Gun Review – Fabarm Axis
The Fabarm Axis
A few weeks ago I received an intriguing proposal from JR at the Shooting Edge. Would I like to test drive a couple of Fabarm shotguns and write a review for CGN?
I've never thought of myself as a gun reviewer but what serious gunnut could turn down that offer?
The guns arrived in late April just as the nice weather was finally arriving in Southern Ontario
The Guns
The guns came in attractive fitted hard cases that have a zipper close that could be locked with a small padlock. The cases are padded inside and offer decent protection for trips back and forth to the range but I wouldn’t trust them with an airline baggage handler.
Inside the cases were two very different guns; a Fabarm Axis 12 gauge sporting and a Fabarm Axis 20 gauge Field. The 12 is a heavy gun designed for clay target shooting while the 20, with its alloy frame, is a featherweight best suited for long days in the field.
The Fabarm action design hasn’t changed from their earlier guns. It is the same full length under lug locking system design that is also found on guns made by Browning, Caesar Guerini, Rizzini and many others.
Visually both guns are very impressive. The barrel bluing was deep and smooth. The receiver was a muted gray colour highlighted with gold accents and machine engraving. The receiver finish is PVD Titanium which Fabarm says provides greater corrosion resistance.
The wood looks like high-grade walnut but is Fabarm’s Tri-Finish which is a “printed” ink finish. It makes plainer wood look like more expensive walnut and is more pleasing to the eye than the garish XtraWood laminate finish found similarly priced Beretta shotguns.
Both stocks are cast for right hand shooters. The length of pull is 14-3/4” on the Sporting while the 20 gauge was 14-1/2 with the adjustable trigger set in the middle position. I found the stocks fit me quite well.
The forend design is unusual. It has a very wide base at the back, cut-outs on either side, and narrows to a thin, semi-Schnabel forend. It took a little getting used to but when I found the right place to put my forward hand it felt comfortable. A couple of other shooters who tried the guns didn’t care for it.
The wood to metal fit was good on both guns with no noticeable gaps. The stock is just slightly proud of the receiver metal which is typical in most factory production guns and desirable in the event the stock needs refinishing.
The metal fit showed that Fabarm is paying attention to detail. Metal parts were nicely finished and worked properly. There was no hint of roughness in the safety, ejector, barrel selector and the gun opened and closed smoothly.
The barrels met the same standards. On the outside the ventilated rib was slightly tapered and evenly checkered. There is no mid-bead and the front bead is a plastic fluorescent Hi-Viz sight. I don’t like the glow-worm sights but the guns come with replacement front sights including white so owners can choose their preferred colour.
While there is nothing out of the ordinary on the outside of the barrels inside is another matter. Fabarm barrels feature a Tri-Bore system. Long forcing cones lead into a slightly over-bore length of barrel which is then followed by a standard bore diameter and ultimately into the longer than usual choke tubes.
Fabarm claims the Tri-Bore system throws better patterns. I didn’t do serious pattern testing so I can’t judge whether Tri-Bore is a gimmick or a genuine breakthrough. What limited patterning I did do resulted in even, well distributed patterns.
I did pattern the guns to determine point of impact and barrel regulation. Both the 12 and 20 shot flat (55/45) patterns for me and the barrels were properly regulated. Barrel regulation isn’t something you can take for granted in any shotgun and I’ve seen big name factory guns not put patterns in the same place.
The Fabarm chokes are longer than most factory chokes. The Sporting came with 5 extended chokes while the 20 gauge came with 4 flush chokes. The chokes have metric designations 0, 2, 5, 7, 9 which approximates cylinder, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified and full.
The extended Sporting chokes and choke wrench have six notches instead of the usual four so most after market choke tube wrenches won’t fit the Fabarm chokes. The extended chokes however fit solidly into the barrels when finger tightened and didn’t back out during use. The 20 gauge choke tubes have the traditional four slots.
