Need opinions on Franchi AL 48.

itchy1 · December 9, 2006, 02:37 PM

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

Voyager AL · December 9, 2006, 02:59 PM

I have one in 12 ga. Love it. Keep it clean, it shoots fine.

Ruger4570 · December 10, 2006, 05:38 PM

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.

SKYDIVER386 · December 11, 2006, 12:59 AM

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.

itchy1 · December 11, 2006, 08:08 PM

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

Ruger4570 · December 11, 2006, 09:35 PM

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

James1979 · August 25, 2007, 06:56 PM

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.

December 9, 2006, 02:37 PM	#1
itchy1 Member Join Date: November 8, 2005 Location: SOKY Posts: 85	Need opinions on Franchi AL 48. 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 __________________ I want at least one of everything

December 11, 2006, 08:08 PM	#5
itchy1 Member Join Date: November 8, 2005 Location: SOKY Posts: 85	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 __________________ I want at least one of everything

August 25, 2007, 06:56 PM	#7
James1979 Junior Member Join Date: August 17, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 1	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.

December 9, 2006, 02:59 PM	#2
Voyager AL Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2006 Location: Pittsburgh,PA Posts: 221	I have one in 12 ga. Love it. Keep it clean, it shoots fine.

December 10, 2006, 05:38 PM	#3
Ruger4570 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2005 Location: Rochester, New York Posts: 2,136	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.

December 11, 2006, 12:59 AM	#4
SKYDIVER386 Junior Member Join Date: September 14, 2006 Posts: 13	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.

December 11, 2006, 09:35 PM	#6
Ruger4570 Senior Member Join Date: April 3, 2005 Location: Rochester, New York Posts: 2,136	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