Table of contents for Issue 1 in GUNS

With the first issue of Guns The Italian way, a new challenge begins. Challenging. Stimulating. Global. Challenging because it has the ambitious goal of translating in english the best of the material produced by the specialists of Armi e Tiro magazine, trying to guess different tastes and expectations in various countries of Old Europe and overseas. Stimulating, because we can share the point of view and professionality of journalists and testers who for over thirty years have represented the strength of a magazine that, thanks to the authority gained in the field, has become the reference point about specialized magazines in Italy. Global, because the goal is to speak to millions of shooters, hunters, collectors and gun enthusiasts around the world. But Guns The Italian way is also a unique…

Sako debuts with a completely new bolt-action rifle, named Sako 100 Explorer, in homage to the century of experience gained from its foundation up to now (the anniversary was in fact celebrated in 2021). The feature that distinguishes the new Sako 100 at first glance is the light alloy action-chassis, which incorporates the bolt channel, the ejection port and the magazine. At the front end, the barrel is fitted via a quick release mount, within which the breech extension closes the bolt. The breech of the barrel provides a specific attachment for Cantilever type optic mounts, which extends backwards over the frame, in this way each single barrel can have its own permanently calibrated optic. The choice of calibers goes from .243 Winchester to .375 H&H, therefore with the possibility…

A 12 gauge over/under, equipped with a steel receiver, that weighs less than 2,800 grams. Until now this would have been the impossible dream of every hunter, but today, thanks to Beretta, this dream has become a reality. This is the new and highly anticipated “featherweight” shotgun made by Beretta thinking of the fans of upland hunting, which, not surprisingly, was baptized with the name of Ultraleggero (Ultralightweight). A real concentrate of technology, which breaks the mold in the world of over-and-unders by proposing extremely innovative solutions. It is dedicated to hunting with pointing dogs, to the most adventurous hunts and to hunters who usually travel many kilometers following the dogs, all situations in which being able to count on a specialized weapon characterized by a weight as low as…

Ergonomics, easy handling and great functionality. These are the cornerstones of the latest firearms produced by Franchi. Simple and effective tools, with a linear and no-frills aesthetic, designed to accompany the hunter in any situation. The basis is the Evolved Ergonom-X platform, which has studied the hunting habits of more than 1,000 hunters, obtaining precise guidelines for the creation of what, ideally, should be the “perfectly shaped shotgun”, a real extension of the hunter's arm. It is from these assumptions that the Affinity was born, the inertial semi-automatic by Franchi, a family that includes numerous variants and configurations, for all forms of hunting, which this year has been renewed and updated with the birth of the new Affinity 3. Indeed, the number 3 was not chosen randomly: 3 inches is…

Beretta holding released a statement to confirm the signing of a binding agreement for the acquisition of 100% of Ruag Ammotec, the main European group for the production and distribution of light ammunition, owner of prestigious brands such as Rws, Norma, Rottweil and Geco. Pietro Gussalli Beretta, president and CEO of Beretta Holding, declared: “This is a very special moment in the history of our Group. After working almost three years on this project, we warmly welcome the more than 2,700 employees of Ruag to our Group. During this time we were able to appreciate the strong cultural affinity between our Group and Ruag Ammotec, as well as the extraordinary competence and professionalism of its management team”. Pietro Gussalli Beretta underlined the complementarity between Ruag Ammotec and Beretta Holding: “We…

When talking about the best-known manufacturers of hunting boots, we cannot fail to mention the French Aigle, appreciated all over the world for the quality of its footwear. One of their best-known boots is certainly the Altavio: lightweight and waterproof, they are ideal for hunting during the summer. The design is inspired by that of riding boots and it guarantees perfect comfort while still offering excellent grip on the ground. Suede leather The Aigle Altavio are equipped with an upper made of suede and brushed leather, rather thin and very soft. The tongue, with the exception of a central leather insert, is made of Cordura, to further improve breathability. The upper is characterized by the MTD surface treatment, a particular technology that increases the degree of waterproofing while allowing proper…

