Need opinions on Franchi AL 48.

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itchy1

New member
I'm looking into getting my wife an AL48 in a 20 ga. youth model. Can anyone tell me of their experiences with these guns? I am particulary concerned with reliability (cycling light loads) and recoil. She has been shooting an HR .410 and is ready to move up.

I know that autos in general are softer on the shoulder but I am concerned about this gun because it is so light (5.4 lbs.) and uses inertia rather than gas operation.

Thanks for any suggestions.
Brian
 
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Ruger4570

New member
The Franchi is a good gun and it has been around a long time. It is true that a Rem 1100 will recoil less, but nevertheless, the Franchi is not unbearable and if used for hunting I doubt your wife would even notice the recoil.. we all get wrapped up in the excitement of the moment and don't notice recoil.
 
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SKYDIVER386

New member
When I was looking for a 20ga. for my wife, she was able to shoot a good variety of guns at the local range. The guys I shoot with owned nearly every type of shotgun imaginable, so we fired nearly 200 rounds over a couple of weeks comparing some of the makes and models.

My wife is 5'4" and about 110lbs, so she is sensitive to recoil. She rated the guns in this order for recoil, best to worst.

Browning Gold
Beretta 391
Remington 1187
Remington 1100
Browning A-5
Franchi 48-AL
Benelli Montfeltro

I ended up finding her a nice Beretta 390 youth model. I put a Comp-N-Choke tube in it to cut the recoil even more and she loves it. It is heavier than the Franchi by about 1/2 pound, but kicks a good bit less over the course of a round of trap. If you only plan to hunt, any of the guns listed would be fine. Get whatever fits her best, but if prolonged shooting for doves or trap and skeet are what you want to do, recoil is a very important factor for her comfort.
 
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itchy1

New member
Thanks for the replies everyone. She will be using the gun for informal clays (about 50 rounds max. per outing) but I wouldn't rule out hunting some day. I would love to find her a youth model 390 but you almost never see them with wood stocks. She is old school like me and has to have wood;) . It would be nice to have her try a variety of guns but it just isn't possible where we're at.
Youth models of any gun seem to be in real short supply.

It sounds like the Franchi's are at least well built and should provide good service if we choose to go that route.

Thanks again,
Brian
 
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Ruger4570

New member
Itchy.. I also have a 390 with a beautiful wood stock, but of course I bought it several years ago. Now the 390 is only available with a synthetic:barf: stock instead of the beautiful woo of the past. You might be able to find a good used one in good shape too,, Best of luck
 
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James1979

New member
Franchi al 48

I have a 20 gauge AL 48. The recoil is a bit much compared to some other 20 gauges, but, it is lighter than most all the rest too. This does not help in lightening recoil. The good thing is that unfortunetely most of us do more carrying than shooting. So the Franchi is good to carry. Mine is actually for sale, as I can't get my wife to shoot a bird. Let me know if you are interested. I will send you some pics. This one is a bit older, mid to late sixties, w/ engraved receiver and vent rib 28" IC barrel. If you are not intersted in mine, at least I might have given some more input to your search. Thanks, James.
 
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