Gun Review

When I think of Franchi shotguns, the ageless recoil-operated 48 AL autoloader comes to mind, especially the little 28-gauge version. Today Franchi also produces various lines of very modern over/unders and autos, but there hasn't been a mainstream side-by-side for a while.

With the resurgent popularity of the side-by-side, it makes sense for Franchi to give it another try. The Italian company certainly isn't new to the side-by-side. When it still was called Luigi Franchi in the 1950s-before Beretta bought it-the firm produced an exquisite side-by-side sidelock ejector called the Imperial Monte Carlo in grades ranging from really fancy to even better than that. That model still is available on special order in the Beretta Galleries. The company also sold other side-by-sides of more modest cost, one of which was imported from Spain as the Astore.
The Highlander side-by-side boxlock concept first saw light in 2003. It was an Anson & Deeley boxlock with a single trigger, extractors and fixed Improved Cylinder/Modified chokes. It came in 12, 20 and 28 gauge, all three on scaled frames and each with only 26" barrels. It was made for Franchi in Spain and sold for $1,800. Or would have sold for that if production had ever worked out the way Franchi wanted it to. But it didn't, and the project was stillborn.
Franchi now has given the Highlander concept another try, only this time it makes the guns in its own factory in Italy. The gun is still an A&D boxlock and comes in 12 and 20 gauge. I picked the 12 gauge this time, because it offers such nice possibilities for the uplands and waterfowl.
The Franchi Highlander's boxlock action is as basic Anson & Deeley as you can get. Fewer parts mean fewer parts to break. When you pull the stock and look inside, you see mostly air. The only things that come immediately to your attention are the very long sear levers, opening-lever spring, inertia block and safety. Firing pins are integral with the hammers and are just about tucked out of sight. Hammer springs are under the usual A&D plate on the underside of the receiver.
Both the action frame and triggerplate are machined steel. I found no aluminum alloy anywhere on the gun. It's all steel and walnut. The top tang is integral with the receiver, and the bottom tang is part of the triggerplate. On the classic A&D action the bottom plate is separate. The interior shows little evidence of cosmetic finishing or polishing. Machine marks abound. All the cosmetic effort is on the outside.
Lockup is by the usual Purdey double underbolt, with one monoblock lump protruding through the floorplate just behind the hinge for extra strength. The hinge pin is replaceable. The auto ejectors are the well-proven Southgate style. It's old tech, but it's good tech.
The single trigger is a marvel of simplicity. The inertia block, which delays setting the second sear just long enough to prevent involuntary doubling, is mounted on a trigger extension and is spring-loaded to return to engage the second sear after the first has been tripped. The trigger itself is also spring loaded to return forward after the first shot. None of this is new, but Franchi's example is very simple and nicely designed.
The trigger is non-selective and thus less complicated. The right barrel always fires first. Trigger pulls were adequate, if not ideal. With two identical test guns to examine, one gun's trigger pulls were 5-3/4 pounds right, 6-3/4 pounds left. The other was 6-3/4 pounds right and an onerous 8 pounds left. There was little creep or slop. The safety is automatic, engaging each time you open the gun whether you like it or not.
The receiver coating is brushed chrome with laser engraving of birds and scroll. The company said that a case-colored receiver would be available by the time this issue went to press. That's good, because the engraving looks inexpensive and doesn't do the gun justice. This is a nice-looking gun and it deserves better.
The 12-gauge Highlander is available with 26" or 28" barrels, whereas the 20-gauge comes with only 26". Our test guns had 28" tubes. The barrels appear conventional and nicely made. The tubes are brazed into the usual monoblock. The seam is masked with light engraving. Unlike many more-expensive guns, the underside stub rib incorporating the forend hook is a cleanly executed piece. The top and bottom ribs are also flawlessly brazed in place with no "vacations" or excess. The top rib is one of those slightly raised flat ribs that some shooters prefer to the more elegant swamped version. The rib's top surface is machine-scribed to limit glare. There is a single silver metal bead at the muzzle. The conventional barrel lumps are well machined and left bright.
