FRANCHI 48 A SHOTGUN
- Thread starter Prdtrgttr
- Start date
My friend had one of those with a buck barrel on it and it was the lightest shotgun that I have ever shouldered.It depends I would love to get one but they are some serious $$ unless you get a deal on one.They are well made and his shot great.I also know a guy that collects them down the road and he swears by them.
TripleDeuce660
Active member
Chambered in 3" means the gun has a steal reciever and won't be very light weight and that defeats the purpose of a franchi 48. Also you will need some springs from a 2 3/4" gun to cycle the lighter loads. I would pass on that gun unless your looking for a duck gun. I wanted a 3" till I found out they had the steal reciever. 2 3/4 will get it done on any bird.
I dunno what machinist is talking about. You can buy used franchi 12g 48-AL for 300-500 every day of the week on gunbroker.
The franchi 48 is the ultimate upland repeater. I would not trade my 20g franchi for any gun no matter the cost. Reliable, lightweight, points like a wand, auto mag cutoff. Easy to take apart. I LOVE IT!
I'm looking for just the right 12g to come along and heck maybe a 28g just for good measure. Would love to have a 12 with a second short barrel for throwing buckshot at coyote.
The ultimate upland repeater.
I dunno what machinist is talking about. You can buy used franchi 12g 48-AL for 300-500 every day of the week on gunbroker.
The franchi 48 is the ultimate upland repeater. I would not trade my 20g franchi for any gun no matter the cost. Reliable, lightweight, points like a wand, auto mag cutoff. Easy to take apart. I LOVE IT!
I'm looking for just the right 12g to come along and heck maybe a 28g just for good measure. Would love to have a 12 with a second short barrel for throwing buckshot at coyote.
The ultimate upland repeater.
Last edited:
Martyn4802
New member
TripleDeuce660
Great pix!
That's upland game hunting at its finest!!
Great pix!
That's upland game hunting at its finest!!
Prdtrgttr
New member
Triple deuce, I am trying to understand your message. You're telling me it's a great gun, yet, don't get one?
The weight thing doesn't bother me too much. I am more concerned with a reliable gun. I might turn it into a coyote gun, or leave it as is for my youngest boy. He would use this gun for goose hunting, and potentially all around shooting.
I can send some pics if you like.
The weight thing doesn't bother me too much. I am more concerned with a reliable gun. I might turn it into a coyote gun, or leave it as is for my youngest boy. He would use this gun for goose hunting, and potentially all around shooting.
I can send some pics if you like.
TripleDeuce660
Active member
i'm saying its a great gun. Look for a gun chambered in 2 3/4 with aluminum reciever. However yes it is reliable. It will only fire 3" loads or very heavy 2 3/4 unless you get the extra springs. Its not going to fire light loads which I think is important for the high volume you need to fire to become good with any gun. It might do the trick for you but try handling a regular 2 3/4 aluminum gun they weigh about 6 1/4 lbs.
Go and try and find a slug barrel for that 20 gauge.That's the big $$$$ I was talking about.I can get a al-48 12 right now at a local shop for 325 2 3/4 inch and in great shape.Every 20 gauge that I have seen has been in the 450-600 dollar range,for me that's a good amount of money for a used shotgun.
RePete
New member
Originally Posted By: BMoeFranchi's are sweet. I have a Berreta A-390 with a 24" barrel and I love it. That might be something to consider as well.
Agreed!!!
While I don't shoot Semi's anymore, I have to say that the 20ga 390 that I had was my favorite.
Never owned a Franci, but the one's I handled were real nice too..
The one thing I'll add is that even though TrippleDuce really does his homework when buying firearms and truly seems to love UpLand hunting as much as anyone,, you'll find that whatever he owns is the BEST and everything else is JUNK..
I'd call it opinionated and narrowminded if his pation for UpLand hunting wasn't so obvious.
Instead I just concider it Youthfull Exuberence,, (although it can get old at times)..
Carry On
Agreed!!!
While I don't shoot Semi's anymore, I have to say that the 20ga 390 that I had was my favorite.
Never owned a Franci, but the one's I handled were real nice too..
The one thing I'll add is that even though TrippleDuce really does his homework when buying firearms and truly seems to love UpLand hunting as much as anyone,, you'll find that whatever he owns is the BEST and everything else is JUNK..
I'd call it opinionated and narrowminded if his pation for UpLand hunting wasn't so obvious.
Instead I just concider it Youthfull Exuberence,, (although it can get old at times)..
Carry On
GC
Well-known member
The Franchi is a pretty nice shotgun, though the design is outdated. Fooling around with the springs and friction rings can be a bit of a hassle. And those spring and friction ring settings, along with magazine lube, means everything to reliability. I had one that would choke in really cold weather unless it was absolutely perfectly clean and nearly dry of lubricant. The slightest moisture or just a tad too much lubricant would cause it to choke. I used it rabbit hunting and if there was moisture in the air in sub-freezing temperatures I could almost count on a malfunction. It was much more finicky than my Browning A5 with the same recoil operated system. However, the Franchi was much lighter in weight than the A5 which was nice. A guy I worked with later in life after I had traded my Franchi off was a devoted upland bird hunter, quail and pheasant mostly, and had several of the Franchi AL 48 guns. He really loved them because of their lightweight and handling qualities, though when I pressed him about reliability he admitted they would occasionally choke. I wouldn’t be afraid to take a chance on a new one, though there are probably more consistently reliable semi-auto shotguns around that compete in the same weight class.