Kayland is a relatively young footwear manufacturer which is enjoying great success among Italian hunters thanks to the quality of its products. The high-end model of the Hunter Soul line is the Tuscia 2.0 GTX, the second evolution of the Tuscia boots that were designed to hunt wild boars in environments characterized by treacherous vegetation. The boots, therefore, are built to perfectly resist brambles and thorns, protecting the foot and offering maximum comfort during long days of hunting in the plains or medium hills. Hi-tech fabric The Tuscia 2.0 are characterized by an upper made of hitech fabric that is extremely robust but at the same time very light. It is a mix of high-tenacity polyamide and Dyneema, a material that has a resistance to abrasion and cuts comparable to…

We had been waiting for them for months. And when they arrived, the next morning at 9 o'clock we were there to welcome them. We are talking about a lot of 150 Moschetto 1891 carbines (so-called “cavalry”) that returned to Italy from Austria, after the famous sale of milsurp materials stored in the state police warehouse of Senigallia. Why are these guns so important? Well, first of all, because today finding 150 cavalry carbines all together is no longer as common as it could have been twenty or twenty-five years ago. Secondly, because we are talking about guns that have not traveled all over the world and have not been reassembled, modified and exchanged thousands of times by dealers and gunsmiths before ending up in the hands of enthusiasts and…

TEST REVOLVER PIETTA 1873 ENGRAVED CALIBER .45 COLT The Pietta model 1873 of is a revolver that needs few introductions: among the replicas of the famous Colt Peacemaker, in fact, it is one of the most renowned and appreciated, especially on the US market, where Cowboy action shooting and, more generally, the historical reenactment of the American Frontier period boasts the largest number of followers and where, over the years, these firearms have earned a reputation for being an extremely accurate copy of the original ones (so much so that the components are in many cases directly interchangeable), and also for their reliability, thanks in particular to an extensive redesign work that involves modern machining of all the main springs (starting with the hammer, trigger and cylinder stop springs). The…

The Italian Guardia di Finanza has completed the purchase of a further batch of Beretta P×4 pistols in 9×19 mm caliber, equal to 15,148 specimens, thus taking the process of technical modernization of the individual weapon for operators even further, compared to the previous ones. Lots of P×4s that had already been purchased by the corp: we recall for example a supply of 3,235 pistols on February 28, 2020. The size of the order should include at this point not only the definitive retirement of the last examples of Beretta 84 caliber .380 auto still in stock, but also a substantial support compared to the Beretta 92. The value of the order is equal to 5,756,397 euros, the administration remains entitled to exercise an option by the end of 2022…

The Italian Proof house has specified on its website, on the page dedicated to the procedure for the classification of weapons, the tolerances allowed on the length of the barrel for the weapons submitted for classification, in other words, it has made explicit the metric indication on how different the lengths of the barrels can be compared to the data reported on the classification application form, without requiring a new and different application. As regards long guns and short guns with single shot, manual or semi-automatic repetition, the counter has taken up the indications contained in circular no. 557/PAS.50,0385/Q/11 published by the Internal affair office on June 20 2011, so the maximum tolerance allowed is +/- 2 millimeters. The 2011 circular, however, in specifying a different measurement procedure for the…

Known for its refined tactical rifles, particularly appreciated by the elite operators of many countries, and thanks to a vast and established production of long-range precision weapons, the Italian Victrix armaments has expanded its own line of rifles offering a new family of “tools of the trade” for Precision rifle series (PRS) competition. The line is called Venus, which is divided into three configurations (X, T and V series) and of which we were able to test the V series, the top-of-the-line model. Available in caliber 6 mm Xc, 6 mm Creedmoor, 6.5×47 mm Lapua, 6.5 mm Creedmoor, .260 Remington an d .308 Winchester, the choice “fell” on the classic 7.62×51 which, in my personal opinion and almost 70 years after its introduction in the sports and military fields, remains…

