For
2012, Franchi has been hard at work reinventing or at least revitalizing
the brand. The Affinity is the recoil actioned autoloading replacement
for the I-12 of years past. The tested shotgun is the 26 inch barrel Max
4 Camo version that has a MSRP of $950, with a street price of about $850
or so. The matte version retails for a hundred dollars less.
According
to my Timney trigger gauge, the example Affinity weighs right at 7 lbs.
The trigger breaks at 4-1/2 pounds, better than average for an out of
the box field gun and better than most autoloaders I've tested. The control
layout is very familiar to Benelli M2 fans, it is identical. Along with
adjustment shims, you receive the usual compliment of three Mobil-choke
style flush tubes, a choke tube wrench, and a bottle of Franchi gun oil.
The Affinity comes with what Franchi feels is an industry-leading seven
year warranty. Assembly is easy. After that, I gave the action three drops
of M-Pro 7 gun oil, and cycled it briskly a couple of dozen times.
Franchi
lists the “common specifications” for the Affinity autos as
follows.
COMMON
SPECIFICATIONS
Magazine Capacity: 4+1 Chokes: IC,M,F and wrench
Length of Pull: 14.25" Drop at Heel: Adjustable 2-2.5" Drop
at Comb: 1.5" Type of Sights: Fiber optic red-bar front
sight
Minimum recommended load: 3-dram, 1-1/8 ounce; 20-Gauge 7/8 ounce, 1275
FPS.
The
overall length for this 26 inch Affinity is 47-1/4 inches. While the catalog
weight is 6.4 lbs., that isn't close. As mentioned, it is right at 7 lbs.
unloaded. Measuring the bore of the shotgun with my handy Skeet's bore
gauge, I found it came in at .725, exactly the European standard bore
dimension.
For
the supplied Mobil-chokes, the IC mics .716 inch, the Mod mics .704 inch,
and the lead-only Full measures .690 inch. That yields nine thousandths,
twenty-one thousandths, and thirty-five thousandths actual constrictions.
This is right in line with what you might expect: no surprises here, and
that's a good thing.
For
those familiar with the Benelli M2, you'll find the handling and controls
virtually identical. As a bonus, the Franchi has no center bead, so in
my case anyway there is no need to break it off and throw it away. To
get an idea of the feel, function, and handling of the Affinity 12 gauge,
we compared it to a 26 inch barreled Vinci, and further to a 24 inch M2
20 gauge and the Franchi Affinity in 20 gauge with a 26 inch barrel. When
you are going to spend the afternoon shooting (and shivering),
you might as well make it count.
From
the left: Franchi Affinity 20 gauge, Benelli M2 20 gauge, Franchi Affinity
12 gauge, and the Benelli Vinci.
The
Franchi Affinity action differs from the traditional Benelli recoil (inertia)
action in one basic aspect: the mainspring is located under the forearm,
as opposed to inside the buttstock. We shot the Affinity 12 gauge with
a variety of loads from B & P 1 oz. loads up to Federal 1-1/2 oz.
buffered baby magnums. Function was flawless throughout. In the felt recoil
department, we found the Affinity to be very comfortable to shoot with
target loads. With a shell like the B&P F2 Mach (1 oz. @ 1300 fps)
you could shoot the Affinity all day. Recoil was not noticeably any different
to our shoulders compared to the Vinci with target loads, which we shot
side by side. At the higher end, with 1-1/2 oz. loads, we could tell the
difference: the Vinci was clearly softer shooting which we attribute to
the ComforTech stock of the Vinci, though the Affinity was not at all
abusive and for many hunting applications would present no issue.
This slow-motion (240 frames per second)
video clip shows that recoil and resultant gun movement is mild. Ejection
is quite positive with 1 oz. 1300 fps shells.
My
understanding is that manufacture and assembly of the Franchi Affinity
is all at the Benelli Urbino facility. I tend to believe it, as this 12
gauge had no flaws whatsoever as received, and a trigger noticeably better
than most autoloaders tested in the last year, including the M2 20 gauge
and three Vinci's out of the box. For many people, a three inch chambered
7 lb. autoloader is all the shotgun they will ever need (or want), and
at the $850 or so street price for the Affinity 12 gauge (less for the
matte black) there is nothing on the market that competes with this shotgun.
Franchi is going to sell a boatload of these and, they deserve to. In
2012 dollars, it is a tremendous value in a low-maintenance, well-built,
hassle-free autoloader.
Copyright
February, 2012 by Randy Wakeman. All Rights Reserved.