Rizzini Artemis 28-bore shotgun

March 27, 2012

Rizzini Artemis 28-bore.
Talk about being spoilt for choice! Buy a gun from the B. Rizzini Artemis range and you can take your pick of bore sizes from 12, 16, 20, 28 and 410 with a big choice of barrel lengths as well – 28, 30 and 32in.

The 12, 16 and 20-bores can even be had in 34in.

First impression of the 28-bore sideplate game gun which forms this month’s review is very good: it’s a pretty, elegant gun built on a true 28-bore action that handles nicely and is well balanced.

It points crisply and this, in part, comes down to the classic solid game rib which tapers from 8mm to 4mm at the muzzle.

It helps give a good sight picture. The thing that hits the eye first though is the engraving of this gun – the bold scroll against a dark background really makes it stand out but take a closer look and you see that the pattern actually carries some very fine detail.

Rampant lions are to be found on the belly of the action and lion heads appear on the sideplates, yet all this detail is so fine and discreet that you have to study the gun to see it; it is very nicely done.

Nicely done is also a description that can be applied to the trigger plate mechanism – it’s a very precise fit where it engages into the bottom of the action and this is indicative of the quality of the rest of the gun.

The action follows principles nearest to those of the Browning with hammers pivoting at the bottom of the action and the sears suspended from above.

The cocking action though is different with the levers being pushed back by a cam in the fore-end when the gun is opened.

Each cocking lever is captive with the hammer which means it moves forward during firing to operate the ejector mechanism.

The rebounding hammers ensure there’s no striker drag on the cartridge when the gun is opened.

Woodwork

The very pretty 14.1/2in stock is furnished with an elegant and comfortable rounded pistol grip which flows gracefully into the line of the wood.

It is nicely proportioned and gives a very comfortable grip with a traditional chequer pattern.

The slim fore-end is finished with quite a sharp Schnabel at the front end, but it compliments the line of the gun very well.

In the past, some quarters of the British gun trade have looked down on some Rizzini made guns but this was because another maker of the same name sold lesser quality guns on the British market.

Make no mistake about it, these guns are from a different maker and built to a far higher standard.

In fact I will go so far as to say Mr B. Rizzini’s shotguns can well hold their own with anything from other major gunmakers beginning with the letter B!!

Overall weight of the gun is a shade less than 5.3/4lb which makes the gun very comfortable to carry in the field and easy to point and swing.

It comes supplied with a solid ABS case, spare chokes and a large aerosol tin of oil.

JASON’S VERDICT
“I was well impressed with this little gun; it’s very well made to the right proportions, handles beautifully and compared to some other side-plated guns on the market it represents very good value for money. I would be very happy to have one in my gun cabinet.”