The only criticism I could find was the trigger pulls. They are consistent at 4lbs. on the bottom and 4-1/2 on the top but they did have some creep. In context the Fabarm triggers were comparable to Berettas or Ceasar Guerinis in the same price range. Trigger pulls are less critical with a shotgun than a rifle or pistol and I didn’t notice any trigger drag when shooting the guns even though my regular o/u has very crisp triggers.
At the range
The Axis Sporting 12 weighs just over 8lbs. and balances forward of the hinge pin. This makes it a touch nose heavy but the weight of the gun and forward balance made it very smooth to shoot. Its handling qualities are more like a Browning Citori or Cynergy than a lighter-barreled Optima-choked Beretta. That’s not a criticism as many shooters prefer a forward balanced gun to keep their swing smooth.
My preference is lighter barreled, more neutrally balanced guns. I found the Fabarm slightly sluggish on fast targets while very smooth on long targets. The weight keeps maintain the momentum of the swing.
This isn’t a gun for a hunting in the bush but it has 3” chambers and is approved for steel so it would make a respectable duck or goose gun.
The 20 gauge Axis Field is on the other end of the spectrum. With its alloy receiver it tips the scales at a dainty 5-3/4 lbs. Everyone who picked up the gun remarked on how light it was.
Light guns are quick to get started and stop just as fast. They require more concentration to maintain a smooth swing and I have yet to find a light gun I can shoot with any consistency. They also kick harder with less weight to soak up recoil.
So I wasn’t particularly looking forward to a 100 round sporting clays session with a gun I probably couldn’t shoot well and would pound me. Surprisingly, the recoil wasn’t as bad as expected. The Axis has very good stock dimensions for me and a gun that fits doesn’t have as much felt recoil. Secondly, the balance point is well forward of the hinge giving the Axis a bigger gun feel when on the shoulder.
On short, fast targets I shot it well but not on long, slow presentations. This is the kind of performance that is perfect for an upland hunter chasing grouse or hard flushing pheasants. The Axis Field does have 3” chambers but I didn’t test fire 1-1/4 ounce magnums. One’s commitment only goes so far.
Other Opinions
The 12 and 20 were shown to a number of shooters and several very experienced shotgunners gave them a try. A couple of minor points did come up.
The two left handers who shot the guns noted heavy recoil due to the right hand cast in the stocks.
Another shooter noted that the gun could be opened and shells ejected without the top lever locking in the open position. When this happened the gun couldn’t be closed because the locking lug was too far forward to let the barrels seat fully. It’s not a huge issue and easily solved by ensuring the lever is far enough over to the right and locked solidly in the open position.
The consensus among all the shooters is that both Fabarm Axis are attractive, good shooting guns that provide excellent value for the money.
Conclusion
The only unanswerable question about these guns is the same question that gets asked about every new gun. Can they go the distance? Can the Sporting withstand the tens of thousands of shells shot by active clay target shooters? Can the Field last a lifetime up upland bird hunting?
The short answer is that no one knows without shooting thousands of rounds through them. Based on what I saw however I have no reason to think they won’t go the distance as well as other guns in the same category.
I asked JR about spare parts for the Fabarm. They keep some in stock but he also said Fabarm is good about sending spares and they haven’t had to wait more than 3 weeks to get them shipped from Italy.
My conclusion is the Fabarm Axis is a quality gun that offers some serious competition to the more established Browning Citori and Cynergy, Beretta 686, Caesar Guerini and other shotguns in the same price range. Any gunnut who is considering an over/under shotgun for clay targets or hunting should take a hard look at the Fabarm Axis.
TSE lists the Fabarm Sporting at $2,199 and the Axis Field at $1,899.
I’d like to thank the guys at the club including CGN members jeffg and thegunnut for their contributions to this review and thanks to JR and the The Shooting Edge for letting us try these guns. If anyone has questions about them I’ll do my best to answer.
