TripleDeuce660
Active member
I picked up my franchi 48-AL 20 guage 26" BBL last sunday. I have seen three other field grade franchi's at the local gun shop and I'm very happy with the wood. It is the best wood out of any of them. I also picked up a cz 452 lux .22lr.
Unpacking the box from whittakers It seems this may have been the display model. It must have been the last one because I asked for one from the back if they had it. Everything was fine not a fingerprint on it that i could find but the foam inside the box was beat up.
The wood to metal fit is ok. The woods is proud around the tang of the reciever and not evenly so. Upon closer look at the situation it appears that when the stock tightened down to the reciever it was out square. Probably just needs to be loosened and rotated slightly and it would be even but still a bit proud.
I took it apart for a good cleaning. Everything had a thick sticky grease on it.I sprayed NON CHLORINATED break cleaner inside the barrel. I then used a bore mop soaked with it followed by a few passes with a bore snake. Used the break cleaner on all the parts except the trigger group. I made sure to soak a rag with it and not spray it when working anywhere around the wood. It can damage wood finish.
Here you can see the packing grease.
I put a nice liberal coat of cleanzoil inside and out with a saturated rag. I used a clean rag to remove excess from the magazine tube and action etc. I left the mag tube almost dry with just the thinest film to help protect from rust and set it for heavy loads.
I added a sling stud and purchased a cap from Numrich. The cap came with a old 3/4 inch swivel that had a metal magazine plug built into it. I dremeled the swivel off. Enlarged the hole just enough to get the new threaded sling stud in. Cut the excess threads and used some blue loctite. With uncle miles QD swivels the swivel does NOT rub on the mag cap. It worked perfectly.
It weighs 5 lbs 11oz unloaded. With the sling on it makes it 6 lbs 3/4 oz. Measured on digital kitchen scale.
Been practicing operating the action etc with snap caps all week.
I'm useing IC with winchester game loads 1oz of #6.
This friday I went on the first rabbit hunt of the season, luckily the temperature was cool enough to run the dog. I saw 7 or 8 rabbits on friday and got two brush rabbits. I missed on a few shots. Connected on the only two long open easy shots I was offered. The rest where on the steepest hillside in super thick brush 5 feet infront of me. Only had a split second type thing.
Sat I met up with a buddy to try a new spot. I had read there was rabbits but when we get there the area burned about 5 years ago maybe less.I bet it had rabbits before but not now. The brush seemed too thin for rabbit. There was no droppings. About 30 minutes hiking up to a ridge and the dog jumps a rabbit down in the valley. I'm standing ontop the ridge looking down for a rabbit. Then suddenly from 5 feet infront of me a couple quail flush. I fire and miss. Sort of stunned I think thats it and don't hurry to reload. Then about 15 or 20 more flush a few at a time! get off a few more shots but miss. I then picked up some of the scattered birds and finaly hit a right to left crossing shot from about 10 yards.
I walk for 30 more minutes and start heading down into a steep gully coming down from the ridge. I start flushing lots of quail, missing again and again. I start to think I might run out of ammo I have fired like 15 shots! I come to a bush 2 feet infront of me a quail explodes out of the bush and another. THEN IT HAPPENS! THE BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE! I see a bird riseing it almost sounds like quail. The wing beats sounds just a tiny bit slower and deeper. Looking close I see the red stripe and somehow I KNEW IT WAS MY FIRST CHUKAR! This all happens in less then 1 second. It goes straight away down hill and I fire but miss. It then makes a hard left I fire in an opening through the chapparel and POOF! Feathers floating and its down! I shot it about 20 yards away from me while standing on a 45 degree slope in heavy brush. I hit it at the last second before it was gone into the trees. Unbelievable I made that shot. I didn't expect Chukar because it was on the edge of the forest .
