13 February 2019, 20:33
BuffHunter63New Scattergun
Yesterday I bought me a Franchi Instinct L.
I had been looking for one for a while, but every store I went to either only had 20 ga in stock (Bass Pro Shop and Scheels), or a display model that had blemishes (Cabela's and Sportsman's Warehouse).
I stopped by a Jax Hardware store yesterday, and lo and behold, not only did they have the model in 12 ga, it was $50.00 lower than all the other stores!
After the purchase, they gave me a $20.00 coupon to use in store within the next 30 days!
I think I will make Jax the first place to start looking for a new firearm.
I wanted to get an O/U for use on pheasants so I could switch chokes as needed.
I had owned a Beretta 686 for decades and really like the gun, but after shouldering the Franchi, it seemed to mount more naturally for my build.
I chose the L model, because I don't care for the bright chrome choke tubes sticking out of the end of the barrells on the SL model.
Besides being almost $1000.00 cheaper than the Beretta's I really like the entire look and feel of the shotgun.
The safety is a little stiff, but I figure that will loosen over time.
It also comes with a 7 year warranty for mechanical failures.
This morning I judiciously applied a little oil to the metal parts, and a couple of drops of linseed oil to the wooden parts.
Looks like a million dollars!
I decided to go with an IC choke on the top barrel and a full choke on the bottom.
Once pheasant season kicks in, I plan on using 6s in the top and 5s in the bottom.
Before then I need to shoot a couple rounds of sporting clays to see how the thing shoots.
BH63