The Fabarm Axis
A few weeks ago I received an intriguing proposal from JR at the Shooting Edge. Would I like to test drive a couple of Fabarm shotguns and write a review for CGN?
I've never thought of myself as a gun reviewer but what serious gunnut could turn down that offer?
The guns arrived in late April just as the nice weather was finally arriving in Southern Ontario
The Guns
The guns came in attractive fitted hard cases that have a zipper close that could be locked with a small padlock. The cases are padded inside and offer decent protection for trips back and forth to the range but I wouldn’t trust them with an airline baggage handler.
Inside the cases were two very different guns; a Fabarm Axis 12 gauge sporting and a Fabarm Axis 20 gauge Field. The 12 is a heavy gun designed for clay target shooting while the 20, with its alloy frame, is a featherweight best suited for long days in the field.
The Fabarm action design hasn’t changed from their earlier guns. It is the same full length under lug locking system design that is also found on guns made by Browning, Caesar Guerini, Rizzini and many others.
Visually both guns are very impressive. The barrel bluing was deep and smooth. The receiver was a muted gray colour highlighted with gold accents and machine engraving. The receiver finish is PVD Titanium which Fabarm says provides greater corrosion resistance.
The wood looks like high-grade walnut but is Fabarm’s Tri-Finish which is a “printed” ink finish. It makes plainer wood look like more expensive walnut and is more pleasing to the eye than the garish XtraWood laminate finish found similarly priced Beretta shotguns.
Both stocks are cast for right hand shooters. The length of pull is 14-3/4” on the Sporting while the 20 gauge was 14-1/2 with the adjustable trigger set in the middle position. I found the stocks fit me quite well.
The forend design is unusual. It has a very wide base at the back, cut-outs on either side, and narrows to a thin, semi-Schnabel forend. It took a little getting used to but when I found the right place to put my forward hand it felt comfortable. A couple of other shooters who tried the guns didn’t care for it.
The wood to metal fit was good on both guns with no noticeable gaps. The stock is just slightly proud of the receiver metal which is typical in most factory production guns and desirable in the event the stock needs refinishing.
The metal fit showed that Fabarm is paying attention to detail. Metal parts were nicely finished and worked properly. There was no hint of roughness in the safety, ejector, barrel selector and the gun opened and closed smoothly.
The barrels met the same standards. On the outside the ventilated rib was slightly tapered and evenly checkered. There is no mid-bead and the front bead is a plastic fluorescent Hi-Viz sight. I don’t like the glow-worm sights but the guns come with replacement front sights including white so owners can choose their preferred colour.
While there is nothing out of the ordinary on the outside of the barrels inside is another matter. Fabarm barrels feature a Tri-Bore system. Long forcing cones lead into a slightly over-bore length of barrel which is then followed by a standard bore diameter and ultimately into the longer than usual choke tubes.
Fabarm claims the Tri-Bore system throws better patterns. I didn’t do serious pattern testing so I can’t judge whether Tri-Bore is a gimmick or a genuine breakthrough. What limited patterning I did do resulted in even, well distributed patterns.
I did pattern the guns to determine point of impact and barrel regulation. Both the 12 and 20 shot flat (55/45) patterns for me and the barrels were properly regulated. Barrel regulation isn’t something you can take for granted in any shotgun and I’ve seen big name factory guns not put patterns in the same place.
The Fabarm chokes are longer than most factory chokes. The Sporting came with 5 extended chokes while the 20 gauge came with 4 flush chokes. The chokes have metric designations 0, 2, 5, 7, 9 which approximates cylinder, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified and full.
The extended Sporting chokes and choke wrench have six notches instead of the usual four so most after market choke tube wrenches won’t fit the Fabarm chokes. The extended chokes however fit solidly into the barrels when finger tightened and didn’t back out during use. The 20 gauge choke tubes have the traditional four slots.