Rushing over to claim my trophy I marked the spot in my mind. I get there and no bird! I look all over and call the beagle to look. She had found the quail for me earlier but she has never smelled Chukar. Brie doesn't seem to look much and goes away . Franticaly searching the slope with the gun resting on a bush a couple more quail flush from the same spot! They have been holding through all of this! I give up my search after about 20 minutes. I thought I had lost my mind and not hit the bird. I start walking away and THE DOG CROSSES THE GULLY INFRONT OF ME WITH THE CHUKAR! She fetches it up for me and didn't even chew it up! I was so pround and happy! I think the bird rolled down into the gully and the dog had found it and been walking around with it for a while. I got It right in the head didn't have 1 pellet in the body but got a half dozen out of its head. I can't believe I hit the 1 chukar I have ever seen,and one of the hardest shots out of 20 shots presented that day.
later that day I picked up a single quail. About a 35 yard right to left crosser. Another great shot I could not believe I hit it so far out again on steep slope and now very tired from hiking all day.
i hit all right left crossing shots, makes sense because its the main one we practice in the desert, just because its the safest shooting direction where we go. I need more practice!
The dog is doing great, fetched up all the birds and one rabbit. She is starting to jump alot of quail now that she has a taste for them. Its her second season. She'll surely be looking for chukar now too.
It was the best hunt ever! I LOVE the Franchi! It is a joy to carry, it swings smooth for me despite the light weight, much better then my cz bobwhite did.I suspect its the longer barrel. I would have never hit those fast darting birds with a heavy gun, I would of been too tired to react and swing that fast. I will NEVER sell this gun. It failed to load one time out of about 50 rounds all weekend. It didn't strip one from the mag. That round sounded different so I checked the bore for a stuck wad. Other then that it functioned perfectly. May just need a little more break in or it was a bad round. I think this is the ultimate rabbit and upland gun. It also didn't kick nearly as much as the 870 or slap my face. I didn't notice the barrel move at all. I could shoot it all day long. I think this is truely the end all upland gun for me and finaly after burning up alot of money buying and selling a few guns I'm done searching. Love the sling too its so handy in rough country etc. I just shorten way up in the thick brush it never got hung up on anything.
I already fell on my butt twice and scratched up the gun, not to mention holding it infront of me to block the thorns crashing brush.
Unpacking the box from whittakers It seems this may have been the display model. It must have been the last one because I asked for one from the back if they had it. Everything was fine not a fingerprint on it that i could find but the foam inside the box was beat up.
The wood to metal fit is ok. The woods is proud around the tang of the reciever and not evenly so. Upon closer look at the situation it appears that when the stock tightened down to the reciever it was out square. Probably just needs to be loosened and rotated slightly and it would be even but still a bit proud.
I took it apart for a good cleaning. Everything had a thick sticky grease on it.I sprayed NON CHLORINATED break cleaner inside the barrel. I then used a bore mop soaked with it followed by a few passes with a bore snake. Used the break cleaner on all the parts except the trigger group. I made sure to soak a rag with it and not spray it when working anywhere around the wood. It can damage wood finish.
Here you can see the packing grease.
I put a nice liberal coat of cleanzoil inside and out with a saturated rag. I used a clean rag to remove excess from the magazine tube and action etc. I left the mag tube almost dry with just the thinest film to help protect from rust and set it for heavy loads.
I added a sling stud and purchased a cap from Numrich. The cap came with a old 3/4 inch swivel that had a metal magazine plug built into it. I dremeled the swivel off. Enlarged the hole just enough to get the new threaded sling stud in. Cut the excess threads and used some blue loctite. With uncle miles QD swivels the swivel does NOT rub on the mag cap. It worked perfectly.
It weighs 5 lbs 11oz unloaded. With the sling on it makes it 6 lbs 3/4 oz. Measured on digital kitchen scale.
Been practicing operating the action etc with snap caps all week.
I'm useing IC with winchester game loads 1oz of #6.
This friday I went on the first rabbit hunt of the season, luckily the temperature was cool enough to run the dog. I saw 7 or 8 rabbits on friday and got two brush rabbits. I missed on a few shots. Connected on the only two long open easy shots I was offered. The rest where on the steepest hillside in super thick brush 5 feet infront of me. Only had a split second type thing.