The Magnus muzzle brake is the new addition to the Victrix catalogue and, as with all the other products of the Bergamo-based company, it is characterized by uncompromising quality. The result of a development work that lasted about two years, with different weapons, calibers and types of ammunition, vibrational analyzes and specific studies also conducted with the use of high-speed cameras, the Magnus not only reduces the feeling of recoil but also, indeed, above all, it reduces the amount of gas present behind the bullet by 96%, thus eliminating their destabilizing and perturbing effect, as well as reducing the sound pressure on the shooter by about 12 decibels. Two versions are available, one in Aisi 630 stainless steel, the other in a super-light titanium-based alloy. Four types will be set…

Beretta has completed its catalogue of clothing for the outdoors with a line of footwear for all needs and for all budgets. The Trail Mid GTX are Beretta's topof-the-line boots, characterized by high-end materials and an outstanding level of craftmanship. These boots are designed for hunting in the mountains and they allow the hunter to face even the coldest temperatures, thanks to the leather upper and the insulating membrane. These boots are characterized by high torsional rigidity and excellent strength, features that make them suitable for tackling the harshest terrains, such as the rocky areas typical of high mountains. Full-grain leather The Beretta Trail Mid GTX are equipped with a robust upper made of oiled full-grain leather, with a thickness between 2.4 and 2.6 mm. This construction guarantees high rigidity…

Among the top-tier models of the German Lowa we can find the Renegade boots, produced in several versions and with different colors. They are versatile boots, suitable for different uses on many types of terrain, perfect for hunting in the hills or midmountains. They are characterized by an intermediate stiffness, a low ankle height and a very high level of comfort, thanks to the cutting-edge technical solutions used to create a shock-absorbing and sturdy sole. High versatility The Renegade GTX are extremely versatile boots, suitable for numerous uses. The upper is made of Nubuck, a type of brushed full-grain leather, finished with oil, which keeps the pores open to improve breathability. There is no protective rubber rand, but the rather thick sole structure provides significant protection to the upper. The…

Many Italian hunters hunt birds. There are those who hunt snipes in the swampy plains, red-legged partridges in the hills, woodcocks in humid woods or black grouses in the alpine slopes. Surely it is a thrilling type of hunt, consisting of sacrifices, struggles and hard days. Every kind of bird hunt has one thing in common: the importance of the dog. The hunter must choose a breed that suits him and is useful for his personal way of hunting, in order to create an indissoluble bond with the dog. The hunter spends many hours training his dog, until his faithful partner is able to understand him immediately. You never feel alone with your four-legged friend and, even if you go home empty-handed, you will surely have precious memories of the…

Anpam has spread an article published on the Euractiv portal, written by the European shooting sports forum (informal platform that carries on the stakeholders at Eu level), about the “opinion making” process that the European chemicals agency (Echa) used to prepare the draft for the near-total ban of lead ammunition on hunting and shooting spors in Europe. A new scientific study demonstrates that Echa's conclusions about European terrestrial bird declines from lead ammunition ingestion are based on uncertain or generic assumptions. This study concludes lower, more realistic estimates of bird declines, based on a more reliable methodology. Across the Eu, Echa estimates that hunting disperses approximately 14,000 tonnes of lead gunshot and bullets into the terrestrial environment each year, leading to the mortality of birds that ingest it. Researchers have…

1873 revolvers with a barrel longer than the classic 7.5 inches, therefore equal to 12, 10 or 16 inches, are generically known to enthusiasts as Buntline, from the name of journalist and novelist Ned Buntline (pseudonym of Edward Zane Carroll Judson). This man had a particular talent for writing using epic tones and, following the spirit of the time, he evidently had a certain talent for “peddling” a colorful narrative for what concerned his own exploits. Thus, the rumor began to circulate that he himself had commissioned Colt to make “the Buntline Special”, a 12-inch version of the model 1873 revolver with the addition of a detachable nickel-plated brass skeletonized stock. Buntline also touted the story according to which he himself had bought five exemplars of this special revolver, to…