Barrel bores are chromed and measured a conventional .728". This is neither overbore nor underbore for the 12 gauge. Both barrels had the same I.D., a characteristic more rarely achieved than you might think. Proofed for 3" shells, the chambers are 3" long with slightly longer than usual 1.25" forcing cones.
The Highlander's barrels are screw choked, but there is no unsightly exterior swelling to give evidence of this. Well done. The chokes themselves are standard flush mounts, with large rim notches to engage the perfectly nice wrench that Franchi supplies. Although notchless chokes might look better, notched chokes can be inserted and removed far more reliably, especially if one gets sticky.
Each of our guns came with two-and only two-chokes. Extra chokes in most of the constrictions are readily available from Franchi for $25 each. Unfortunately, they don't list those most useful upland constrictions of .005" Skeet and .015" Light Modified.
The two chokes supplied are Improved Cylinder and Modified. The IC was .009", pretty typical for the designation. The Modified was a bit tighter than usual at .027". Modified chokes are usually around .020" in 12 gauge. The chokes are 2" long, with deep .015" skirt recesses where the rear of the screw choke falls below the bore for safety's sake. This is somewhat more than necessary to prevent shooting the choke out and presents a bit of a jump for the shot as it enters the choke. After the recess taper comes back to bore size, the actual constricting part of the choke is only 3/4" long, ending in a 1/4" parallel. It is not unusual to see Perazzi or FN fixed Modified chokes that are fully 5" or 6" long, so the effective part of the Franchi screw choke is pretty short. Screw chokes are convenient, but they certainly limit the choke designer's options. This has more effect on tight chokes than more open ones.
Bluing on the barrels is a moderate blue-black hot blue and is correctly applied. I could do without the veritable novella of provenance and legal warnings on the exterior of the barrels just in front of the chambers. It even says "made in Italy" twice, in case you miss it the first time.
The Highlander comes with only a splinter forend and pistol-grip stock. The relaxed, field-style round-knob grip complements the single trigger nicely, and everyone who shot the gun found it quite comfortable.
Stock dimensions are listed as 1-1/2" x 21-/2" x 14-3/8". Actual measurements showed a stock height 1/16" lower. Rare for Italian guns, there was zero cast. Pitch was normal. These are fairly standard dimensions for a semi-auto or over/under, but I always have hoped that a side-by-side would be stocked a bit higher. Your experience may differ, but for me a side-by-side will shoot a little lower than an over/under or auto. Maybe it's barrel flip, perhaps just the way I look over the barrel, but I need a higher stock on a side-by-side. The stock is held on by a modern through-bolt, which might make bending to fit a bit more difficult.
The Highlander comes with a red rubber recoil pad with a black base. It's only 1/2" thick, so if you need more length, you simply can substitute a thicker pad. Nice and neat, and so much easier than waiting for the wood to grow.
I was told that the stock finish was "Grade A oil." If so, it is the first oil finish to prove impervious to my super secret universal solvent and stock finish destroyer (Banana Boat sunscreen), so it earns an A+ there. The oil application resulted in a pleasing low-glare matte-like finish completely appropriate on a field gun. However, the finish did not fill the wood grain completely, so the company might consider an extra coat or two.
Checkering was in a traditional double border pattern and appears to have been applied by laser. There was no evidence of burning. I didn't count the lpi, but they were enough to look good as well as provide a proper grip. Ultra-fine checkering is too slick to have a place on a working gun.
Wood-to-metal fit was first rate. I found no untoward gaps of any kind. The wood was uniformly slightly above the metal-just enough for one refinishing. I've seen a lot of other guns from major Italian makers that haven't been inletted as well as this.
