Franchi Instinct Side Plate 12 Gauge Over Under Shotgun Review

This Franchi Instinct has an MSRP of  $2,229 - I was able to get it for less from (REEDS SPORTS)

Quick Specs

• 12 gauge (20 gauge available)
• 3" chamber
• 28" Barrel
• 7lbs 9oz 
• Length of Pull 14 1/4" 
• Drop at Comb 1 1/2" 
• Drop at Heel 2" Adjustable with shims
• Comes with 5 chokes
• Auto-reset safety

Ergonomics/Look & Feel

• I liked the pistol grip - Not too small, not too big. Just right
• Grip texture was very nice! Much better than other O/U I've looked at this year
• Sports a Schnabel forend (super classy)
• Prince of Whales Stock (also super classy)
• The weight out front was good at helping my swing through
• The release lever on top was one of the prettiest I've ever seen at this price point
• Saftey was easy to operate - you shouldn't have to wrestle with taking it off mid-mount
• Fiber on front - WHY!? This is such a beautiful gun. No need to throw the fiber up there (personal opinion)
• Vented barrels and rib

Trigger 

• 4lbs 11oz (Average)
• Real nice clean break 
• I thought it would be heavier than it was - I really like that it's under 5 pounds! I haven't seen that in a while...

Quality of Build

• I always look at the quality of the build relative to the price. The Franchi Instinct totally lives up to the price point -super nice
• It all comes together very well! Very nice tolerances all around. It feels great in the hands
• Not to mention the receiver finish and artwork is astounding
• The double A-Grade walnut looks and feels great

Ease of Breakdown

• Shouldn't pose too many issues with breakdown
• Only thing I noticed was that the tolerances seemed a bit tight to open. Not a bad thing, just needs a break-in

Recoil 

• Feels awesome overall!
• The only issue I really noticed (and it may need to be broken in) was that the ejectors did not seem super strong
• Recoil was pretty much as expected. If I were to make it my permanent gun, I'd consider using a Falcon Strike recoil reduction pad

Reliability

• From the shoulder, this gun handled pretty much everything I threw at it
• I don't anticipate any problems with this gun EXCEPT with the prior mentioned ejector inconsistency. 

Speed Shooting

• I was able to accomplish shooting 2 hand thrown clays in 1.01 seconds

In summary, I definitely enjoyed shooting this Franchi. It performed consistently in areas that I look for in a shotgun and I think it will continue to do so on the range and skeet course. Franchi has consistently surprised me as I get around to shoot more of their guns. 

Whether our targets in the field or our targets in life, we will only hit what we are focused on so live the #targetfocusedlife

Stay Target Focused,

Steve