Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Pawn Shop Franchi 48 AL...Ready for Dove Season!

I just picked this up, a Franchi 48 AL Hunter, found it in a local pawn shop. Usually, pawn shops don't have a whole lot of good stuff, but you never know what you'll find. Over the years I have found quite a few gems and bought them at pawn shops. Often they are marked up on price, but usually you can get them to deal. This is my first Franchi, been wanting one in 20ga for a long time, but this is the first time I came across one in this good of shape. It doesn't look like it was used much at all, clean as a whistle inside. Can't wait to shoot it and try it out for doves this season, it sure feels nice and light. According to the date code, it was made in 1986 and its choked improved cylinder.

Perfect dove gun!!

Nice going. I doubt if the birds can tell what you paid, or where you bought it.

All I can say is, I wish I'd found it before you did. I bought one in 1968 just like that and shot it for many years. Would love to find another one in the condition yours is in. Congrats on your find...

I've been thinking about getting one of these. The lightest auto loader you can find. Really good carry a lot shoot a little guns. If you were going to be shooting heavy loads you might get beat up, but shooting dove loads I do not think recoil will be an issue.

Actually in a 20 gauge recoil should never really be a problem.

AL48 is a fantastic gun...almost a secret here in the US.

Maybe the best adaptation of a Browning design ever. Correct me if I am wrong. I can't think of a comparable example.

One of the best grouse hunting shotguns ever made.

I've shot several 20ga 48's. They are PERFECT guns to carry a lot and shoot a little. I wouldn't have one as a dove gun though. They will beat up your shoulder after awhile even with dove loads. I would put a limbsaver pad on that thing ASAP. That is a really pretty gun and looks to be in great shape.

I love Franchi. They make a really nice gun at a fair price. My go to is a Franchi 720 and I absolutely love it. They stopped making them to go to that stupid intertia system, but you can still find them on gunbroker and the likes.

I bought a 48AL 20 ga./improved cylinder shotgun from a co-worker several years ago. It is an excellent bird gun. Congrats on your find!

Cool

Really neat gun!! I remember a guy bringing one identical to that dove hunting with us back in the late 80's. I was a teenager then, and he was telling us how it was a good gun, but kicked quite a bit (he was a big guy, 250 lbs., easy).

He let us shoot it a couple times to see for ourselves. Decided I liked my Rem. 1100 LW20 better!!

Still, a really neat gun!!! Wouldn't want to shoot it 70-80 times in a t-shirt during dove season, but would be a great 15-20 shot pheasant gun!!!

Hey MSJ-348:
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That is a very nice one. I got one back in '67, while in the Navy. 30" full VR, 3" Mag. Boy, I switched to 2 3/4" mag shells, plenty of pounding at the shoulder & enuf killing power.
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Did see at a store once a 20ga. slug barrel, 22"/rifle sites for a Franchi 48, Think it was $50. Went back next day with mine to see if it would fit ... GONE!!! Sales clerk didn't remember if it was sold or misplaced. Checked in couple more times, No Can Find. .So goes life...
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. 99 LL .

Still haven't shot it yet. I don't think the kick will be too bad for a hunting gun, but I definitely won't be using the Remington "Heavy Dove" loads. I'll stick to 7/8oz loads or 3/4oz if I can find them.

mine was a kicker as I shot the 1oz loads back in the early 70s.

A friend of mine purchased Franchi's latest offering in 28 gauge a couple of years ago. Along the line of other posts here, even the diminutive 28 gauge was a kicker. I think the weight of this little field gun was just under six pounds. It seemed a little fussy at first firing Estate-casing reloads. After a few rounds fired though, it seemed to "settle in." I too, would not want to shoot several rounds of skeet with this shotgun wearing nothing but a tee shirt. I shot one round of skeet with it, and that was enough for me. But for toting around hot Arizona dove fields, it was quite nice, so my friend said. My overall opinion was it was a good shooter, heavier on recoil than the target 28 gauge guns I'm more accustomed to and reminiscent of the older-model Browning A-5.

Any gun that light is not a good Dove gun unless Dove's are scarce in your area It is one of the finest carry shotguns one can find though and I would buy one of those used in a hearbeat if I could find one.

I've always wanted one exactly like that one!

I wish I owned it, and you had a better one.

My Franchi 720 is pretty light, and shoots like a dream. Very light recoiling gun too.

Make sure the gun is adjusted correctly to the "hi-brass" or "low-brass" you are using and that takes some of the kick out. They are recoil guns, just like the Browning A-5.

They are light and will kick because there is less weight there, but they are not to be feared.

I have "fixed" several jamming Franchi's with taking all the synthetic oil off the mag tube and replacing with a thin coating of grease. Slick-50 is what I use.