SHOTGUNS MADE IN ITALY
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The History Of Breda
Over a Century Of Defense and Civilian Arms Manufacture
1886
Società Italiana Ernesto Breda was founded in 1886 by its namesake visionary, Ernesto Breda. From humble beginnings as a fledgling locomotive manufacturer, the company crystallized into an Italian industrial powerhouse under Ernesto Breda's stewardship. By the turn of the century, the Breda name had become synonymous with engineering excellence across many sectors integral to Italy's industrial revolution, including iron and steel forging, shipbuilding, arms manufacturing, and aircraft production.
( Photo ) The unmistakable Breda two piece receiver was first used on model 1001 - 1947
1947
In 1947, Breda revolutionized the sporting realm with the release of the model 1001 shotgun, their inaugural long recoil shotgun built for the rigors of the hunt. The postwar period marked a watershed for Breda's already expansive company vision. In 1953, leadership consolidated the organization's sporting arm expertise within a new division bearing the name that would become synonymous with Italian shotgun supremacy - Breda Meccanica Bresciana. This division focused wholly on nurturing the company's prowess in crafting over-and-under shotguns, semi-automatics, and finely-tuned hunting guns.
1967
In the late 1950s, Bruno Civolani, an avid hunter and hobbyist engineer from Bologna, Italy, suffered a finger injury in an accident. This injury made it difficult for him to service and clean the small, intricate, and challenging to manipulate parts inside many firearms of the period. After years of struggling with this issue, Civolani, a gifted self-taught engineer, set his mind to designing a simple shotgun action that would work with a broad range of shotgun shells and require little maintenance. His new invention would make it easier for him to continue enjoying the sport he loved.
Around 1965, Civolani applied for a patent on what he called "Gun With A Floating Breech Bolt." The patent request was granted by the Italian authorities, and Civolani began a years-long undertaking to license his design to the gun makers of Italy.
1969
A pivotal milestone occurred in 1967 when the Benelli Q.J. company (Benelli Motorcycle) acquired rights to a patent by inventor Bruno Civolani for a new type of inertia-driven shotgun action. Civolani conceived the idea for a simpler and more reliable mechanism to replace the overly complicated gas-operated actions prominent at that time. Seeking to leverage the talents of Breda's master gunsmiths, a new company was formed, "Benelli Armi Spa," with Breda Meccanica Bresciana as a production partner and shareholder in the new venture. From this collaboration were born a number of milestone shotguns for Benelli Armi Spa including the Model 121 in 1969, and M1 Super 90 in 1986. The Model 121 later evolved into the Black-Eagle platform culminating with the 12ga 3.5" super magnum version, called Super-Black-Eagle. These shotguns proved immensely successful in the United States through an import and distribution agreement with Heckler & Koch (HK)
1994
In 1994, Breda merged with the venerable artillery concern OTO Melara to align the country's foremost capabilities in large-scale defense systems. Although this corporate shift led Breda to later divest its share of the Benelli Armi sporting concern, it retained the talents of inertia system pioneer Bruno Civolani. For many years post divestiture, Civolani plied his craft within the workshops of Breda Meccannica Bresciana, tirelessly honing his inertia bolt mechanism until his eventual retirement.
OTO BREDA 127mm Compact Navel Cannon used By 27 Navies around the world.
BREDA Xanthos Advanced Inertia Bolt
2006
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Breda launched a groundbreaking innovation in 2006 - the self-developed Xanthos inertia system. This mechanism represents the culmination of Bruno Civolani's quest towards perfecting the inertia shotgun. As Breda's first in-house designed and manufactured inertia action, Xanthos embodies decades of company expertise in inertia systems, employing a vertical block-locking bolt that solves the locking challenges sometimes present in Civolani's prior rotating bolt head design.
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2008
By 2008, a significant change occurred as C.D. Europe Srl began managing Breda's sporting arms division. Prompted by the success of Breda's Benelli Armi Spa venture, many of the world's most reputable firearms brands began requesting similar collaborations, leading to a rapidly growing OEM manufacturing business for Breda. C.D. Europe Srl aimed to capitalize on this opportunity and expand Breda's small arms engineering and OEM capabilities, enabling the company to create products for these prestigious brands without compromising the passion for handcrafting shotguns that Breda had become known for.
Concurrently, the next generation was poised to make its mark at the helm of the Breda shotgun division. Bringing infectious enthusiasm and a keen eye for detail, these scions built upon the company's foundation by broadening its sporting shotgun portfolio beyond the hunting realm. Under the new leadership and with the support of C.D. Europe Srl, Breda forged collaborations with world-class clay shooting and dynamic multi-gun sports champions. These partnerships culminated in the development of the formidable 930i and B12i sporting shotgun series, which seamlessly blend generations of meticulous Italian gunsmithing with insights from contemporary competitive shooting.
2023
In 2023, driven by global demand for Breda's exquisite shotguns, the company founded Breda America Group (BREDA AG) in Maryland to oversee the cultivation of their burgeoning North American loyalists. This division consolidated the critical functions of stateside importation, distribution, sales, and service, positioning Breda to embed itself within the fabric of an iconic hunting culture that complements its heritage.
TODAY
As Breda looks ahead from over a century and a half of excellence, its primacy persists in continuing to drive shotgun innovation across realms once thought incompatible - the hunting wilds and sporting range. Through six generations and vast shifts, Italy's standard of peerless shotgun craftsmanship retains its original surname, nurturing those glimpses of genius that may one day rival Civolani's wizardry.
Each Breda Shotgun Has a History Passed From My Family to Yours
Every Breda shotgun is a handmade work of art designed to exacting specifications, and crafted of the finniest materials. Through Breda AG, I am proud to stand behind each and every shotgun we sell in North America, so that you and your family will enjoy our products for years to come.
Michele Marocchi, Director
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