I have had it with new 12 ga O/U field shotguns because they’re all too heavy and swing like fenceposts. I have done more than a bit of traveling checking out models from different manufacturers whose websites tout their “6.8 lb.” guns. I admit that it’s not clear to me whether these manufacturers — usually European — mean that the “.8” part is 8 oz. or, instead, .8 of 16 oz. or 12.8 oz. I would (probably) not quibble too much about 4.8 oz. But whenever I’ve arrived at a merchant’s counter with my trusty digital scale in my briefcase, inevitably the number to the left of the decimal is a 7 when I lay the gun down. So, getting back to my initial sentence, I’ve stopped looking for a 12 ga field O/U around 6 lb. 8 oz., the sweet spot for me. Full disclosure: 5’ 10”, 155 lbs., 70 years old.
After expressing this concern online recently, I received suggestions that I look into a 16 ga. It turns out that Franchi now offers an Instinct SL 16 ga. that not only fits my hand well, but also comes in well under 7 lbs. What’s not to like? I’ll tell you: it comes in under 6 lbs. I’ve owned very light guns like this before, and I did not shoot them well.
And so it was with some anxiety that I ordered one from my local mom and pop gun shop. They are The Old Guard hereabouts, and these days — what with competition from Gander and Cabela’s and … — they have gotten the good word and do right by old customers like me. When my Instinct SL came in, all I was interested in checking was its weight, and it came in at 5 lbs. 9 oz. I paid for the gun with much concern that it would either “shoot at both ends” or else be too whippy to center the preserve pheasants I was buying it for. After I got it home, I inspected the gun more closely. Its wood was unremarkably modest, as I expected in this lower-priced shooter. But upon further inspection I noticed that the butt stock was cracked on the boxlock’s right side “oval.” I returned the gun straight way to the merchant, who agreed that the gun was shipped flawed from the manufacturer. My local merchant sent it back on December 14, 2018.
The gun came back early in January. I thought this was a remarkably good turnaround, what with Christmas and New Year’s holidays in between. What surprised me more was the butt stock on the returned gun. It looks like this:
I am quite pleased with Franchi’s customer service with this transaction. I am hoping that the gun will shoot comfortably enough to be an often-used keeper, one of two in my safe. I haven’t had the chance yet to try it out, but I’ll return to this channel to report on how it’s working out as soon as I do.