Wood figure quality is listed as single-"A"-grade walnut. I think that's accurate, certainly on both our test guns. There was plenty of figure on one, but it wasn't completely uniform or free of knots. The other had straight grain with good contrasting color. Still, both looked fine and the effort clearly had been made. The forend is the typical splinter with the Anson pushrod tucked well up under the barrels in front. The nose of the forend is a little bulbous compared to a classic English gun, but it is certainly stronger. The usual central forend escutcheon to hold the iron to wood was some sort of unblued industrial fastener.
The 12-gauge Highlander is listed at 6 pounds 13 ounces. One test gun weighed 2 oz less, one was 2 oz more. This is a fair compromise between carrying weight in the field and recoil absorption with 3" shells.
Balance was well forward. The teeter-totter point on the lighter gun was 1-1/4" in front of the hinge, or a more meaningful 5-3/4" in front of the trigger. The heavier gun carried 4 oz more in denser wood and balanced at 3/4" and 51/4". This shows how two samples of exactly the same gun can differ. Were the guns heavier with this balance they'd be logs, but at less than 7 pounds both felt decently and deliberately balanced. Still, grouse gunners might prefer the 26" barrels for faster handling.
The shooting part proved interesting. Our first test Highlander must have been assembled on a Friday, because the forend was seriously reluctant to come off and the second barrel didn't fire. Uh oh. The failure to fire was simply due to a sticky trigger failing to reset for the second shot. Both problems could have been remedied easily with a file stroke or two during final inspection at the factory. The design is fine. The second Highlander worked perfectly in all respects.
The automatic safety was a little stiff, but it didn't cause any real problems disengaging, thanks to a well-designed button. I didn't feel that the lack of a barrel selector was a big deal, but you may feel more strongly. The screw chokes give you some options if you have time to prepare.
The rather heavy trigger pulls weren't too inconvenient, because the gun has a little weight and the grip gives a sure handhold. While I was sitting at my desk testing them they didn't feel great, but in the real world they were good enough. The automatic ejectors worked properly.
I liked the balance of the guns better than I anticipated. I've been spoiled by my svelte 6-1/4-pound 12-gauge 2-1/2" Webley & Scott 500, but you can't compare a fragile old featherweight to a modern hell-for-stout gun like the Highlander. The Highlander will happily digest any modern shell from 3" down. The barrels with the Franchi Inchokes are specifically rated as compatible with steel shot. The more I look at the gun, the more I think it strikes a nice balance between the field and the blind.
I struggled with the stock fit being too low for me and failed to do the gun justice. A friend of mine, who is a very experienced shot, shot it so well that he plans to buy one. Stock fit is like that. One size does not fit all.
Ralph Stuart, Shooting Sportsman's Editor in Chief, certainly liked the 20-gauge Highlander he took to South Dakota for pheasants (see his comments in "Flush with Pheasants," Sept/Oct '07). He shot it well and was enthusiastic.
To me, the 28" 12-gauge Highlander felt workmanlike and solid. The balance was weight forward for good control, but it still was responsive thanks to the moderate heft. With the pistol-grip stock and raised rib, it felt more like a light Winchester Model 21 than a classic English game gun. The Highlander's flat rib, single trigger and pistol-grip stock would make it a great gun for someone coming from an over/under.
Along with the gun, the plain cardboard box contains the manual, a nice three-year guarantee, a decent choke wrench and the two screw chokes. Nothing else. That's pretty austere for a gun that costs $2,999. I'm surprised that one doesn't get a higher level of interior finish or a few extra chokes for the price. You can blame it on the Euro, at an all-time high and rising as I write this. In fact, in the six weeks I had the gun Franchi raised the price from $2,749 due to the plummeting dollar.
I like the Franchi Highlander for what it is: a strong, simply designed gun built for years of service. As a crossover for an over/under shooter who wants to try a side-by-side or a nice combination gun for upland and waterfowl, it would do very well indeed.

Author's Note: For more information on the Franchi Highlander, contact Franchi USA, 301-283-6981; www.franchiusa.com.