I picked up the N2 from August Crocker a few weeks ago and ran it by Gunny Ron to shorten the stock a tad. I got it back just as Covid-19 hit big and my gun club's spring skeet league was cancelled. Then we had eleven days in a row of rain here in Dallas, so I wasn't able to shoot the new toy until this past Friday. Although it is touted as a sporting clays gun, I shot skeet with it, three boxes on Friday and three again on Sunday.
I like the way it comes to my shoulder and the way it swings. I was somewhat trepidous about getting a 30” barrel gun again as I’d gone down to 28” to cut down on weight (Syren Tempio and Blaser Intuition). The work CG did in reducing barrel weight is spot on, I don’t feel the additional weight, and the extra two inches seems to make for a smoother swing. The gun itself looks and feels solid. In exterior appearance it is more like a German gun than an Italian one; there is nothing frilly about it either in the design or the decoration. But it does not look like a heavy plank of wood nor is it cumbersome; there is true Italian design behind this gun. I like the soft comb, which forgives a lot of cheek slap sins, something that will be valued by beginning shooters. I like the fact that it isn’t a natural wood finish; while this is a sacrifice in esthetics, it means that my Texas summer corrosive combination of sweat, bug spray, and sunscreen won’t peel the finish off.
And I like the price. While the pitstop program and the long warranty on the CG side of the Syren line are wonderful, the price difference between the Tempio and the N2 guns is significant. For a newer shooter, or a husband/father who is coming off the wallet to buy a gun for his dearest who has gotten serious about shooting, the price difference has got to be important. I think this gun is good enough that it will come to be more to its owner than just a starter O/U.
I do dislike the tendency to numbers/letters for gun models instead of names. I had to stop and think if I had the N2 or the D2, until I decided to name her Mrs. Rogers--because she is my Neighbor 2.
And, although it is advertised as a sporting clay gun, I like it so much I've ordered a second skeet choke. Please don't tell my Syren Tempio that I'm being unfaithful! Mary Ann