Light, reliable, holds its value, carry it all day without gettting tired. Compact gun that will outlast you and that you can hand down to your great grandchildren. It is the only shotgun made today using the ultra-reliable long recoil system. I've had 2 of them most of my 50+ years of hunting. A 20 and a 12 ga. Tote any other auto all day then pick up a Franchi 48. You can really tell the difference.

Put a decent recoil pad on them and you have a very fun gun. Never had a misfire or hiccup out of them They fit your hand like an O/U. I might add that they are a pretty gun.

The so-called problems with the 48 is that people forget to turn the recoil ring around when they change over fron heavy to light loads. A very simple procedure and behold-it cycles light loads just as reliably.

I have Brownings, Berettas, and SKB semiautos. All excellent guns that also have never given me any problems. But for some reason, I always pick up my 48 when I want to do some walking and shooting.

I clean mine once a year and they are as faithful as my old dog. Try it, you'll love it. I wouldn't be without one.

 

I have just heard it too many times for it to be false.

The "AL 48 is the greatest"

What makes it so special?

I'd say it's portability. At 5 lbs./6 ozs. my recently acquired Black Magic /24in. bbl (circa. 1996) feels lighter than a Win. 94. Bought it strictly for one thing: grouse in the thick stuff. Like Worc says, load versatility is not it's strong suit, but find the right loads and there can't be anything much more handy. It's probably not "the greatest" for everything. It's purpose is no doubt limited. JMHO, YMMV.

 

Spud, You traitor!!

I use mine for everything. It is versatile. Just won't shoot 3". Excellent remarks about the 48, I'll admit. Wouldn't trade mine for anything on the market today.

 

Quote: evbutler
Wouldn't trade mine......

Nor would I. Just got back from shooting some clays. It's gonna be great for my purposes. Bought a 20 ga. Been reloading some and even got it to cycle some 3/4 oz loads, albeit with copious amounts of oil on the tube! (not a recommendation). Kinda fun experimenting, though. Think I'm going to enjoy this one.

 

What makes the 28 gauge Franchi 48 AL ,"The King of the Uplands?"Light weight (5 1/2 pounds),reliable,five shots and the long recoil Browning designed action.Need I saw more!

 

For me it's all about the handling and I don't think there is any better upland model. It's a well made and reliable gun that is pretty easty to clean. It's light, thin, balances towards the stock, and is short (for a semi). All of these are attributes for a quick handling gun that works great for me while in the uplands.
I also think the Franchi AL48 is one of the best looking semi auto's.

I was set to buy a Benelli Montefeltro for my upland gun. I drove three hours to the gun shop. While I was there, I picked up an AL48 that was next to the Monte I was just holding. I walked out with a 12 gauge AL48. I put the Monte as a very close second to the AL 48 for upland.

While I have taken more than a few ducks with my AL48. I don't think they a good choice for all around use like Spud said. There are just too many other better allround semi auto models out there for about the same price. Other than upland use, I use my AL48 and other hunting auto's to smash some clay in the off seasons.

 

WORC,
What would you suggest for a gas operated gun that handles similar to the 48 in the same price range. I am getting sensitive to recoil.

 

Try a decelerator pad. I had one put on my AL48 12 gauge about30 years ago. Now THAT'S a gun that kicked. It's made a world of difference. I wouldn't take anything else out in the field now.I'm sure I'll be leaving it to one of my grandkids one day, but not before I'm sure I won't be bird hunting ever again, and I hope that's not for many more seasons.

Doghouse Riley

 

evbutler, I own two absolutely dandy 20 gauges that are light as a feather and hardly kick at all. Both gas operated, both cheap. One is the almost forgotten Smith and Wesson 1000 20 gauge. They are cheap if you can find them. Make double sure to NOT buy a 3 inch model, because they only shot 3 inch, and that's defeating the purpose. Mine cost two hundred something, and it's a 28" Modified fixed choke barrel. Those are really realible, great guns, that don't kick much. The other is the early model Remington 1100 LW 20 gauge. The Remmys have mahogany stocks, to keep weight down. Mines a 26" IC, and doesn't kick a lick. Both of those guns are light, but not quite as light as an AL 48 20 gauge. Then again, nothing else is that light!

If you could ever find one, an even classier gas operated 20 would be the Browning 2000 in 20 gauge. I have one in 12 gauge, it's light, and doesn't kick much. But they would be hard to find. Not expensive, really, just hard to find. Again, here you have to watch and NOT buy the 3 inch mag models because they don't handle the shorter shells you'll be shooting to avoid the kick, and besides one ounce of shot out of a 20 gauge will kill anything that flies.

They still make the Remington 20 brand new, but it's not quite as light or as sweet as my old seventies production short barrel tang, original Remington 1100 LW, with the mahogany stocks. It's my favorite. If you do want a lightweight 12 gauge that won't kick very much, then the Beretta 391 Ringneck is the best lighter weight 12 gauge I've ever owned or shot to not kick. But, to really get a light bird gun that won't kick, buy a nice old gas operated 20 gauge. They aren't as popular today, it seems, but they really solved the weight/recoil problem.

