I'll start by stating this Charles Daly 20ga semi-auto built by Akkar in Turkey came out of the box well oiled and surprisingly clean. This shotgun is an all black plastic stocked model and really does have a decent finish considering it's a $300 dollar firearm. After an initial thorough first cleaning and oiling, my friend Ron, his son and I got this shotgun on the range this morning & tonight. Here's the 20ga ammunition we used:
Remington Gun Club 2-3/4", 7/8oz. 8-shot (100-rounds)
Remington Game Load 2-3/4", 7/8oz. 7&1/2-shot (25-rounds)
Federal Field and Target 2-3/4", 7/8oz. 7&1/2-shot (100-rounds)
Federal Game Shok High Brass 2-3/4", 1oz. 6-shot (50-rounds)
Winchester Super Target 2-3/4", 7/8oz. 7&1/2-shot (50-rounds)
Foicchi Golden Pheasant 3", 1&1/4oz. 6-shot (6-rounds)
Sellier & Bellot Field Load 2-2/4", 7/8oz. 7&1/2-shot (6-rounds)
This shotgun fired & cycled every type/brand shell we tried on this list mentioned above 100% every time except for the Winchester Super Target value pack shells at first. The Winchester Super Target failer rate ejecting was 2 out 3 times for about the first 200 rounds fired through this shotgun. After a quick field cleanning at the 200 or so count total, the Winchester shells also started cycling through this Charles Daly with no problems. One of our club members was amazed at how this Charles Daly cycles without mounting the shotgun. He fired this shotgun several times holding the shotgun one armed away from his body with Federal Field and Target loads and this little shotgun cycled every time.
As mentioned, this shotgun is a youth model so it made it tough for many of our adult club members to shoot this short little shotgun consistently well. One thing for sure about this Charles Daly semi-auto 20ga… If you like a super lightweight semi-auto for walking all day, this shotgun might be your ticket. The youth model we tested has a 22" barrel and only weighs 5-3/8oz. This shotgun in the 20ga adult model with a 24" barrel only weighs 5-5/8oz., everyone at our club agreed that this little 20ga indeed has the handling characteristics of the Franchi AL48 20/28ga or the Benelli Montefeltro 20ga .
My friend son is a solid built 9-year old and he didn't have any problems with the recoil or handling of this shotgun. No doubt because of the lighter weight of this firearm, if you have a smaller framed child or woman this shotgun can really pack a wallop with some of the heavier field or magnum loads. So take this into consideration if you are interested in this shotgun. We also checked and one can purchase an adult size rear back stock direct from KBI-Charles Daly for $47.90.
Operationally wise, we had no problems with this shotgun working properly so far at the little over 300 rounds mark... (Except for the Winchester Super Target shells at first). The safety is at the rear of the trigger guard (Remington style) and works very well. The trigger works decently for a field gun. The bolt cocking hold and release buttons also work without any problems. All three choke tubes (F,M,IC) are easily installed or removed without any problems. The gun has a decent finished vent rib and only 1 standard bead on the very end of the barrel. This shotgun has the best plug design I've ever personally seen on any semi-auto shotgun. It slides effortlessly in or out the end of the magazine tube with no problems worring about the magazine spring or retainer cap flying off. This shotgun loads easily and shells feed into the magazine tube very well. There is no sharp tooling edges as well to cut your fingers on inside the receiver. The gun is easily cleaned for a gas autoloader. I also liked the fact that this shotgun comes with a pilot hole mark if one wants to install a sling post on the rear stock. It's a nice touch that they have taken the guess work out of drilling the stock in the proper place.
After 300+ rounds, this little semi-auto indeed has a long way to go… So far, this brand new Charles Daly Field Hunter gas semi-auto is one of the best values we have seen for a lighter 20ga semi-auto. The gun cycles properly and everything has worked for a new shotgun out of the box. Many of our club members shot this little shotgun and indeed couldn't get over the initial performance & overall quality of this 20ga for $300. So far everyone today at our club has pretty much given this shotgun an A+ at this point. It dose appear that Charles Daly/Akkar has solved the problems earlier versions of this model had a few years ago from our first impressions today... This is also what our local gunshop is claiming as well. We are going to take this shotgun to the pattern board next week. I keep everyone posted on how well this Charles Daly 20ga semi-auto dose there.
