Seriously … is there anything defined by the word Italian that isn’t going to wonderful? Food, shoes, couches, purses and of course, my favorite … shotguns.
At Media Day at the Range, held Jan. 16 at a range near Boulder City, Nev., some WON Guns (Sara Ahrens, Mia Anstine and I) not only got the opportunity to shoot Franchi’s new line of shotguns, but also received hands-on instruction in busting clays from Joe Coogan, Brand Marketing Manager for Benelli USA and host of the popular television show Benelli on Assignment.
Sara Ahrens shot the Franchi Instinct SL. Note how it fits her hands. She loved it! Photo by Jason Baird
I shot the Instinct L, an over & under shotgun. Franchi’s new slogan is “Franchi Feels Right,” and this one did. The beautiful, light weight (under six pounds) 20-gauge with a Prince-of-Wales style stock cut from Select A-Grade satin walnut features cut-checking on the slim fore-end and one of my favorite little things – a pistol grip. The gun is gorgeous and swings in balance with a woman’s body easily. And, forget about wearing a shooting vest. I shot at least 20 rounds through that gun and my right shoulder feels like my left shoulder – pain free!
I love over & under shotguns – because of the ability to manipulate the load and eject the shells. The smell of the powder, but most of all, the tradition attached to using this tool. I think women will love Franchi’s Instinct L. Instinctively.
Barbara Baird shoots Franchi's Instinct L. Mia Anstine and Sara Ahrens wait patiently as Joe Coogan instructs and watches. Photo by Jason Baird
Please visit the Franchi website to see more about this fine, fine gun. MSRP: $1149.
Publisher/Editor Barbara Baird is a freelance writer in hunting, shooting and outdoor markets. Her bylines are found at several top hunting and shooting publications. She also is a travel writer, and you can follow her at https://www.ozarkian.com. View all posts by Barbara Baird
My wife is just getting into skeet shooting. She is 5’4 in height and thinks my Browning A-500 12ga is too long, and heavy. We saw the Franchi Instinct L, and SL 12 ga. She really liked the SL because it was lighter, and the over all look. I worry about the recoil and her shoulder after a day of shooting skeet. What are your thoughts?
Gary,
We sought advice from Joe Coogan, Benelli USA’s Media Relations & Communications Manager. Here’s what he said, “Franchi’s Instinct L and SL will both serve as excellent shotguns for skeet shooting or any other clay target game. Thedifference between them is finish and weight: The L features a distinctive all-steel color-case hardened receiver, which accounts for the weight difference between that and the SL’s lighter polished aluminum alloy receiver. Regarding recoil, the first consideration is to have a gun that feels right. In other words it should fit the shooter in a way that when it is brought intoshooting position the sights line up naturally with the shooter’s eye and requires little or no adjustment to be on target. A firm hold against the shoulder helps the body handle felt recoil a little more comfortably, as will shooting pads made from recoil-aborbing material that protects the shoulder’s point of contact with the buttstock.”
i want to get a new instinct in the 20 gage for pheasant hunting . the question is will the lighter sl 20 gage 28 inch handle one and a quarter oz. fiocci loads without a lot of recoil, or is the franchi L more likely to have less recoil?
Walter,
I asked Joe Coogan, over at Benelli and Franchi your question. He wrote the following: “The recoil of that load in the Franchi Instinct SL will be more noticeable than that of the Instinct L by virtue of the L’s all-steel receiver, which makes it heavier and more absorbent of recoil. For pheasants, which is not high-volume shooting, I don’t think the recoil of the SL will be bothersome, but as you know, everyone has a different tolerance threshold for what is considered acceptable recoil. We shot guinea fowls, which are similar in size to pheasants, with 20 ga. SLs on the Kenya trip and had no problems at all.
“Hope this helps.”
Best,
Joe
—
Media Relations & Communications Manager
Benelli USA
This gun in 12 guage, may be what many clays shooters have been seeking for many years – an over & under that can be shot all day with light loads without subjecting teh shooter to objectionalbe felt recoil and a gun that handles and swings well.
If it is true, Franchi can expect the Instinct guns to sell very well to smaller clay target shooters and hunters who do not want or cannot handle a heavier gun.
At this point, an acceptable felt recoil given the gun’s light weight,( even with slower and lighter target loads), is something I would almost need to be experneinced before it was believable.
I could have spent the whole day there with you ladies and Joe Coogan! What an honor to meet him and take a couple of tips.
I have been tring to figure out if i can shoot steel shot through my instinct sl i just purchased not noing it may not be possible without damage what do i have to do to shoot steel if any at all, because some hunting i will be doing is in no lead areas i have read i may just have to get the right chokes but i am new to shotguns so i dont no much any info is good info for me right now thank you ahead of time for any information