Benelli's revolutionary new Vinci 12-gauge has been named Shotgun of the Year by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence. This marks the 19th year that outstanding achievements have been formally recognized by industry leaders who, together, form the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence.

Each year, the Academy presents awards for those innovations that set new standards of excellence through product design and service to the industry. Winners in this and other categories are determined by a vote of the 500-member Academy, drawn from the ranks of firearms industry executives, manufacturers, distributors and dealers.

Benelli's Vinci is the most reliable-fastest shooting-softest kicking-lightweight shotgun in the world. Weighing less than seven pounds, the revolutionary Vinci is truly an all-around hunter's dream gun, by providing unsurpassed Practical Speed Performance™ (PSP)-the practical "speed" shooters seek is a matter of how fast you can shoulder the gun...acquire the target...shoot...and recover from recoil to prepare for the next shot. The real timeline of performance speed is where the Vinci has no equal.

The innovative new In-Line Inertia Driven® operating system combined with the QuadraFit™ buttstock, incorporating the ComforTech Plus™ recoil reduction system, makes the Vinci the world's softest kicking shotgun. This is accomplished without adding any weight to the gun. It's unique modular design makes the Vinci the easiest shotgun in the world to assemble and disassemble for cleaning, maintenance, storage and transportation.

"We are delighted that the Vinci has been chosen by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence as this year's Shotgun of the Year," said Stephen McKelvain, Benelli USA's VP of Marketing & Communications. "Coming from our peers in the firearms trade, this prestigious award validates Benelli's commitment to innovation, reliability and most especially to quality."

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