Franchi AL 48

[glockky]

Been looking at picking up a Franchi AL 48 but had a few questions about them I could not find the answer too.

With it being a long recoil operated shotgun do you notice the recoil being much worse with heavy slug and buckshot loads?

Would cutting the barrel back to 20” cause problems with cycling due to the weight of the barrel. Wasn’t sure how much the barrel weight played into buffering the recoil.

[copdills]

I have a 28" 20ga AL48 I reload for, its a pleasure to shoot ,the perfect squirrel gun it has a little snap but not bad , but I am 65 yoa and have been thinking about putting limb savers on a few of my shotguns LOL

[DHDeal]

I don't have a Franchi, but do have quite a few Benelli's and love a lightweight shotgun. To me, the felt recoil on the long recoil is a slower push. I started my hunting with old Auto 5's and an old Remington 11 so I have used long recoil guns for a while. Unlike the Auto 5, the Franchi is extremely lightweight and that does tend to add to the entertainment.

I can't definitively say whether shortening the barrel on a AL48 would cause any cycling issues, but going from 26" to 20" isn't too much weight on those skinny barrels.

Even though my shotgun needs are covered, I can't say that if I were to find a nice AL48 somewhere that it wouldn't follow me home! An uncle of mine had one long ago and I always coveted it...

[Warhawk]

The AL48 has been around a long time. Back around 1980 I was going to college and working in a gun shop in Kansas. The 20 ga AL48 was the go to shotgun for a lightweight upland game gun, and back then Kansas was all about bird hunting.

I got one a few years ago for my daughter. She’s a tiny thing like her mom, 5’ tall and maybe 100 pounds. Her AL48 doesn’t have a recoil pad and she’s never complained about the recoil.

[kaiser]

I owned a couple of Franchi AL48's 40 years ago in a 20ga and 12ga. They are basically designed after the A5 Browning with an "aluminum" receiver instead of steel; thus, the extra light weight. Both were very reliable! The "12" kicked like a mule, but the 20ga was pleasant to shoot in comparison. I should have kept the 20ga, but let it go with the 12ga as a "matched pair" for a good profit. My cousin still has a 20ga that he cannot be talked out of (smart guy). You can reverse the recoil "washers" in the tube spring for "high" or "low" brass, just like the A5, so I don't imagine cutting back the barrel would cause any functioning problems that couldn't be adjusted.

[Petrol & Powder]

The Franchi AL48 is great gun. The recoil is a lot like a Browning Auto-5 (the action is similar).
The best way to describe it is the recoil is a double shuffle affair. You can feel two distinct impulses and the barrel returning to battery.

I'm sure the barrel weight plays a role in the functioning but I'm not sure to what degree. A 20" barrel is getting pretty short, and unless you are a very skilled wing shooter, that short barrel is going to be difficult to swing through your target. I wouldn't go that short for any shotgun used for sporting purposes. You will also lose the choke by cutting the barrel and unless you want to go to the trouble and expense of installing screw-in tubes, you're going to be stuck with a cylinder bore.

As for slugs and buckshot (it almost sounds like you are seeking a self-defense shotgun) an AL-48 can shoot those loads but the AL-48 is really made to be an upland game gun (which it excels at). It would be a bit of a shame to cut up such a nice bird gun.

So before you take a hacksaw to a nice AL-48, you might want to consider a different platform.

[DHDeal]

The Franchi AL48 is great gun. The recoil is a lot like a Browning Auto-5 (the action is similar).
The best way to describe it is the recoil is a double shuffle affair. You can feel two distinct impulses and the barrel returning to battery.

I'm sure the barrel weight plays a role in the functioning but I'm not sure to what degree. A 20" barrel is getting pretty short, and unless you are a very skilled wing shooter, that short barrel is going to be difficult to swing through your target. I wouldn't go that short for any shotgun used for sporting purposes. You will also lose the choke by cutting the barrel and unless you want to go to the trouble and expense of installing screw-in tubes, you're going to be stuck with a cylinder bore.

As for slugs and buckshot (it almost sounds like you are seeking a self-defense shotgun) an AL-48 can shoot those loads but the AL-48 is really made to be an upland game gun (which it excels at). It would be a bit of a shame to cut up such a nice bird gun.

So before you take a hacksaw to a nice AL-48, you might want to consider a different platform.

I completely agree about short barrel length not helping with wing shooting. My favorite shotgun for the last 10 years is a 12 gauge Benelli Cordoba with a 30" barrel.

I remember when it was the thing to go shorter on barrels. I've never shot better than I do now (though the eyesight ain't even close to what it was) with a 30" barrel. Of course that shotgun doesn't hurt either.