Remington Gun Club 2-3/4", 7/8oz. 8-shot (100-rounds)
Remington Game Load 2-3/4", 7/8oz. 7&1/2-shot (25-rounds)
Federal Field and Target 2-3/4", 7/8oz. 7&1/2-shot (100-rounds)
Federal Game Shok High Brass 2-3/4", 1oz. 6-shot (50-rounds)
Winchester Super Target 2-3/4", 7/8oz. 7&1/2-shot (50-rounds)
Foicchi Golden Pheasant 3", 1&1/4oz. 6-shot (6-rounds)
Sellier & Bellot Field Load 2-2/4", 7/8oz. 7&1/2-shot (6-rounds)
This shotgun fired & cycled every type/brand shell we tried on this list mentioned above 100% every time except for the Winchester Super Target value pack shells at first. The Winchester Super Target failer rate ejecting was 2 out 3 times for about the first 200 rounds fired through this shotgun. After a quick field cleanning at the 200 or so count total, the Winchester shells also started cycling through this Charles Daly with no problems. One of our club members was amazed at how this Charles Daly cycles without mounting the shotgun. He fired this shotgun several times holding the shotgun one armed away from his body with Federal Field and Target loads and this little shotgun cycled every time.
As mentioned, this shotgun is a youth model so it made it tough for many of our adult club members to shoot this short little shotgun consistently well. One thing for sure about this Charles Daly semi-auto 20ga… If you like a super lightweight semi-auto for walking all day, this shotgun might be your ticket. The youth model we tested has a 22" barrel and only weighs 5-3/8oz. This shotgun in the 20ga adult model with a 24" barrel only weighs 5-5/8oz., everyone at our club agreed that this little 20ga indeed has the handling characteristics of the Franchi AL48 20/28ga or the Benelli Montefeltro 20ga .
My friend son is a solid built 9-year old and he didn't have any problems with the recoil or handling of this shotgun. No doubt because of the lighter weight of this firearm, if you have a smaller framed child or woman this shotgun can really pack a wallop with some of the heavier field or magnum loads. So take this into consideration if you are interested in this shotgun. We also checked and one can purchase an adult size rear back stock direct from KBI-Charles Daly for $47.90.
Operationally wise, we had no problems with this shotgun working properly so far at the little over 300 rounds mark... (Except for the Winchester Super Target shells at first). The safety is at the rear of the trigger guard (Remington style) and works very well. The trigger works decently for a field gun. The bolt cocking hold and release buttons also work without any problems. All three choke tubes (F,M,IC) are easily installed or removed without any problems. The gun has a decent finished vent rib and only 1 standard bead on the very end of the barrel. This shotgun has the best plug design I've ever personally seen on any semi-auto shotgun. It slides effortlessly in or out the end of the magazine tube with no problems worring about the magazine spring or retainer cap flying off. This shotgun loads easily and shells feed into the magazine tube very well. There is no sharp tooling edges as well to cut your fingers on inside the receiver. The gun is easily cleaned for a gas autoloader. I also liked the fact that this shotgun comes with a pilot hole mark if one wants to install a sling post on the rear stock. It's a nice touch that they have taken the guess work out of drilling the stock in the proper place.
After 300+ rounds, this little semi-auto indeed has a long way to go… So far, this brand new Charles Daly Field Hunter gas semi-auto is one of the best values we have seen for a lighter 20ga semi-auto. The gun cycles properly and everything has worked for a new shotgun out of the box. Many of our club members shot this little shotgun and indeed couldn't get over the initial performance & overall quality of this 20ga for $300. So far everyone today at our club has pretty much given this shotgun an A+ at this point. It dose appear that Charles Daly/Akkar has solved the problems earlier versions of this model had a few years ago from our first impressions today... This is also what our local gunshop is claiming as well. We are going to take this shotgun to the pattern board next week. I keep everyone posted on how well this Charles Daly 20ga semi-auto dose there.
