How does the Franchi I-12 rate?
- Thread starter doc bungee
- Start date
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- Ol' North Shore
Are we talking inertia driven only or gas to? What are you doing, hunting or skeet/clay, Both? The I-12 is Inertia Driven like most Benelli guns (except the m4). Inertia is simple and dependable but may be picky with light loads. I think the I-12 shoots 2 3/4 to 3 inch shells. All you need is 2 3/4 though, the rest are for people who cant shoot lol. IMO I tend to stay away from stamped guns with plastic parts. I`m old school and like machined steel only. Do some research before you buy, but offcourse if the price is right take er. Guys who do 3 gun competition like the m1 super 90 which the Franchi`s inertia system is cloned from, then again many like the Rem 1100 or others so its a hard call. How does she feel in your hands? Shouldered? Thats whats important.....
Heres a short review I found on thehighroad site
"They have the Vursan action that powers the Stoeger 2000. The gun is assembled in Italy with barrels from Benelli. They are not of Benelli quality. They have the same action as the Stoeger 2000.
I have refered many people to Gun Tests magazine when they compared the Stoeger 2000 and the I-12:
Franchi I-12
12 Gauge No. 40708, $749
Imported by Benelli U.S.A., the Franchi could be described as a high-dollar looking, low-dollar semiautomatic. The shotgun features fine wood, unusual checkering and a radically cut recoil pad that reminded some of us of the Browning Cynergy. All of these appearance features are a plus for someone shopping for a fine fowling piece, but we found that the Franchi does have some performance problems.
In our test, the Franchi would fail to eject a shell at least one time with each box of shells. In addition, the bolt release handle worked loose several times during our shooting sessions. These were two major blemishes on the otherwise admirable performance of a generally fine shotgun.
The Franchi’s simple inertia-driven recoil system, like the Stoeger and other Benelli imports, did receive high marks from the cleaning table because of the few moving parts.
Concerning recoil, the Franchi’s gel insert pad is an interesting concept, but did not appear to function any better than the standard pads on the other two test models. Because of its cut-out design, adjusting the length of pull (14.25 inches on our test gun) would require quite a bit of stock work. The Franchi was front heavy, which can be a plus for swinging through long-distance targets.
* Franchi I-12 12 Gauge
No. 40708, $749. Don’t Buy.
Despite its moderate price, problems with the bolt handle repeatedly coming loose and a pattern of jamming about one time every box of shells left us with no choice but to pass on this model. Recoil was about the same as the more basic, less attractive and much cheaper Stoeger.
*** Stoeger 2000 12 Gauge No. 31515, $435. Buy It.
A solid functioning firearm, this model may not have the looks and feel of its higher-priced counterparts, but we think it is worth a try with a price tag of less than five Benjamin Franklins.
The three test guns were the Remington 11-87, Franchi I-12, and the Stoeger 2000. The Reminton 11-87 was their highest ranking gun of the testing of the three, with the Stoeger 2000 ranking second, and the I-12 rated as "Don't Buy" due to quality issues listed.
Gun Tests buys these guns from dealers and shoots them a their test range. They are not furnised with samples from the factory that have been checked for quality. It is a random sampling of various guns and their test team puts them through their paces and call them like they see them. They accept no advertising, thus no manufacturer's influence. I have never read a bad review in a magazine that sells advertising. If they did a bad review, their advertising would cease from the company getting the heat. I have been reading Gun Tests for over 20 years and find them to be very credible.
Hope this helps you make the right decision."
Heres a short review I found on thehighroad site
"They have the Vursan action that powers the Stoeger 2000. The gun is assembled in Italy with barrels from Benelli. They are not of Benelli quality. They have the same action as the Stoeger 2000.
I have refered many people to Gun Tests magazine when they compared the Stoeger 2000 and the I-12:
Franchi I-12
12 Gauge No. 40708, $749
Imported by Benelli U.S.A., the Franchi could be described as a high-dollar looking, low-dollar semiautomatic. The shotgun features fine wood, unusual checkering and a radically cut recoil pad that reminded some of us of the Browning Cynergy. All of these appearance features are a plus for someone shopping for a fine fowling piece, but we found that the Franchi does have some performance problems.
In our test, the Franchi would fail to eject a shell at least one time with each box of shells. In addition, the bolt release handle worked loose several times during our shooting sessions. These were two major blemishes on the otherwise admirable performance of a generally fine shotgun.
The Franchi’s simple inertia-driven recoil system, like the Stoeger and other Benelli imports, did receive high marks from the cleaning table because of the few moving parts.
Concerning recoil, the Franchi’s gel insert pad is an interesting concept, but did not appear to function any better than the standard pads on the other two test models. Because of its cut-out design, adjusting the length of pull (14.25 inches on our test gun) would require quite a bit of stock work. The Franchi was front heavy, which can be a plus for swinging through long-distance targets.
* Franchi I-12 12 Gauge
No. 40708, $749. Don’t Buy.
Despite its moderate price, problems with the bolt handle repeatedly coming loose and a pattern of jamming about one time every box of shells left us with no choice but to pass on this model. Recoil was about the same as the more basic, less attractive and much cheaper Stoeger.
*** Stoeger 2000 12 Gauge No. 31515, $435. Buy It.
A solid functioning firearm, this model may not have the looks and feel of its higher-priced counterparts, but we think it is worth a try with a price tag of less than five Benjamin Franklins.
The three test guns were the Remington 11-87, Franchi I-12, and the Stoeger 2000. The Reminton 11-87 was their highest ranking gun of the testing of the three, with the Stoeger 2000 ranking second, and the I-12 rated as "Don't Buy" due to quality issues listed.
Gun Tests buys these guns from dealers and shoots them a their test range. They are not furnised with samples from the factory that have been checked for quality. It is a random sampling of various guns and their test team puts them through their paces and call them like they see them. They accept no advertising, thus no manufacturer's influence. I have never read a bad review in a magazine that sells advertising. If they did a bad review, their advertising would cease from the company getting the heat. I have been reading Gun Tests for over 20 years and find them to be very credible.
Hope this helps you make the right decision."
Last edited:
doc bungee
New member
Thanks Aubie; Its looking like a dependable North American model (Remington or Browning) is the way to go. I mostly am looking for a model that will look after a few magpies that wake me up when I am trying to sleep in on my days off work and do a little grouse hunting with my son.
