Some might call it the little brother of the Raffaello 12-gauge as the lines and hardware are similar, but this gun was actually designed as an original around the cartridge it is intended to fire. Let's take a closer look at some of the qualities of the Raffaello Ethos 20-gauge, such as its light weight, handiness and its accentuated marked aesthetic harmony. There are some important new features in terms of the technology and the aesthetic quality of this shotgun, designed for hunters looking for a gun with a refined style that is light to carry, fast and precise to aim, with all the performance and reliability modern high-performance cartridges require.
The elegance of the lines is enriched by the floral engraving on the nickel-plated, hand-brushed receiver. The "Progressive Comfort" recoil reduction system in the wooden stock means more stable shooting, adapting the power absorption to the power of the cartridge used. This makes the gun more stable when firing twice and lets you acquire the target immediately.
All Benelli shotguns are designed around the cartridges they will be used with. The 20‑gauge takes 24 gram normal load cartridges and 28 gram heavy load cartridges.
With reference to traditional load, normal (24 gram), heavy (28 gram), baby Magnum (30 gram) and Magnum (35 gram), important variations have been available for some time.
Not that “traditional” cartridges have disappeared or become obsolete, but the range of options has expanded upwards both in terms of the weight of the load and muzzle velocity, and much of this race towards ever higher performance is thanks to another innovation: special alloy shot, more commonly known as steel shot.
Thanks to the new special cases, this type of shot has meant an increase in both the load and velocity produced by 20-guage cartridges, with both a 70 and 76 casing.
Modern ammo must therefore be used with dedicated guns that can guarantee the highest ballistic performance in terms of precision and power, but also with the right balance and recoil absorption, to give the hunter stability and comfort when shooting.
Benelli left nothing to chance with the recoil reduction system on this 20-guage, which fits into the Comfortech stock.
These new Raffaello shotguns, both the 12-guage and the Raffaello Ethos 20, are fitted with the Progressive Comfort system.
This system reduces the recoil with all types of cartridges, but it is optimized for the most commonly used loads in a certain gauge to make it faster and more effective when shooting in quick succession.
The Progressive Comfort system inside the stock gives you the best technical results, without breaking the elegant and harmonious lines.
The interchangeable Comfortech gel comb is soft on the cheek, reducing and dampening vibrations, while also diminishing the acoustic perception of the shot.
The stock plays a fundamental role in the reduction of recoil, general comfort, gun handling, shouldering speed and performance in the field, and it also needs to meet the shooter's requirements in physical terms. The stock of the Raffaello Ethos 20, as well as the drop adjustment kit to adjust the drop and centerline and interchangeable combs, also lets you adjust the length, in other words the distance between the end of the butt and the front of the trigger, also called Length Of Pull or LOP.
Let's now consider the balance and light weight of the Raffaello Ethos 20, features that make the shotgun ideal for those long marches that characterize game shooting with your dogs.
The design of this gun with its lean, streamlined and slender profile also makes it look light and easy to handle, emphasizing the fact that it has been designed to give the hunter the very greatest comfort. Thanks to the light alloy receiver and the barrel with carbon fiber ribbing, the gun only weighs approximately 2,570 grams with medium length (66 cm) barrel.
The barrel on the Raffaello Ethos 20 is a consolidated Benelli feature. The Crio Power Bore barrel with carbon fiber rib and a cryogenic "steel shot" choke guarantees higher velocity and target penetration with any load.
These barrels are drilled using a cryogenic process, which regularizes the vibratory regime when shooting, and the expansion-contraction of the spread.
The carbon fiber rib reduces the weight of the barrel and makes the gun easier to handle, in the case of overheating also offers the advantage of having no bridges that could interfere with the vibratory regime, thanks to the special anchoring system.
The gun is available with 61, 66, and 71 cm barrel lengths, so you can configure it for short-, medium- or long-range hunting. A new high-visibility fiber optic sight is easy to replace and comes in three different colors: red (fitted), yellow and green.
The operating system is Inertia Driven®. Compared to previous Benelli guns, on this latest Raffaello shotgun, if the operating system moves back and opens accidentally, the lever can be moved slowly and silently to the end-of-travel and fully closed.
Sometimes, in woods for example, the operating system may move back slightly when the gun is knocked or if it rubs against something and you have to close it again, so being able to do so silently is very important in many types of hunting where the game may be particularly easy to scare.
The Benelli semi-auto shotguns are all Inertia Driven® so less prone to fouling than gas-operated guns. This makes it possible to minimize the width of the forend, making the gun faster and easier to aim. The forend and stock of the Raffaello Ethos 20 are made of European walnut with a WOOD FX treatment, oil finish and knurls cut every 1.5 mm. The knurled areas are on the grips of the forend and stock, designed so your hands and wrists are in a natural, comfortable position.
This Benelli semi-auto was designed to guarantee the highest performance with dedicated 20-guage ammunition, offering power, precision and exceptional design with all the attention to detail and beauty the art of hunting requires.
Price of the Benelli Ethos 20-gauge in Italy: €2,506.00 (including VAT).
For more information visit the Benelli website
