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Franchi 48AL 12Ga Brass Friction Ring Dimensions

7K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  desmobob 
#1 ·
Hi,
Tired of looking for the missing Brass Friction Ring on my newly acquired Franchi 48AL 12 Gauge shotgun with no luck finding any :(
Can anyone help me out by posting the dimensions of this ring so I can make one on the lathe ?
Your help is very much appreciated

Thank You
Kam
 
#2 ·
Welcome to SGW. I have a late model 12 gauge AL48 that has Beretta Mobil chokes. The following dimensions are in the relaxed state or off the gun.

My brass ring has an OD of 1.140" and the ID is 1.005". The height is .566" and has 60 degree edges. The angles from the edge to where they stop is .076" down. The gap measures .075".

There is another steel ring that goes around the brass one as you can see in the picture. It has an OD of 1.225" and ID of 1.100". The height is .305" and has gap of .065".

 
#3 ·
Worc said:
Welcome to SGW. I have a late model 12 gauge AL48 that has Beretta Mobil chokes. The following dimensions are in the relaxed state or off the gun.

My brass ring has an OD of 1.140" and the ID is 1.005". The height is .566" and has 60 degree edges. The angles from the edge to where they stop is .076" down. The gap measures .075".

There is another steel ring that goes around the brass one as you can see in the picture. It has an OD of 1.225" and ID of 1.100". The height is .305" and has gap of .065".

Hi Worc,
Thank You very much for your help :D
 
#8 ·
Worc said:
Sure thing Dochka. Report back on how everything works out.

Supertex1978, If it works out for Dochka. I would make some and we can make a "Sticky" here in the Franchi Forum for you as a source.
Finally had the time to do the ring thing;
Got a piece of brass, mounted it on the lathe and started cutting until i had a "ring" with the following dimensions :

OD : 28.8mm
ID : 25.3mm
Height : 13.7mm
Upper Bevel : 60* and Lower Bevel : 45*

Then, I cut the side of the ring with a hacksaw and forced it inside the steel ring, then onto the magazine for test fit, it was too tight ;
I then "honed" the inside of the ring using a variable speed drill with a small wire brush and attached a 240 grit sanding paper to it and test fitted the thing several times until i got the "Just Right" friction feel...
I believe every shotgun is slightly different in dimensions..
The Final ID turned to be 25.7mm in its relaxed form

Assembled the gun and went for a couple shots, flawless !

Thank You for the support guys
Cheers
 
#11 ·
slingworks said:
Sounds like a successful day there.

Kind of amazing how hard the 12ga rings are to find, considering how many of those guns they made!
It's even more amazing the number of used AL48's there are that are missing the friction ring. It's like people take the gun apart then go throw the friction ring across the street into the neighbors pond.
 
#13 ·
Yes you're correct. Franchi's rings are made from bronze not brass. Bronze is considerably harder than brass. Truth be told though, brass might work almost as well. Maybe just not having 100% the desired properties or durability? So far seems to be working for him? I just hope he's not oiling the magazine tube :) I would suspect the brass would deposit on the magazine tube over time affecting the friction properties, but who knows.

40shotgun, You're right on that. I think that's the reason so many think of the Franchi's as being hard recoiling. Many of the old 12ga guns have cracked stocks, likely from the excessive recoil combination of no or improperly turned friction ring and oil on the mag tube.

The A5's really suffer some of the same fate, I've seen a couple well used A5s that probably spent the last 50 years without a friction ring, but they're a tougher design that can handle the pounding without failing.....
 
#14 ·
slingworks said:
Yes you're correct. Franchi's rings are made from bronze not brass. Bronze is considerably harder than brass. Truth be told though, brass might work almost as well. Maybe just not having 100% the desired properties or durability? So far seems to be working for him? I just hope he's not oiling the magazine tube :) I would suspect the brass would deposit on the magazine tube over time affecting the friction properties, but who knows.

40shotgun, You're right on that. I think that's the reason so many think of the Franchi's as being hard recoiling. Many of the old 12ga guns have cracked stocks, likely from the excessive recoil combination of no or improperly turned friction ring and oil on the mag tube.

The A5's really suffer some of the same fate, I've seen a couple well used A5s that probably spent the last 50 years without a friction ring, but they're a tougher design that can handle the pounding without failing.....
I'll cut one of bronze as well..
Not oiling the mag tube as well, I've seen some oiled ones and oil captures the bronze/brass small pieces or dust and the particles end up inside the trigger mechanism.. I've seen many guns with such fate..
 
#17 ·
Franchi 48 ALs actually came with a decal inside the fore end reminding shooters NOT to oil the magazine tube.

I run my two 48 ALs with the mag tube dry, as recommended by Franchi, and they both function perfectly. But it is possible to "tune" the action by adding a small amount of lube to the tube if the gun won't cycle light loads. Just remember to wipe it dry before shooting field loads.

When cleaning them, I do wipe down the tube with a little gun oil but then wipe it dry.

My 28ga. and 20ga. 48 AL Deluxes are two of my all-time favorite firearms.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Hello all,
I am totally new to recoil operated semi autos,however I was given a 48 Al ,I believe it is anyway,and if you really believe and imagine…. I’m pretty sure .Anyways it is missing the friction ring AND the ”governor “ring ,Numriches word for it,are they still being made here? I was given this by a friend who has not had the time to work on it I needto clean it ,refinish the wood and reblue it and find those two parts.otherwise it’s fully functional and really a possibly beautiful shotgun with beautiful wood showing through the dirt.Can anyone still help with this?thank you I have looked.
How many rings should there be in total after the spring? Right now I have one ,against the spring wi th it’s internal surface beveled .is there also a friction spring unit comprised of a bronze ring ad a steel ring ,then another ring then the cap? Sorry ,one gun I need to learn about yet. If possible to be made ,pm me with the particulars pleas
 
#19 ·
This shows all three parts and their position for heavy loads. For light loads, reverse the direction the "friction ring" is facing (bevel towards the spring)...

Book Rectangle Font Material property Parallel
 
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#25 ·
Gladhn,iI I have a 20 ga. Ring and spring and the dimensions for a 12 ga. I guess I’ll take them to a machinist I know and see what it will costto have him use them to make a 12 ga. Ring the spring ring from a browning a5 is the same except width I’ll see if that can be modified narrower as making a spring ring might be a challenge except at a spring maker,the only spring guys I know make truck springs! Thanks for posting back I guess the guys aren’t interested here.if I get a positive response I’ll let you know!
 
#27 ·
There's a 12ga. 48AL --Western Auto's "Revelation" branded version-- on one of the gun action sites right now. You could buy the gun to get the friction ring parts and keep the rest of it for spares! :)

Seriously, I hope someone is able to make up a working copy of these parts. The 12ga. size rings haven't been available for a long time and I bet having some available would put some old beloved Franchis back in service.
 
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