On this week's #SundayGunday, we’re taking a look at Beretta’s foray into the world of hunting rifles: the BRX1. Not many companies would be so audacious as to make their first dedicated hunting rifle a straight-pull. Beretta, however, is not most companies, and has come out of the gates hot. With lighting fast charging times, the BRX1 debuts as a testament to the genre, and an attractive option for American hunters. Its linear bolt is fully reversible for ambidextrous operation, a change which can be made without tools.
In this case, ambidextrous does not simply indicate the hand of operation. Here’s how it works. To remove the bolt carrier, lift a lever on its left-hand side and pull it rearward. Then, on the carrier’s top, press the carrier lock tooth, and the bolt will slide free. With the bolt removed, its bolt head can be ejected. Slide it out, turn it 180 degrees, slide it back in, and the bolt will now eject spent brass to the opposite side. Once this is done, and before sliding the bolt back into the carrier, one can depress a small retention pin on the underside of the carrier, remove the bolt handle and push it back into the other side. Note the use of the word “can," here. If desired, one can run the firearm left-side eject with a righthand bolt, right-side eject with a left-hand bolt, or in the more traditional configurations. Bolt position determined, all one has to do is reaffix the bolt in the carrier, slide the carrier back into the rifle and its ready to go. The whole operation takes 60 seconds at most. The bolt uses eight locking lugs for standard cartridges, and 16 for magnum calibers.
This, of course, brings up the rifle’s most visually apparent feature. Unlike most straight pulls (and bolt-actions in general), an entire bolt carrier comes back instead of simply a bolt, leaving the Picatinny rail cantilevering over the rifle’s rear. While at first glance this may appear a weak spot for optic attachment, the gun is currently offered into chamberings up to hard charging .300 Win. Mag. without issue. Our spunky little .308 was similarly solid, displaying excellent accuracy and consistent function. This is down to the fact that the Picatinny rail’s front connection point is far heftier than most, making the cantilevered section rock solid. In fact, the gun actually feels more solid to shoot than a standard bolt gun, with the bolt carrier exhibiting zero wobble on its precision-machined rails.
Precision machining is yet another selling point for the BRX1. To keep the price tag to $1599, Beretta has fully eliminated the hand finishing stage. Its precision machining equipment allows it to do so, producing rifles finished to incredible tolerances, right off the line.
As with many straight pulls, the BRX1 boasts a switch-barrel system, allowing the shooter to swap in barrels of different calibers. Lengths of these cold hammer-forged barrels range from 20 to 22 inches, depending on caliber, though all sport a muzzle threaded to 5/8x24 TPI. A three-position safety system enables shooters to lock the bolt when trekking through undergrowth, while still maintaining the ability to unload the rifle on safe, an incredibly useful feature for hunters. The action is fed by a five-shot detachable box magazine made of orange polymer for easy visibility in the field, with an ambidextrous release. The gun’s trigger is adjustable from just over two, to just under three and a half pounds, for a light, crisp pull.
A Polymer stock boasts textured grip panels on the fore-end, interchangeable grip modules on the pistol grip, and adjustable length of pull. A negative comb keeps the eye perfectly aligned with the height of a typical hunting scope, while an Extralight recoil pad keeps kick low without adding much weight. Sling swivel studs reside fore and aft in the usual positions, for easy portability.
For more information on this straight-pull, which weighs just over seven pounds and comes in black or green, visit beretta.com. And for more #SundayGunday any day of the week, check back with us at americanhunter.org.
