfortech 3 version in technopolymers and the Battue version with a high-visibility stock. In my case I receive the Endurance Comfortech 3 version, sporty and aggressive in design, revised in lines and components to be even lighter, faster and more ergonomic. The day is typically autumnal and a cold northerly wind keeps us on our toes. We are escorted and spread out over the terrain, along with the local hunters taking part in the hunt, before the hundlers release the dogs close to the woods where the wild boar should be in good numbers. The tracks on the ground are obvious and a few wild animals alerted by our incoming voices move elusively away from the area.

Video: Hunting with Benelli Endurance Comfortech 3 in .308 Winchester

Hunting with Davide De Carolis

I reach my assigned position in the middle of a field at the bottom of the valley separating two strips of forest. Davide De Carolis, a dynamic Benelli shooter, but also a passionate hunter,  walks silently to his position next to mine.

These days spent in his company were also an opportunity from a human point of view, to get to know better certain aspects such as our common dedication to dogs and their training, and the past and adventures we have experienced in hunting since our early years of training. As always, hunting and love for dogs reveal much more than just a passion for nature.

Just like me, Davide, whom I knew as a Benelli's dynamic and exhibition shooter, followed his father's shadow in the countryside from his first steps. From those days, the silhouette of the Benelli semi-automatic his father carried entered his imagination as a future hunter, exerting a special fascination on him. As time went by, his desire to try and discover led him to practice different types of hunting with different types of dogs that he bred and trained. Wild boar hunting with Vandean hounds is one of his favourites, but pointing dogs also occupy him a great deal.

The hunt begins

The hunt is about to begin and we are warned that we can load the guns. We are supplied with 150-grain Sako Super Hammerhead ammunition, cartridges featuring a soft point bullet, which have already proven their effectiveness and accuracy on other occasions. As I silently mount my ShotKam on the Endurance rifle  barrel in the hope of capturing the images of some shots, I hear the chatter of the hounds that immediately set some wild boars in motion towards the valley. The typically hilly terrain of this Umbria area makes it possible to follow, even without being able to see it, all the work done by the hounds that incessantly find and chase the wild boars, which very rarely leave the thickest wood areas to make themselves visible. The minutes pass and the wait is filled with the beauty of the landscape and the trepidation that the dogs manage to convey by approaching and moving away from my position in alternating phases.

In a moment of apparent calm, while the voices of the hounds seem to be distant on the trail of the fleeing boars, I am alerted by some thrushes coming very quickly out of the woods in front of me. Just enough time to think that they may have been alerted by the passage of some animal and to switch on the camera, and there is the silhouette of an adult boar bursting through the field in the direction of the wood behind me. The  rifle rises quickly to my shoulder and the metal sights are clearly visible and aligned on the silhouette of the running wild boar. Although shivering with adrenalin, I remain calm and let the animal overtake me: this way, from a safe position, I will avoid to point the gun in the direction of the line of hunting positions far away from me. Following the boar's topline I let off the first shot softly, which the animal takes as it continues its run. Remaining perfectly aligned in my aim, with the second shot I see the boar hit in the head spin in the air and fall back striken dead to the ground. I look up towards the hill and see Davide who signals me he has seen all the beautiful action that has just taken place. I approach the wild animal noticing that the shot has hit it just behind the ear. While I am contemplating the beauty of the specimen I have just got, I might have the opportunity to shoot another young boar that catches me by surprise, arriving without any hounds in tow, silently and quickly behind me. It happens, when numbers don't count and the satisfaction of a beautiful hunting action that has gone well satisfies the heart and the mind. The hunt continues, and from time to time shots echo in the valley. At the sound of the horn we retreat to the hunting lodge, where the time for inevitable  comments, smiles and the pleasure of time shared sitting at the table come. The hunt ended with a total of eight wild boars shot and, for me, with one more adventure to put in the archive of good memories.

Benelli Endurance Comfortech 3: technical considerations

Already tested on the shooting range, the Benelli Endurance Comfortech 3 confirmed that it is a winning design that is constantly evolving. Good ergonomics were evident and fundamental in the hunt because the special technology of the Comfortech 3 stock allowed me to feel no vibration or muzzle flip in follow-up shots, which in fact hit the wild boar lethally on two consecutive occasions. The contact surface of the stock to the hunter's cheek and shoulder absorbs both the energy of the shot and the noise, without disturbing concentration when aiming. Another key aspect is the trigger pull lightened to 1.8 kg, which allows the shot to be released in a completely natural way while aiming and following the moving game, avoiding jerks and uncertainty when pulling the trigger.

The rifle's low weight of around 3 kg makes it easy both for those who have to move around in the woods with their dogs, and for hunters at the stand who spend several hours waiting with the rifle ready for use. Endurance's compact design clearly favors instinctive shooting in driven hunts and in the woods. The gas-operated system is quick and safe, as well as being durable and smooth even in the harshest conditions thanks to the BE.S.T treatment of the gas piston. Another non-negligible aspect highlighted during hunting is that of the highly visible and intuitive open sights, consisting of two fiber optic dots on the carbon fiber rib and an adjustable front sight, effective in the immediate acquisition of the game silhouette. The quick release 5-round magazine, also recently revised by Benelli, we were supplied with is practical in loading and fast to insert into the rifle.

Speaking of rounds, the Sako Super Hammerhead cartridge that Benelli chose for our hunting day also deserve a mention. We had already used them during our tests on the range for their accuracy, but seeing their lethal effectiveness on a large wild boar with a safe and immediate kill leads us to bear witness to their reliability. The Benelli Endurance rifles we tested in  .308 Winchester are also available in .30-06 Springfield, .300 Winchester Magnum and 9.3x62.

Benelli Endurance Comfortech 3 technical specifications

For more information on the Endurance Comfortech 3  rifle please visit the Benelli website.