A glance or a little more and three shots carefully fired at the target placed at 200 meters were enough to fall in love with the new model. Varmint Black Synt, this is the complete denomination of the umpteenth proposal Franchi in the long rifled barrel sector, born with the nickname of Horizon. During the days spent in the Marche, the AFV of Fiordimonte, we have been offered the opportunity to try a couple of models of this rifle: we have already given an account of Wood on these pages last October while now we are back to talk about the varmint which has a particular charm due to the style and appearance determined by the sought-after operational purposes. This American name underlies the hunting of small and medium-sized wild animals which are shot from even long distances, given their innate cunning with highly developed senses that usually keep them away from predators, including humans. There are no contraindications for the use of similar rifles even on larger prey, except for one, and not even so obstacle, which we will see a little further on.
The style and the technique
The name Black Synt it appears immediately with the black synthetic stock as well as the castle and barrel are burnished. The element that first qualifies a varmint it is usually just the barrel with a slightly larger section than the usual dimensions of the properly defined hunting types. Here we find the 61 cm bar with a fine spiral groove on the outside and the rifling pitch equal to 1:11 "which allows for the chosen cartridge, the multipurpose .308 Win., The regular stabilization of bullets between 150 and 180 gr. A muzzle thread, covered by a screw cap, allows the mounting of sound suppressors, where provided, or of the muzzle brake. The castle with a two-diameter section has a ring and a rear bridge closed with the aluminum prism for discharging the forces, embedded in the appropriate slot in the shaft and locked with a double coupling to the ring: the set screws close with a predetermined tightening torque.
The steel shutter, defined Relia Bolt, presents the cylindrical chromed body with a pleasant helical groove, in aesthetic harmony with that of the barrel, here useful to offer in addition to the greater resistance to the same sections compared to a cylindrical bar, also to collect any dirt avoiding unexpected blockages. The three-wing head allows the opening and closing movement in the reduced arc of about 60 °, we repeat with exemplary maneuverability and a decisive primary extraction without jamming. The interacting parts sound good and flow perfectly: not only the eye, but equally the ear wants its part. In the deep recess of the head, adequate support for the cartridge bottom, you can see the firing pin hole and the elastic expulsion pawl; the extraction nail, with a large grip arc, works in one of the fins with orthogonal motion.
Particularly the handlebar with a comfortable oblong knuckle that can be disassembled to facilitate cleaning: a through joint stops it to the cylinder and the deep recess of its seat in the side of the castle makes it adherent to the stem avoiding accidental hooks. The tail cap of tapered triangular line encloses the shank of the firing pin, protruding as a warning of armed mechanics. The package Relia Trigger ensures a release weight between 0,8 and 1,9 kg: to highlight, in addition to the favorable numbers, the cleanliness and promptness of the action that make it an excellent direct release. The three-shot groups in 1 MOA, guaranteed by the manufacturer, also pass through these particular determinants. The two-position safety always leaves the bolt free for safe release by removing the unfired cartridge.
Other practical accessories
The magazines supplied are two, made of technopolymer and with a capacity of 3 + 1 and 8 + 1: the single-row stowage of the cartridges and the shape of the lips (not sharp!) Ensures an almost axial positioning between the one to be inserted and the chamber which he must welcome it. You avoid rubbing of the ogive, the apical part of the ball on which a large part of its ballistic course depends, or worse, jamming: everything flows in a linear way. Obvious attention to the use of shooting ranges where the fans, in shortage of game varmint, can verify, blow by blow, the validity of the whole: three backs / nosepads of different thickness allow to reach the optimal position with the coaxiality between the axis of the eye and that of the optics, here a handsome and functional Steiner Ranger 3-12 × 56 easily mounted thanks to the Picatinny type base supplied with the shotgun.
The stock Smooth Sense offers four contact zones for the shooter satisfying the five most common postures in shooting and hunting. Fields with knurling of the type All-round Interlacement They are placed near the butt of the stock, in the pistol grip, in the barrel and in the shaft. There are pegs for the t-shirts of the strap and for the bipod. To finish off the butt plate TSA (Twin Shock Absorber) it ensures a 50% reduction in recoil: it is also supplied in three different thicknesses, optimizing the distance between the shoulder rest and the trigger.
We arrive at this point to consider the total mass of the rifle equal to 4100 g which, added to optics and attacks certainly does not situate the complex among today's choices for hunting in the mountains, according to the parameters of recent years. it is still at levels such as to discourage those journeys that lead from the off-road vehicle to the roof terrace, a hunting solution perfectly suited to this type of weapon, or even more a few hours of walking if the body is used to these tasks. Once the effort is completed, you will have a shotgun perfectly suited to long shots, stable and precise that will allow many satisfactions: the rear center of gravity offers an optimal balance. The groups obtained by Filippo and Valerio at 100 and 200 m were of excellent caliber with a result of ½ MOA, which we then doubled with three shots at a distance of 200 m. The .308 Win. it always proves to be perfectly adequate on such occasions. Last but not least, the Franchi grants a 7-year guarantee on the mechanical parts of the weapon.
Conclusions
A brief and summary consideration shows how the standard set-ups varmint are today more than ever adequate for the needs of the hunter / shooter: apart from the gritty and rightly aggressive aspect that has its own pleasant value, it is precisely the intrinsic ballistic substance guaranteed by the variants made to the basic model that makes the rifle, such as this just tried, an intriguing choice and of fun use, not only on hunting grounds, but also in shooting range. The tight shot patterns at 200 and 300 m, when no later than if the system allows it, satisfy the shooter's commitment and ensure, without the possibility of denial, the validity of the weapon, cartridge and optics complex.
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