I recently picked one up and love it. So light, handles and tracks well.

Shot some chuckar over my Airedale last week. Handled perfectly, didn't cycle perfectly but I believe I have fixed that.

I picked up a 20ga. deluxe late this spring, as a replacement for an Ithaca model 100 20ga. that I gave to my son. I love the light weight and look forward to knocking down some roosters with it this fall.

It's interesting how the barrel moves. But I love how light it is. It does thump a little with the light weight!

I owned a 12 gauge, 26" vent rib modified choke barrel version a long time ago. At the time I had a couple of beagles and this was my primary rabbit hunting gun. I liked it, it was easy to carry and was pretty reliable. The only trouble I had was in very cold weather it might get sluggish. My dad was a Browning Auto Five man and was magical with his Sweet Sixteen. He advised me to clean the magazine tube squeaky clean as well as the spring and friction rings. Then use about two or three drops of thin oil, like 3-1 oil, to lube the magazine tube only. I did that and the Franchi ran like a champ afterward in the coldest of weather. I was a trader back then and swapped it off on something else that I can't recall right now. About ten years ago I met an old bird hunter that had five AL-48's in his hunting closet. This old guy swore by them.

A 20ga 48 was my primary grouse and rabbit gun for a few years. Loved it, shot it well. But ultimately got bit by the double gun bug and moved on. A member here bought the gun. Kinda miss it sometimes.

28ga Deluxe English stock

Handles like a wand...

Very nice. Big fan of the English style stock. Nice figure on that too

I always considered the 48al the best adaptation of someone else's design ever in the gun world. Perfect for upland game.

I had a couple when I quail hunted, fine shotguns

Wow that thing is gorgeous!

Mine has basic wood, but I'm very pleased with it.

Yes, love mine. I’ve had it for a little over 25 years. I bird hunted with it and occasionally took it rabbit hunting although I usually rabbit hunted with an 11-48 in 12 gauge.
I don’t hunt with mine much anymore but it’s not going anywhere.
LGS has had one of the early ones forever for $650 but the little “Black Magic” is all I need.

I've got a nice one in 20 ga. Bought it off a rabbit hunter in Louisiana, back when I lived there a long time ago. It's a great handler. Pretty to look at.

It does pack a punch, kicks as hard as many if my twelves, but it is a joy to carry.

Hey gunnut.

Should you ever tire of that one.....shoot me a PM please.

PS. I won't hold my breath.

I bought a 28 gauge a few years ago for my daughter. I shot it a lot when 28 gauge shells were about all that was on the shelf here.

I Have an old 48 English Stocked Deluxe in 28G.

I love it ....only scattergun I shot a triple on Grouse with.

My Dad got one for himself in 20ga when I got old enough to hunt. I thought it was way too light & whippy.
Wish we still had it, as I would be willing to use it now.

I have two 12ga and one 20ga. So, I would say I like them! But, I do better in maintaining a swing and hitting roosters or doves if I use a longer barrel, like a 28" for both the 12 and 20 to help with the swing follow through and decrease the whippiness of the shorter barrels. There is a price to pay for the super light weight the Franchi's offer. Also, don't oil the magazine tube but, rather know how to set the bushing and bevel ring correctly. Mark & Belle

I've been trying to find one of the newer removable choke versions in 20 gauge for years, but they're tough to find for a reasonable price. I have an older one without the barrel rib and it shoots, but I prefer to shoot over a rib. That said, I had the choke on my current one opened up to sk1 and its a dandy in the uplands.

Man, one of these with removable chokes would be fantastic.

I’d love one of these in 28 ga

Me too.

The gunshop where my AL-48 came from had one in 28 gauge. They wanted $650. This was in 1998.
It sat there for nearly two years.
Now I wished I had bought it too tending to forget I was newly married with a baby on the way.

The more I shoot this thing the more i like it. I've only shot pigeons or chuckar (Penn raised birds), but have had to swing it a bit and I'm really impressed with it.

Nice shotgun. Love English stocks!

I like them for upland guns. Super light.

Do not use modern gun oil on the mag tube. Use 10w-30 motor oil. Just a drop or two. That is what John Moses Browning designed that action to work with. Fixed more than one jamming Franchi with that simple trick

Interesting. I have not heard that. I will clean it and try it that way.

With the excellent lubricants available today, frequent jamming from the lack of using 10w-30 should not be an issue. Although it is an excellent choice. One that is also attributed to Daniel Perazzi for use on his O/U's.

I've been using "shotgun lube". I don't know if it makes any difference, but since I cleaned it and lubed it with that, it's worked wonderfully.

They should all work....with the exception of the WD40 types. Lubricating a shotgun doesn't require any special knowledge. Drop per drop....motor oil is most likely the least expensive.

JMB used two drops of motor oil on the magazine tube and smeared it all around the tube. Now remember, his first patent for the Auto Five was in 1899 so there weren't two aisles of gun care products in every local gun shop like there are nowadays. Understand how the friction rings work and make sure they are set correctly and use a good quality lubricant sparingly on the magazine tube. There is no black magic or witchcraft required, just a little common sense. An Auto Five properly set up is as reliable as any modern semi-auto and will last a couple of lifetimes or more with a bit of care. The aluminum AL Franchi should be as reliable, probably not as long a life span as the steel Auto Five but it is a hunting gun, not a dedicated clays game gun. Art's Gun Shop has some good tutorial videos on setting the friction rings and lubricating the magazine tube.

I shot one of these in 28 gauge for a couple of years. With choke tubes it proved more versatile than expected. Having the friction rings properly oriented for the power level of the shotshells used was important. I did not lube the mag tube as the user manual said not to as I recall.

In the end I was just too used to doubles and over and unders to want to keep it.

I have the same exact gun love it my first was a 12ga which I was given when about 15 years old.A little hard on recoil do to light weight but Flys to your shoulder naturally

I've been running this 48AL of mine through the ringer for dove season so far. Very pleased, but have noticed it likes to be lubed up ever 2-3 trips for best performance.