Sat I met up with a buddy to try a new spot. I had read there was rabbits but when we get there the area burned about 5 years ago maybe less.I bet it had rabbits before but not now. The brush seemed too thin for rabbit. There was no droppings. About 30 minutes hiking up to a ridge and the dog jumps a rabbit down in the valley. I'm standing ontop the ridge looking down for a rabbit. Then suddenly from 5 feet infront of me a couple quail flush. I fire and miss. Sort of stunned I think thats it and don't hurry to reload. Then about 15 or 20 more flush a few at a time! get off a few more shots but miss. I then picked up some of the scattered birds and finaly hit a right to left crossing shot from about 10 yards.
I walk for 30 more minutes and start heading down into a steep gully coming down from the ridge. I start flushing lots of quail, missing again and again. I start to think I might run out of ammo I have fired like 15 shots! I come to a bush 2 feet infront of me a quail explodes out of the bush and another. THEN IT HAPPENS! THE BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE! I see a bird riseing it almost sounds like quail. The wing beats sounds just a tiny bit slower and deeper. Looking close I see the red stripe and somehow I KNEW IT WAS MY FIRST CHUKAR! This all happens in less then 1 second. It goes straight away down hill and I fire but miss. It then makes a hard left I fire in an opening through the chapparel and POOF! Feathers floating and its down! I shot it about 20 yards away from me while standing on a 45 degree slope in heavy brush. I hit it at the last second before it was gone into the trees. Unbelievable I made that shot. I didn't expect Chukar because it was on the edge of the forest .
Rushing over to claim my trophy I marked the spot in my mind. I get there and no bird! I look all over and call the beagle to look. She had found the quail for me earlier but she has never smelled Chukar. Brie doesn't seem to look much and goes away . Franticaly searching the slope with the gun resting on a bush a couple more quail flush from the same spot! They have been holding through all of this! I give up my search after about 20 minutes. I thought I had lost my mind and not hit the bird. I start walking away and THE DOG CROSSES THE GULLY INFRONT OF ME WITH THE CHUKAR! She fetches it up for me and didn't even chew it up! I was so pround and happy! I think the bird rolled down into the gully and the dog had found it and been walking around with it for a while. I got It right in the head didn't have 1 pellet in the body but got a half dozen out of its head. I can't believe I hit the 1 chukar I have ever seen,and one of the hardest shots out of 20 shots presented that day.
later that day I picked up a single quail. About a 35 yard right to left crosser. Another great shot I could not believe I hit it so far out again on steep slope and now very tired from hiking all day.
i hit all right left crossing shots, makes sense because its the main one we practice in the desert, just because its the safest shooting direction where we go. I need more practice!
The dog is doing great, fetched up all the birds and one rabbit. She is starting to jump alot of quail now that she has a taste for them. Its her second season. She'll surely be looking for chukar now too.
It was the best hunt ever! I LOVE the Franchi! It is a joy to carry, it swings smooth for me despite the light weight, much better then my cz bobwhite did.I suspect its the longer barrel. I would have never hit those fast darting birds with a heavy gun, I would of been too tired to react and swing that fast. I will NEVER sell this gun. It failed to load one time out of about 50 rounds all weekend. It didn't strip one from the mag. That round sounded different so I checked the bore for a stuck wad. Other then that it functioned perfectly. May just need a little more break in or it was a bad round. I think this is the ultimate rabbit and upland gun. It also didn't kick nearly as much as the 870 or slap my face. I didn't notice the barrel move at all. I could shoot it all day long. I think this is truely the end all upland gun for me and finaly after burning up alot of money buying and selling a few guns I'm done searching. Love the sling too its so handy in rough country etc. I just shorten way up in the thick brush it never got hung up on anything.
I already fell on my butt twice and scratched up the gun, not to mention holding it infront of me to block the thorns crashing brush.
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