 

What would you suggest for a gas operated gun that handles similar to the 48 in the same price range. I am getting sensitive to recoil.

The Franchi 612/712 handle similar to the AL48. They are not quite as light, thin, or quick pointing though. They are very easy to clean, have a lot of features, well made, and reliable. They also have shims to adjust the stock which is great for reducing recoil.

You might be able to find a Winchester SX2 Light Field for close in price to an AL 48. They are light in weight also.

 

Any good quality gas operated 20 gauge shotgun, shooting reasonable loads, is as close as we'll ever find in this world to a "kickless" shotgun. Since a 20 is more of a close range gun that a 12, in popular opinion and fact, my vote is just to buy an old gas auto with a fixed IC or Mod choke and shoot the thing, and save the extra money to buy shells. :lol:

 

Any good quality gas operated 20 gauge shotgun, shooting reasonable loads, is as close as we'll ever find in this world to a "kickless" shotgun. Since a 20 is more of a close range gun that a 12, in popular opinion and fact, my vote is just to buy an old gas auto with a fixed IC or Mod choke and shoot the thing, and save the extra money to buy shells. :lol:

Splain to me why a 20 is a close range gun, The velocity of the shot is the same, the shot size is what you select. Energy on target is the same per shot. Or do you mean that some folks are not good enough to use a 20 instead of a 12.
How close do I need to be to use a 28, or a 410??

Some folks feel that a 20 has more felt recoil than a 12, due to the fact that a 20 is usually a lighter gun. What about a bad fitting 20 compared to a good fitting 12, which has more felt recoil?
All points to ponder!

 

So... the general consensus is that a Beretta 391 20 gauge would have less felt recoil than a Franchi Al 48 20 gauge?

.

 

While I have several autos of both types, I do not find long recoil guns to be bothersome at all. In all honesty, I like shooting them because they "carry" easier between shots.

All things being equal (fit, gun weight and the like)... yes, I do think there is a difference between the two.

 

So... the general consensus is that a Beretta 391 20 gauge would have less felt recoil than a Franchi Al 48 20 gauge?

I don't think so. I often shoot back to back to back guns that are Long Recoil, Inertia, and Gas operated. These guns have the same fit, are very close in weight, and using the same loads. Gun fit plays a much bigger role in felt recoil which is 100% subjective.

 

YOU HAVE ME CONVINCED
I have been looking for a new light bird gun
i shot ithaca 37's and a bps and an ithaca 500 O/U
in 20's for a while and used a Browning A5 light 20
last year that belonged to a friend
SO! IM GOING TO TRY A FRANCHI
LIKE THE WORLD CLASS FENICE 20
NICE LOOKING GUN
26" VR and Choke Tubes
NOW! WHERE CAN I FIND ONE ??

 

Well, a couple of weeks ago I finally found a really nice, super cheap, Hunter Grade AL 48 in 12 gauge. Only trouble was, the barrel had been cut off to 20". But, for $160 we can forgive minor quibbles like that. :lol:

It handles very well. It's loud as a howitzer, thanks to that 20" barrel. It was supposed to weigh 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and surely must be six pounds or less, now, with all that eight inches of barrel missing. But, it has a hard rubber butt plate, it's light as a feather, and it's 12 gauge, so it has to kick like a mule, right?

No. It doesn't know it's a six pound 12 gauge with a hard butt plate. It doesn't hurt to shoot it. The recoil ring is set on the heavy setting, and I'm shooting "promo" one ounce Wal Mart loads in it, but I can't figure out why it doesn't kick any more than it does.

I put a high tech, X-Coil by Hi Viz recoil pad on my Super X Model One, and it weighs about eight pounds plus and doesn't kick without a recoil pad. I wonder how much less this flyweight Franchi would come backwards if I put a really good pad on it?

My Franchi also never, ever misses a lick. It tosses empties waaaayy out there, and the barrel shucks back and forth, and I swear that long recoil system is cutting down a good deal of the felt recoil. With about eight inches of barrel put back on it might even make a decent target gun, and it's a hunting gun for sure!

An AL 48 Franchi is just a sweet, nice, well made, well finished, super lightweight, easy kicking, dependable high quality little gun. No wonder my quail hunting Daddy and his buddies thought there were only three guns on earth that were really desirable: An Ithaca Model 37, a Browning Sweet 16, and a "French-E" automatic. :lol:

 

No. It doesn't know it's a six pound 12 gauge with a hard butt plate. It doesn't hurt to shoot it. The recoil ring is set on the heavy setting, and I'm shooting "promo" one ounce Wal Mart loads in it, but I can't figure out why it doesn't kick any more than it does.

Sounds like it must fit you pretty good. My AL48 12 gauge fits me very well and it sees Fiocchi "Golden Pheasant" loads that are 2 3/4" with 1 3/8oz at 1,250fps. I don't even notice the gun being fired most of the time.