With the launch of the Ultraleggero, Beretta has updated its accessories catalog with an absolute novelty that woodcock hunting enthusiasts have demanded for several years: the Optima choke HP Paradox choke tubes. There are two versions available, 70 mm long internal and 90 mm long internal-external, but in both cases the rifling is present only in the last 50 mm of the choke. The choke can be used with any type of cartridge, including those loaded with steel shots and slugs. To put it to the test, we carried out the usual pattern plate test, using the internal-external version mounted on the Ultraleggero with a 24” barrel. We used Baschieri & Pellagri Mb Classic cartridges, with 32 grams of lead 7 and container wad, firing first at 10 and then…

TEST SHOTGUN PERAZZI HIGH TECH 2020 GOLD 12 GAUGE Competition over-and-under shotguns for clay shooting are a bit like race cars: they may look like “normal” cars, but when you drive them, you get a completely different feeling. Hie same applies to shotguns: an excellent hunting shotgun can certainly be “good enough”, but when you want to get your clay shooting experience to the next level, you need a specific product, a performing sports tool, in other words, a custom-built clay buster. For over sixty years, Perazzi has been doing exactly that: making competition over/unders that have shined in the most prestigious international competitions, so much so that Perazzi holds the world record for the most Olympic medals won from 1964 to today. The history of the company is a typical…

In the face of the usual, and recent, reference with increasingly alarmist tones by the mainstream media on the incidence of the use of firearms (legally owned, of course) in femicides and in particular in femicides perpetrated within the family, we went to verify the figures released by the Ministry of the Interior in occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The study, made official last November 25th, compares the data of 2019 and 2020 and the data between January 1st and October 31st, 2020 with those of the same period of 2021. The homicides in general in Italy have been 317 in 2019 and 286 in 2020. Between 1st January and 31st October 2020,245 were perpetrated, while in the same period of 2021 have…

Often, we realize the usefulness of an object only when we are forced to do without it. A thought that perfectly sums up my experience with one of the accessories that many hunters are often led to underestimate: boots. Not that I considered them not very useful, but I learned to appreciate them in a special way on the occasion of a demanding morning spent hunting woodcocks in the mountains, when, having reached the area of the hunt, I realized that I had forgotten my boots bag and its precious content. Finding myself a hundred kilometers from home, the hypothesis of going back to retrieve the boots was not feasible. All I could do was try to tackle the mountain using sneakers, trying to keep my ankles in one piece.…

Is it possible to make boots that combine extreme lightness with good structural rigidity? Judging by the results obtained by Crispi, a historic Trevisobased manufacturer of footwear for hunting and the outdoors, we can say yes. The new Ascent Evo GTX are unique boots characterized by a high technological content and a modern and captivating design. They are a sort of “crossover”, able to combine the comfort and lightness of a “hybrid” half leather-half fabric upper with sufficient torsional stiffness for use on hills and mid-mountains. Polymer exoskeleton The key to Crispi's success is the exclusive WFW (Wrapping Framework) technology, a polymer exoskeleton that strengthens the sides of the upper making them more rigid. The polymer inserts, with a highly visibility orange color, are made by over-injection on the structure…

Zamberlan is a historic Italian manufacturer that for over 90 years has been producing boots for hunting and hiking. The 966 Saguaro GTX RR are designed for mountain hunting and offer considerable torsional rigidity to provide the correct stability even on the most difficult terrain. These boots offer great protection from the elements, while being characterized by an intermediate level of thermal insulation that makes them ideal for hunting during autumn. Nubuck and Hydrobloc (DSC_6773.jpg) The Zamberlan Saguaro are equipped with a sturdy Nubuck upper, with a thickness between 2.4 and 2.6 millimeters, which helps to increase the overall stiffness of the boot. The upper has a one-piece construction, with the tongue obtained from a fold in the leather, which, therefore, does not move when walking. The leather is characterized…