Shotgun Help (S.P.A. Luigi Franchi- Brescia)

walleyeman

New member
I recently inherited a shotgun that used to belong to my wifes grandfather. It is a S.P.A. Luigi Franchi - Brescia. I do not know anything about this make or model. the gun is a full choke semi-auto and is chambered for 2 3/4". If you know anything about this type (make) of gun it would be appreciated.

My question today is that I went hunting with a buddy of mine yesterday and borrowed him tis shotgun, (I used my Rem 870) and at the end of the day he had not fired a round so we decided just to fire a few through it to see how it worked. Well the gun would not eject the spent shell nor would it chamber another round. How are semi-auto's designed when it comes to chamering a second round after firing the first?

Thanks

walleyeman
 
If it's like some gas operated ones, there is an 'O-ring' under the forearm that deteriorates with use and age and needs to be replaced on a regular basis. The hotter the load, the faster it wears out.

That would be the first thing I would check... Since it was inherited, I have a feeling that it has probably dry rotted and broken.
 
Some of the Franchi designs can be manualy operated and can go from pump to semi by pushing a button. I think this gun is gas operated but would need to see it to be sure. These were some of the shotguns banned in the Clinton ban of '94 even though his famouse photo op duck hunting was with one. in any event it is a good quality import on a par with Barretta (made in the same plant in fact.BTW FRanchi was one of the first inertial operated guns
 
I think your shotgun is a recoil operated action similar to the Browning A5. If so, the friction rings must be adjusted for the intensity of the load you are shooting. If the friction rings are set-up for heavy loads and you were shooting light loads, then it probably will not function well. Also, if there is a build up of gunk on the magazine tube, it will cause functioning problems.

I would unscrew the magazine cap and slide the forearm and barrel off. I'm betting you'll see a bronze washer and recoil spring arrangement surrounding the magazine tube. Go ahead and give everything a good cleaning. Clean the chamber, barrel, and the interior of the action. Slide the friction rings off and clean the magazine tube and the recoil spring, along with the interior of the friction rings. Here's the bad part... I can't remember how exactly the rings go for light loads and for heavy loads. Also, lubing the magazine tube plays a part in operation of the gun. Light loads and/or cold weather require light, thin, lube on the mag tube. Heavy loads/hot weather need a heavier lube.
 
Wow thanks for the wealth of information. I will look into it more in depth.

One more question though and thats by manually working the bolt back/forth will not reload a second round, is this standard on a recoil operated shotgun?
 
Is a shell releasing from the magazine onto the shell carrier? If not, and it sounds like it isn't, first check to make sure there isn't a magazine cutoff. Some shotguns, like the A5 and Browning BPS, have a magazine cutoff and if that is switched on then shells are held in the magazine tube and not allowed to feed onto the shell carrier. Basically that makes the gun a single shot, and/or, allows for easy switching of rounds in the chamber without getting a double feed jam from the magazine tube. Flipping the switch over allows normal operation. I had a recoil operated Franchi semi-auto many years ago and cannot remember if it has this feature. This would be my first guess why manually operating the bolt doesn't chamber a shell. The recoil operation and basic design of the Franchi borrows heavily from the Browning A5, so this would be a good place to check first. It would also be the simple solution, keep your fingers crossed for this one to fix the problem. Look on the forward area of the left side of the reciever for a button or lever. On the Browning the lever must be flipped with it's button head toward the barrel end of the gun for the magazine to work as a semi-auto. If it is flipped back toward the rear of the gun, then the mag cutoff is on and shells will not feed from the magazine.

If the shotgun doesn't have the magazine cutoff, then the shell stop along the inside of the receiver is malfunctioning. Could be a worn, weak, spring. Or, it may be broken and not functioning properly. A third area to check would be the shell carrier not lifting the shell up so the bolt can catch it and run it to the chamber. The fourth and final thing I can think of would be the magazine follower or spring. If there is crud on the inside of the magazine tube and the follower is hanging up, then the follower is not pushing the shells down with enough force for the shell stop to release them. Ditto for a weak magazine spring. This fourth option is pretty rare in my experience.

From the limited info I'd suspect either the gun has a mag cutoff, or, a worn/broken shell stop.
 
What were you shooting through it? I presume you were dove hunting? If you were shooting value pack ammo it may have been low brass. A lot of semi auto shot guns don't like to cycle low brass. If this is the case and you were using low brass get a box of high brass ammo and try that.
 
Well, I figured it out to be a recoil (inertia) operated shotgun. All you have to do is put the end of the stock on the ground and push the barrel towards the floor and it moves inward.

I went to the Franchi website but there was not allot there. I guess I will clean it up some more and pick up some good quality ammo. I was using pretty good stuff, not the economy brands but decent anyway.

One thing I did find is that the rails that the barrel/action slides on has to be lubed. What I am not confident in doing is taking it apart without a manual. Any help there?

We were sharptail hunting and I don't know what it is like where you guys live but around here they will flush 30 -50 yards in front of you so you better have decent ammo. Put it this way, In the gun that I was carrying, I had it loaded with 3" #2's and 4"'s. These are basically geese/duck loads but you need the extra distance they provide.

I really love the look and feel of the Franchi, I hope to get it working up to par so that my boys can use it when they get older. It is very light and a pleasure to shoot, just not as a single shot.

walleyeman
 
Back
Top