Franchi question

[270man]

Need advice on an older model Franchi semi-auto 20-ga shotgun. I inherited this one and it was purchased new sometime prior to 1970 (maybe even a short time before 1960). It is lightweight at less than 6-pounds and handles very well. My 11-year-old grandson shot it well from the beginning, so I've promised it to him.

Trouble is, it functions sometimes and not others. The first thing may be inherent in the design (recoil-operated action). You have to manually load a shell into the chamber, close the bolt then put 2 rounds (with plug) into the magazine. If you just load the magazine and pull the bolt back, nothing happens. The bolt stays open and the shells remain in the magazine. Is this the way Franchi's are supposed to work?

I can live with the above problem but the Franchi also jams on me occasionally. Sometimes a live round will fire but not eject. At other times, the shell ejects but another one doesn't load from the magazine. The bolt remains open as if the last round had been fired.

Soon after I got the Franchi, I had some problems and took it to a gunsmith. He told me that he made a slight adjustment (didn't say what) and it worked okay for a while after that. Now I'm having problems again.

Any advice or comments would be appreciated.

270man

[fabsroman]

Have you thoroughly cleaned the gun? That might be the problem with the cycling. Also, what type of shells are you using in it? My Benelli Super Black Eagle jams if I do not use a shell with enough velocity and payload.

As far as the first round is concerned, my gun works the same way. However, I cannot even load rounds in the magazine if the bolt is locked in the open position. First, I have to drop one in the chamber and close the bolt, and then I can load the magazine.

[skeet]

The Franchi is a pretty good gun although a little light for everyday shooting. Good for a carry around shotgun for the upland though. The long recoil action needs a little help most of the time. Make sure the mag tube is clean and has a light coat of light oil. Too much and the action slams too much and a little oil in the internal workings of the action. If that doesn't fix the function problems then you have a worn or broken part that can't be figured out on line. These guns are prone to some parts breakage because of the recoil action...and (I hate to say this) they aren't built quite as robustly as a (gag) Browning. Do you get the impression I don't care for(gag) Brownings??:rolleyes: :D Also make certain the action rings on the spring on the mag tube are in the right order.

[tjwatty]

Is it me or has anyone else noticed that when we compare robust durability we compare pump guns to Model 12's and 870's and auto loaders, almost always, to (gag) Browning. Maybe I need to reevaluate the ole "humpback"

[fabsroman]

That is because the Benelli Super Black Eagles ("SBE") have only been around for a single decade. Something tells me that in a couple more decades, we will be discussing SBE's when we talk about auto durability.

The Browning Auto 5 is a decent gun, especially if it was made in Belgium. However, I hate the hump on my dad's gun and the action feels slow and clunky compared to my SBE and my Beretta 391's. I'll leave the A-5 in the safe.

[skeet]

Well of course we compare pumps to M-12 and 870 guns. The earliest really good pumps(hammerless) and to the auto 5...the earliest successful semi auto...the Franchi is a knockoff of the auto 5 so that is why I compared it to that.. Even the SBE Benelli is a knockoff of an earlier gun...the Winchester M-50 was the first of the sucessful short recoil semi auto shotguns. Benelli just made it more reliable and simple. There seems to be nothing new in the line of firearms...at least nothing earth shatteringly new.

[fabsroman]

I was going to say that about the only thing earth shattering nowadays is the finish and engraving on today's guns, but that probably isn't right.

One thing that is new is the use of synthetics and the ability to camo guns by immersing them in the dissolved paint.

I will agree that the Benelli SBE is so simple it is insane. On opening day of dove season I hunted in the rain and decided to tear the entire gun apart and clean it. The trigger group, which I have taken out a bunch of times, drops out just by pushing a single pin out. After spraying the trigger mechanism down with WD-40, I started working on the bolt and noticed that a bunch of crap was coming out of it when I sprayed it down with WD-40. So, I removed one pin and pretty much took the entire thing apart, cleaned up really good, and put it back together in less than minutes. To thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly clean my SBE, it takes less than an hour. I have never taken the A-5 trigger out because it looks like it would be a nightmare. Luckily, that gun doesn't see bad weather.

My SBE has so many rounds through it that I have worn out the finish on the inside where rounds are put into the magazine, where the rounds come out of the magazine, and where the spent shells are ejected. I am pretty sure that it will last be another decade, if not more.

[skeet]

Back when I did a fair amount of gunsmithing I cleaned a lot of guns. Hated cleaning the auto 5..charged almost twice as much to do them too. Don't take an auto 5 apart Fabs...booger to get back...in my opinion... 1100's and 870's are a piece of cake

[fabsroman]

And that is exactly why I will not be taking the Auto 5 apart. I am pretty good mechanically. I have an 8 year old Taurus that has only gone to the shop for tires and 4 wheel alignments. I've changed the brakes, rotors, shocks, anti-freeze overflow, speed sensor, and done all the tune ups to the car. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I took a car to get it worked on other than tires, alignments, and warranty work. I have never taken a gun to a gunsmith and they all seem to be working fine. I have built my own bicycles from bare frames and have kept my racing bicycle running for 20 years. Kept a Ford Fairmont running for 18 years and 235,000 miles. I do almost all the work on my parents' cars if I have the time. My dad and I remodeled my entire townhouse.

However, I will not take that Auto 5 apart. For some reason, I think it would be worse than trying to put drum brakes back together.

[gold40]

to: tjwatty and skeet,

I agree those humpback A-5 Brownings are unfit and shouldn't even be allowed to reside in your gun safe. Best to get them out of there, before they infect the other shotguns. Just send them to me, and you won't have to be concerned any longer.

Seriously, I love the A-5's. A 1952 vintage A-5, with a factory cylinder bore barrel is one of my favorite upland bird guns.

Advice on the Franchi AL-48: Lube the magazine tube well with light oil, and that should resolve your functioning problem. Mine came with factory instructions to keep all lube off the magazine tube, and that is flat wrong. When the tube was dry, I would have malfunctions. When properly lubes, it NEVER failed to feed. Great quail, rabbit, and dove gun !

[skeet]

That is exactly what I said earlier..light lube of the mag tube usually solves most malfunctions..
Gold 40...I already sold all those (Gag) Browning Auto 5's to the other dummies out there...and removed my name from the dummy list:p :D I didn't say they were useless guns... I had one I put near 500,000 shells through. Just had to rebuild it 4 times. 14 forends and 5 new stocks. Cracked forends constantly. and they really weren't cheap. Have a M-12 I have put 400,000 shells through and have had to replace 1 firing pin and a couple of ejectors...and I broke one of the ejectors myself cleaning the darn gun...and I can shoot a M-12 faster than an auto 5 anyway.

[John Duarte]

270man,
The recoil operated Franchis have a semi automatic magazine cut off. This allows you to eject the shell in the chamber and throw in a different load, close the bolt and shoot. For awhile the long recoil Franchis were the fastest cycling semi autos on the market. They are good, well designed shotguns, and I preferred them to the Auto Fives that I had.
John