Question about Franchi reliability.

[drum817]

I have been a hunter most of my life (i'm 37). I have recently got into shooting skeet & was considering a franchi I-12 because I didn't want to sink a ton of money into a Benelli. I found this forum through my research and when I took a look I noticed some post on reliability issues. Whats the deal...is a Franchi not a very reliable gun?? I don't want to sink a dime into any gun that doesn't perform extremly well. Right now i'm up in the air between the Franchi I-12, Remington 11-87 & Browning silver hunter. Any good advise would much appreciated.

[tucker301]

You have to remember that these are Internet forums.
As such, most Franchi owners don't even know these forums exist, nor do they care, until there is a problem of some kind.

Typically, there will be more people coming here seeking soultions to problems than there will be people who come here to say how pleased they are with the performance of a new shotgun.

I believe the problems of the I-12's first year are behind them now, and Franchi makes a great product.

Price-wise, its in the same market as both of the other guns you've mentioned.
Of those two, I'd choose the Browning as my second option.

If you want the ultimate, save your Lincolns and get a Beretta.

[ 05-09-2006, 05:17 PM: Message edited by: tucker301 ]

[TeddyBoy]

Tucker is correct. Buy a gun that best suites you. I have shot then all, Remingtons, Brownings, Winchesters, Mossbergs etc. Price wise, All these guns are higher priced than the Franchi line, but I was impressed that it had the Benelli name stamped on it. It was the feel of the gun that was the most important factor in buying the Franchi 912. True, all guns are not perfect. People have problems and grip about it. Franchi does make a fine product and I hope to buy the 612 soon.

[mudhen]

As Tucker said, Franky had some I-12 issues in 2005.

I'd own a 2006 I-12 in a heartbeat - make sure you are getting a brand new I-12 - have the dealer verify that it's a 2006. I have only seen new 2006 I-12's in camo at around $749.

That being said, I'd also buy a 3" Browning Silver Hunter in a heartbeat. They use Winchester's X2/3 bolt assembly in the SM, and it has Browning's decent fit & finish. I've seen them for $699-$749.

I would quit hunting before I owned an 11-87...

mudhen - CA

[xd9x19]

drum817, I've got an I-12 and thinks it's a fantastic gun. Just remember that's it's recoil-operated and not gas-operated, so all other things being equal (fit, weight, etc.), its will tend to impart more felt recoil than a gas gun like the 11-87.

I will say that I think the I-12's recoil pad is great and I've shot several 100+ rounds of clays without a sore shoulder the next day.

From the information I have gathered, the 2006 I-12s have resolved any issues that the early models had. If you browse around this board, you'll find I encountered a problem, almost exclusively - but not entirely - with one brand of ammo, that resulted in the second shell getting stuck on the carrier about 4/5ths of the way out of the magazine.

I've sent my I-12 in so Benelli can look at it, but other than that, it's functioned flawlessly. Even handled some 1oz target loads without a hiccup. Absolutely love the neutral feel of the gun and the breeze it is to clean.