History tells us that Americans do not like straight-pull-action rifles. They’re just not our thing; we want to turn that bolt. But that has not stopped several European manufacturers from sending their straight-pull rifles to the states, and American companies have even given it go. Browning offered the straight-pull rimfire T-bolt in 1965, and Savage has been trying to convince American hunters since 2021 that that their Impulse rifle is worth a look since, though we thought it came up short. The new straight-pull Beretta BRX1 is a different story. If the idea of a straight-pull-action appeals to you, this rifle has a lot going for it, and if you’re on the fence about a straight-pull, this might be the rifle that changes your mind.
I recently gave the new BRX1 Black a good going over on my home range. Here's how it fared.
Beretta BRX1 Specs
Length: 40.75-inches
Weight: 7.44 pounds
Barrel: 20.1 inches with 5/8x24 muzzle threading and thread protector
Action: BRX1 straight-pull
Trigger: 2.5 pounds (as tested)
Capacity: 5+1 (detachable magazine)
Finish: Blued steel
Stock: Black Synthetic
Available Chamberings: 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester (tested), 300 Winchester Magnum
Price: $1,499.99
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Beretta BRX1 Overview
Beretta has been working on the BRX1 for eight years, and the ingenuity and time invested in the project shows. The rifle has a rotating 8- or 16-lug bolt (standard cartridges get the 8-lug bolt and magnum cartridges get the 16). The bolt handle is reversible for right- or left-handed shooters, and it can be locked with the safety. None of that sounds extremely groundbreaking, but when you see the rifle, your mind will start wondering just how in the hell this thing works.
Technically, this is a chassis-style rifle because the action is housed in one section and the butt stock and forend are separate. What’s unusual about the design is that unlike a traditional bolt-action rifle, the bolt is not contained within the action; instead, the bolt is most of the action. When you remove it, the rifle looks as though a substantial part of the action is missing, because it is. You can think of it this way, the bolt assembly for the BRX1 is sort of like the bolt carrier group (BCG) on an AR-15. When you cycle the action, the bolt assembly moves back and forth, and the bolt rotates within. The big difference is that unlike an AR-15, where the BCG is contained in the upper receiver, the bolt assembly on the BRX1 is the upper receiver. This is one of the things that makes the BRX1 modular; it allows you to swap bolts and barrels to allow the rifle to work with different cartridges.
Other features of note include a crisp single-stage trigger with weight settings at 2.1-, 2.6-, and 3.3-pounds. A polymer magazine that works to perfection is a little bit black and a lot of orange, so that it's easy to see if you drop it in the woods or in the dark. The rifle also has a well-designed synthetic stock with a soft, Extralight butt pad and noticeable negative drop. Beretta accessories are available to adjust length of pull and/or opt for a more vertical grip. Also available are various larger bolt knobs, and a 20 MOA Picatinny or Tikka scope rail. A version with a green stock is available for the same price, and a green-stocked, 9.5-ounce lighter, carbon fiber barrel version is offered for an additional $300.
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Beretta BRX1 Shooting Results
The BRX1 comes with a sub-MOA precision guarantee, but even though I thoroughly searched Beretta’s website, I could not determine the specifics of this assurance. What I can tell you is that this rifle averaged 1.17 inches for multiple five-shot groups with a variety of loads. If you can shoot, and if you’re only shooting three-shot groups, sub-MOA performance should not be a problem.
My test rifle functioned flawlessly. I was a little shocked to find that I could lay a cartridge on top of the inserted empty magazine—in the wide openness of the space the bolt assembly leaves when it is opened—and the rifle would still feed just fine. It just looks like this would cause a hellaciously bad jam, but it does not.
Beretta provided a Burris Veracity PH 3-15x44 riflescope and Burris XTR Signature rings for the rifle, and those were what I used during the testing. Both the scope and the rings functioned perfectly, but they were damned heavy, adding 2.14 pounds to an already hefty rifle. This put the rifle right at 10 pounds and made off-hand shooting a bit of a task, especially when a suppressor was used. On the plus side, it dampened recoil and made the straight-pull action seem even faster to operate.
The rifle’s safety system took a bit of getting used to and to place the rifle on fire took more force from your thumb than is ideal. Still, after firing about 50 rounds, the straight-pull action seemed easier and increasingly intuitive. With practice, it would probably become second nature. The action functioned very smoothly but felt so different from a traditional turn-bolt rifle, it’s hard to describe the feel. Like the safety, it took some getting used to. Since the bolt is in the traditional location, you instinctively want to raise it up instead of just pulling it back. Still, it would only take some practice.
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Final Thoughts of the Beretta BRX1
Pros
Fantastic trigger
Fast and smooth action
Switch-barrel modularity
Cons
Heavy
The main downside to the BRX1 is weight. A 7.5-pound rifle didn’t seem that heavy 10 or 15 years ago, but in today’s world of high-tech synthetic stocks, it’s above average. Another negative is the limited cartridge availability. But realistically, you can do damn near anything needing done with a 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester, or 300 Winchester Magnum.
I’m still not all that found of straight-pull actions. Though they’re touted for their speed, they are only minutely faster than a smooth-operating traditional turn bolt. What slows you down when cycling any bolt action is not the operation of the bolt, its moving your hand from the trigger to the bolt and then back again. Although this rifle looks a bit odd to my eye, that's just me, and the bottom line is that the bolt operation is very slick and nearly effortless. I'd gladly hunt with it just about anywhere.
I think Americans have pretty much made their opinion known on straight-pull rifles and I doubt the BRX1 will set any sales records on this side of the pond. Yet I’d be willing to bet that if you gave this new and unique Berretta a try, you’d not be disappointed. It's a well-made, accurate, and reliable rifle that seems to be well worth the asking price. There are some much more expensive turn-bolt rifles we can’t say that about.
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