[glockky]

I have no plans of wing shooting. Wanting this for more of a tactical type shotgun I just prefer blued barrels and nice wood.

[Petrol & Powder]

I have no plans of wing shooting. Wanting this for more of a tactical type shotgun I just prefer blued barrels and nice wood.

It's your money but it would be a shame to cut up a nice AL-48. There are other semi-auto options.

Beretta, Benelli (which is owned by Beretta), Mossberg, Remington, FN, Stoeger.

If it doesn't have to be a semi-auto, the Remington 870 is hard to beat.

[6pt-sika]

Franchi made the AL-48 in a 28 gauge for awhile back in the 70’s or 80’s I believe it was , anyway I kinda wish I’d gotten one .

[6pt-sika]

Barrel length is kinda a personal thing . With that being said as a general rule I always liked 26” barrels on SxS bird guns and 32” on SxS waterfowl Guns . Now with that being said (as far as doubles are concerned both SxS and O/U) I’ve owned and shot every length from 24” to 36” . As to length I like them all .

[Petrol & Powder]

It sounds like the OP is looking for a tactical shotgun (tactic-cool?).

For a sporting gun, I agree strongly that a longer barrel is better than a shorter barrel.

The late Don Zutz wrote a book titled, "Shotgunning, trends in transition". The first chapter of that fine book is, "The Short Barrel Syndrome: Several Inches Too Far" . I recall reading that many years ago and realizing the wisdom of his words.

[richhodg66]

It's your money but it would be a shame to cut up a nice AL-48. There are other semi-auto options.

Beretta, Benelli (which is owned by Beretta), Mossberg, Remington, FN, Stoeger.

If it doesn't have to be a semi-auto, the Remington 870 is hard to beat.

Yep. Why ruin a nice one when there's plenty of Mossbergs out there new for less money that nothing will be lost on by cutting it up?

[smkummer]

The franchi has the friction ring that you adjust for light loads or heavy. Never fired anything more than a fast 1 1/8 oz. load for sporting clays.

[DHDeal]

I don't know why I didn't understand that the OP was wanting a bedside shotgun. I agree completely that there are better options available for the price of an AL48. For the bedside shotgun, it would be a gas operated semi or what's beside mine, an extended magazine tube 870. Mine has wood and is blued so it fits your criteria (well, slightly anyway, as it has laminated pallet wood and rough as 220 grit black finish...).

[glockky]

Well since you all have changed my mind I will mention that there’s several AL48’s on gunbroker that are selling for $100-300 less than mossberg 500’s and Remington 870’s

[DHDeal]

Well since you all have changed my mind I will mention that there’s several AL48’s on gunbroker that are selling for $100-300 less than mossberg 500’s and Remington 870’s

Understood, but I suspect they're already good to go and no need for the extra work you were describing. Getting the barrel cut on a vent ribbed barrel needs to be done right otherwise it will not look great.

By all means, get an AL48 as I'm sure it will work, but the other suggestions are more purpose built. Since my vote doesn't count (just like elections) I vote for a 7 shot gas operated 20 gauge loaded with #1 buckshot for you!

[Petrol & Powder]

Well since you all have changed my mind I will mention that there’s several AL48’s on gunbroker that are selling for $100-300 less than mossberg 500’s and Remington 870’s

1. Things are crazy right now and this isn't the time to be buying anything firearm related.

2. Even if AL-48's are ultimately selling for $300 less than Mossberg 500's, that doesn't count for much if the Mossberg's are currently going for $1000. Again, things are a bit crazy right now.

3. Even If I could get an inexpensive AL-48, I would still be reluctant to hack off a chunk of the barrel unless I really, really needed to.

It's your call but to me that's like buying a nice Mercedes sedan, pulling the back seats out, and using it to haul hay bales.

[richhodg66]

1. Things are crazy right now and this isn't the time to be buying anything firearm related.

2. Even if AL-48's are ultimately selling for $300 less than Mossberg 500's, that doesn't count for much if the Mossberg's are currently going for $1000. Again, things are a bit crazy right now.

3. Even If I could get an inexpensive AL-48, I would still be reluctant to hack off a chunk of the barrel if unless I really, really needed to.

It's your call but to me that's like buying a nice Mercedes sedan, pulling the back seats out, and using it to haul hay bales.

Good analogy.

$300 less than a Mossberg 500 is ridiculous. I seem to see Mossberg 500s for less than $300 all the time, though I haven't looked lately. Seems a shame to cut up a nice gun when a cheaper one is better for the task.