The only criticism I could find was the trigger pulls. They are consistent at 4lbs. on the bottom and 4-1/2 on the top but they did have some creep. In context the Fabarm triggers were comparable to Berettas or Ceasar Guerinis in the same price range. Trigger pulls are less critical with a shotgun than a rifle or pistol and I didn’t notice any trigger drag when shooting the guns even though my regular o/u has very crisp triggers.
At the range
The Axis Sporting 12 weighs just over 8lbs. and balances forward of the hinge pin. This makes it a touch nose heavy but the weight of the gun and forward balance made it very smooth to shoot. Its handling qualities are more like a Browning Citori or Cynergy than a lighter-barreled Optima-choked Beretta. That’s not a criticism as many shooters prefer a forward balanced gun to keep their swing smooth.
My preference is lighter barreled, more neutrally balanced guns. I found the Fabarm slightly sluggish on fast targets while very smooth on long targets. The weight keeps maintain the momentum of the swing.
This isn’t a gun for a hunting in the bush but it has 3” chambers and is approved for steel so it would make a respectable duck or goose gun.
The 20 gauge Axis Field is on the other end of the spectrum. With its alloy receiver it tips the scales at a dainty 5-3/4 lbs. Everyone who picked up the gun remarked on how light it was.
Light guns are quick to get started and stop just as fast. They require more concentration to maintain a smooth swing and I have yet to find a light gun I can shoot with any consistency. They also kick harder with less weight to soak up recoil.
So I wasn’t particularly looking forward to a 100 round sporting clays session with a gun I probably couldn’t shoot well and would pound me. Surprisingly, the recoil wasn’t as bad as expected. The Axis has very good stock dimensions for me and a gun that fits doesn’t have as much felt recoil. Secondly, the balance point is well forward of the hinge giving the Axis a bigger gun feel when on the shoulder.
On short, fast targets I shot it well but not on long, slow presentations. This is the kind of performance that is perfect for an upland hunter chasing grouse or hard flushing pheasants. The Axis Field does have 3” chambers but I didn’t test fire 1-1/4 ounce magnums. One’s commitment only goes so far.
Other Opinions
The 12 and 20 were shown to a number of shooters and several very experienced shotgunners gave them a try. A couple of minor points did come up.
The two left handers who shot the guns noted heavy recoil due to the right hand cast in the stocks.
Another shooter noted that the gun could be opened and shells ejected without the top lever locking in the open position. When this happened the gun couldn’t be closed because the locking lug was too far forward to let the barrels seat fully. It’s not a huge issue and easily solved by ensuring the lever is far enough over to the right and locked solidly in the open position.
The consensus among all the shooters is that both Fabarm Axis are attractive, good shooting guns that provide excellent value for the money.
Conclusion
The only unanswerable question about these guns is the same question that gets asked about every new gun. Can they go the distance? Can the Sporting withstand the tens of thousands of shells shot by active clay target shooters? Can the Field last a lifetime up upland bird hunting?
The short answer is that no one knows without shooting thousands of rounds through them. Based on what I saw however I have no reason to think they won’t go the distance as well as other guns in the same category.
I asked JR about spare parts for the Fabarm. They keep some in stock but he also said Fabarm is good about sending spares and they haven’t had to wait more than 3 weeks to get them shipped from Italy.
My conclusion is the Fabarm Axis is a quality gun that offers some serious competition to the more established Browning Citori and Cynergy, Beretta 686, Caesar Guerini and other shotguns in the same price range. Any gunnut who is considering an over/under shotgun for clay targets or hunting should take a hard look at the Fabarm Axis.
TSE lists the Fabarm Sporting at $2,199 and the Axis Field at $1,899.
I’d like to thank the guys at the club including CGN members jeffg and thegunnut for their contributions to this review and thanks to JR and the The Shooting Edge for letting us try these guns. If anyone has questions about them I’ll do my best to answer.
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