Guns 2011-11.pdf - Jeffersonian

ut the test gun weighed a quarter ofa pound less, on an accurate balancebeam“baby scale” purchased yearsago at a garage sale, specifically forweighing things like guns. (It doesn’tneed batteries, and has proven moreaccurate than any electronic scaletried since. Maybe it should be addedto the list of small devices that work.)BalanceAlso, unlike many other 28-gauges,the Fausti’s light weight doesn’t comeat the expense of balance, due inpart to 28" barrels. One principle ofshotgunning some manufacturershave never grasped (perhaps becausemany of their customers don’t), isthat lighter shotguns often need to belonger-barreled, so they’ll still swingsmoothly. Otherwise, they swing like abaseball bat held by the fat end. Thebalance point of the DEA SL is 5-1/4"in front of the trigger, resulting in avery nice swing, unlike some heaviershotguns with balance points furtherto the rear.(If you’re curious, this is a full inchin front of the hinge-pin. I don’t knowwho decided that the hinge-pin on adouble shotgun is the ideal balancepoint, but it may have been the sameguy who decided the balance point ona bolt-action rifle is the front actionscrew. The hinge pin is irrelevant,because the distance between triggerand pin varies depending on theaction and gauge. My wife and I owna number of side-by-side shotguns,from .410 to 10 gauge, and the distancefrom the trigger to hinge pin variesfrom 3-1/2" to 5-1/4". My 10-gaugeArmas Erbi is the longest, but theshortest is a 12-gauge SAUER.)Along with balancing nicely, thelittle Fausti is perfectly proportioned.The action is 1-3/8" wide behindThe test shooting (above) took place on a windy day, providing some challenges. The 5-pound guncould easily be held in one hand (below) while triggering the trap.the barrel fences, and 1-5/8" tall.The straight grip is only 4-1/4" incircumference. This might seem tobe a little too slim, but an odd thingabout grips (whether on shotguns orbaseball bats) is they’re easier to holdif our fingers can fully wrap around.The trigger hand of an upland hunterquickly tires and can even cramp whencarrying a shotgun with a grip 5" incircumference, typical of many moremanly shotguns. The fore-end is anequally slim splinter, attached with anAnson pushrod. The entire fore-end isonly 8" long, contributing to the nicebalance and feel.Along with the pleasing proportionsof the gun, it’s finished very nicely. Thewood is contrasty European walnut,with some nice but not ornate figurein the buttstock. The wood-to-metalfit is very good, and the walnut finishis not too shiny or thick, showingoff the grain of the wood nicely. Thewood is a little “proud” of the metal,traditional on European and Britishguns, leaving a little extra for whenthe gun might need refinishing. The24-LPI point-pattern checkering iswell done, and the coverage generous.The checkering wraps around thefore-end, with an open diamond leftin the middle around the case-coloredanchor point of the fore-end iron, anifty touch.Another interesting touch isthe walnut buttplate. Quite a fewEuropean and British shotguns lackbuttplates or recoil pads as they comefrom the factory, with some minimalcheckering or a few scribed lines on thewood. Shotgun makers on the otherside of the Atlantic acknowledge thathumans come in varying dimension,so instead of adding a pad or buttplatethat may need to be replaced to fit theshooter’s height, arm length, etc., theyleave the rear of the buttstock readyto be altered. The walnut buttplateon the Fausti looks nicer than a58WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER 2011