Guns 2011-11.pdf - Jeffersonian

The action is a nicely decorated sideplatedboxlock, a tradition in Italy. Thenicely figured slim, straight buttstock(below, left) was easy to shoulder andcomfortable to shoot. The buttstock iscapped with a walnut buttplate (below,right), easily replaced with a pad ofthe correct thickness to adjust for thevarying dimensions of shooters.blank butt, and works perfectly wellon a 28-gauge if a 14-3/8" lengthof pull works (it did for me). But ifthe shooter wants a pad of whateverthickness, the plate is easily unscrewedand the end of the stock is alreadysawn flat, ready for a pad.Despite the “SL” in the shotgun’sname, it’s not a sidelock. Instead it’sa side-plated boxlock. The platesare added to provide extra roomfor decoration, and are especiallycommon on Italian guns. Somepeople aren’t crazy about side-plates,but in this little shotgun they providesome esthetic balance. The rear edgesof bigger boxlocks can be scallopedto break up what otherwise would bea stark straight line, but scallopingsuch a tiny action wouldn’t reallybe noticeable. The side-plates helpthe flow of the little Fausti’s lines.The action and side-plates are casecolored,with some scroll borderengravingand a few small gold oakleaves scattered here and there, as ifjust fallen from an October tree.The non-selective single triggersfires the right barrel first. It’smechanical, rather than recoiloperated, so doesn’t require the firstshot to go bang. Both pulls tested 5pounds, a little heavy for such a lightgun, but they made up for it by beingvery crisp.Many traditionalists prefer twotriggers on side-by-sides, but on a 28there isn’t much call for an instantchoice of widely different chokes,since we’re not likely to be whackingaway at 50-yard pheasants with a 28(though the little gauge will workfine to 40 yards with the right load).I personally like modified as an allaroundchoke for 28s, and if for somereason you prefer a tighter choke forthe first shot, the gun comes with aselection of five screw-in chokes. Thetest gun’s choke constrictions were.512", .518", .536", .539" and .542",essentially ranging from improvedcylinderto extra full.The barrels are attached to amonoblock, a single chunk of steel.The block contains both chambersand is an easier, stronger way toONLINE!www.gunsmagazine.comWWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM 59