Posted a question on the Double rifle forum, but as a second thought, some of you continental fellas might happent to know about this brand ?

Got a used one on hand, but have no experience with the Zoli brand. More details on the Double rifle forum.

Apreciate any comments.....

Zoli makes fairly good rifles, not more; several years ago I owned a 1900 Bolt action rifle and I sold it, after 2 years, to an aquaintance that still owns it. I fear that their production suffers from sample-to-sample difference of quality; my rifle was fairly well made, but I saw another one whose barrel muzzle was awfully finished. I talked to another hunter that saw, in a gun shop a 1900 rifle whose chamber was badly cut, with clear traces let by the reamer. I advise you to carefully check the rifle, and possibly ask to try it at the range, carefully checking the spent brass too, prior to buy it.

Arild, I may be totally off line here, but I'll venture to stick out my head anyway - for somebody else to correct...

I have a feeling the Zoli double rifles are made on the same receiver as their O/U shotguns. This is certainly a possible way to produce a O/U double rifle - although one would have to feel confident, that the receiver was up to the additional stress of firing rifle as opposed to shot cartridges. In breaktop actions, the inadvertent effects of too much force on the breech face and hinges may not be immediately visible. Will the gun stay tight over the years??

In general, as I believe you have already had feedback to the effect of, Zoli is considered a "budget" product in Central Europe. To what extent this influnces the quality and longevity, I can't say.

- mike

Mike,
They are strong enough to support a test at the Banco di Prova Italiano in Brescia ( a rough translation is Italian Test Commission for guns and ammo). The rules at the Banco are really severe, the gun must resist using cartridges that develop minimum one time and a half the pressure normally developped by the cartridges commonly sold.

It is normal to develop the O/U rifle on the receiver of a shotgun, this is my knowledge on o/u and side by side rifles (express rifles).

Thanks guys...
This one specimen has gone about 200 rounds and it is said to be in exellent shape. Caliber is 9,3x74. The price with S&B scope is ca. €2500.
All in all it seems to be a bargain providing the state of the gun is as advertised.
Anyway I will not make any deal unless I have chance to test the gun.

I realise that this is not a Krieghoff, but it could do as a handy gun in the moose woods.
All the same.....it´s a chunk of money to part with, so any more info is defenately welcome .

Steve,
I beg to differ. While it is indeed common practice to build double rifles, starting from a shotgun receiver, one may wonder if the practice is sound in terms of wear resistance. Here's the pic of a FN-Browning B 25 shotgun receiver (L) next to a FN-Browning CCS 25 o/u rifle (R):

As opposed to the shotgun, the rifle receiver has thicker walls and has not the circular cutout in the bottom. Also, heat treatment is diffferent to cope with rifle pressures.

Andre,
you are right, they are not exactly the same receiver, or if you prefer you cannot take a shotgun receiver and put on it a double rifle barrels, but the receiver when rough is the same. it is only worked an treated in a different way.

Stefano,
Right, they start with the same rough forgings but then machining and heat treating are worlds apart. You and I know that some (if not all...) of the manufacturers of lower priced doubles just take an existing 20 ga shotgun and fit a pair of rifled bbls. to it. Then, after a few hundreds rounds... it's over. There's no such thing as a quality AND economical double rifle.

The Commissioon in Brescia, like the one in Liège/Luik is very severe in testing, another time I'll describe to you some test. The producer must be sure of the tested guns, is easy to have guns rejected by the commissions...

However, I agree with you on this argument, absolutely