PHOTO BY JOHN JOHNSTON Benelli puts a lot of thought and engineering into its products, and the R1 was no exception. No, I have not lost my calendar.

I know we are just starting deer season. Many deer hunters while out and about may run into a herd of feral hogs. These hogs are a major problem in Texas.

A state trapper once told me: There are two types of ranches in Texas -- those that have a hog problem and those that will have a hog problem.

These animals are not easy to kill unless you head shoot them. Usually when you see one, you will see a bunch. To take full advantage of the situation, you need a rifle that is capable of putting out some rounds quickly and accurately. If you are lucky, you may be able to get two or three hogs in an encounter.

With hogs in mind, Benelli sent one of its R1 semi-automatics in .30-06 for me to test.

Unfortunately, due to weather and conditions, I was not able to take it on an actual hunt, but I did put it through the ringer.

John Johnston is a retired sergeant detective who served with the Austin Police Department for 25 years. He resides in Lampasas County. To contact him by e-mail, please go to olsingleshot@gmail.com. My first dealing with Benelli was a Nova pump shotgun. This model is mostly synthetic, from the barrel to the butt. The action is steel skeleton inside this one piece.

My shotgun is dedicated to water fowl and turkey hunting. It is extremely well made and reliable. Next, I got a Montefeltro semiautomatic 20 gauge. It is inertia operated and very lightweight. It is a great lightweight upland game shotgun.

Since the R1 came out, I wanted to try one. Benelli claims the overall design with the ComforTech stock will reduce recoil up to 48 percent. That is what they sent in .30-06. It comes with a Picatinny rail to mount any Weaver type rings. They are shipped in a very nice hard case made for the rifle when it is taken down. There is no room to carry the rifle in the case with a scope mounted, but there is room to keep a small scope.

When you first get the rifle, you have to put the two pieces together, which, after a little practice and following instructions, is not difficult. This take-down feature is definitely in the plus column. It allows the shooter to clean the rifle from the breech, and Benelli offers interchangeable barrels in several calibers.

After mounting a Leupold 3x9 scope in the R1, I tried a few different reloads and some factory rounds. The barrel has a 1:11 twist, which favors the 150-168 grain bullets. With Winchester match ammunition, I shot one-inch groups.

I found the stock did reduce recoil, but it would be hard for me to say by 48 percent. The recoil is managed by a gas and inertia recoil system. As with all semi-automatic sporting rifles, the bolt needs to be slammed closed. You cannot just ease it closed. The trigger was nice. It is a two stage, and mine averaged five pounds in pull weight.

The overall weight of the rifle without a scope was a couple ounces over seven pounds, making it an easy carry in the field.

Benelli puts a lot of thought and engineering into its products, and the R1 was no exception.

The barrel is hammer forged, then cryogenically treated to reduce stress. Each rifle comes with a shim kit to adjust the butt angle up and down and side to side. Also the length of pull of 14 inches can be adjusted.

The recoil reduction is achieved by the use of dampening cutouts in the stock that are filled with a softer synthetic compound, which absorbs the shock waves. Also, the recoil pad is made of a very thick synthetic compound that protects your shoulder as it absorbs some of the recoil. I do worry about the use of some cleaning solvents around these soft compounds. Only time will tell how they stand up.

Another selling point for me was the fact that this rifle is clip fed. You can carry four in the clip and one in the chamber. For hog hunters, this gives you several quick rounds to use. The way this rifle is designed, the muzzle rise after a shot is far less than that of a typical bolt action of the same caliber, thus allowing the shooter to get back on target quicker.

Even though this is an excellent choice for hog hunting, the R1 can be used for any kind of game animal, deer included.

It also comes in a wood-stock version, and Benelli uses some very nice walnut in its stocks. The wood stock does not reduce recoil as well as the ComforTech, but in smaller calibers it will work fine.

So for quality, innovation and reliability, look for Benelli.