The Strasser rifle’s first incarnation was the RS 05, designed by Horst Blaser in 2004 with an Austrian engineer Herbert Strasser. The original rifle was a quick-change barrel system and straight-pull design; today it has gone…
Guns
Fausti Dea British double-barrelled side-by-side 20-bore
Fausti is a name probably not that familiar to many shooters but I would predict that is about to change. The company was formed in 1948 by the Honourable Stefano Fausti and is now run…
Newnham double-trigger 12-bore
George Newnham is listed as setting up in the gun trade in 1866 and by 1905 the name, as on this gun, had changed to Newnham Limited, though still at 29 Commercial Road, Landport,…
Beretta 687 EELL Classic
I first got my hands on this delightful custom Beretta in the April 2015 issue of Shooting Gazette. On first look the differences are purely aesthetic: the Classic we tested last year had fully scroll-engraved side…
Contender G2 Carbine
I have always had a soft spot for the Thompson/Center single-shot firearms because I cut my teeth on long-range handgun shooting with its long-barrelled pistol variant. The Contender G2 Carbine’s origins lie in a single-shot…
Browning B15
Certain names in the world of shooting carry a great weight, and Browning’s Custom Shop is no exception. Among the most popular names in the shooting world, Browning’s heritage and links with the Fabrique National d’Herstal in…
Sako 85 Carbonlight
There are plenty of centrefire rifles available to British shooters in the sub-£1,000 range but those wanting a more prestigious yet value-for-money rifle have the Sako 85 model as their…
The first Anson & Deeley Boxlock
The Anson & Deeley (A&D) boxlock was a revolution in design that changed forever the world of the side-by-side shotgun. Simple and sturdy with a minimum of parts, it is still in production today by…
Rizzini Artemis 16 bore
As many experienced shots will know, quite a number of manufacturers engrave the name Rizzini on the actions of their guns thanks to the fairly astonishing abilities of a modern Italian…
Chiappa 1887 lever-action 12-bore
The 1950s, when I was growing up, were probably the heyday of cheap Western films and many lads then dreamt of what it must have been like to be “home on the range”. The rearms…
A “sleeper” by John Blanch and Son
The John Blanch shotgun is that ultra-rare item, a shotgun that has lain unused for most of its existence; what is called, in the trade, a “sleeper”. In more general terms “barely shop-soiled” would…
CZ 455 Evolution
The CZ 455 rimfire action has an ethos of one-size fits all with the new CZ action being able to accommodate a .22LR, .22WMR or .17 HMR barrel via its quick-change barrel system. So a…
ATA Venza Semi-Auto
ATA Arms is a Turkish manufacturer and, while new to the UK, the company has been in existence for some 60 years. The distributor is Ireland-based Wildhunter and a chain of retail outlets has been set…
Akkar Triple Crown Mammut
When I heard about the Akkar Triple Crown Mammut (a triple-barrelled shotgun) I couldn’t help but smirk! All I could think of was Sergeant Harper from the Sharpe novels by Bernard…
Jeffery .275 sporting rifle
There are so many new custom rifles available to the deerstalker these days that being faced with the different choice and styles available can be a bit bewildering. That is perhaps…
Tikka T3x
What can be said that has not been said a thousand times before with the Tikka T3? This Scandinavian sporting rifle has proved a firm favourite in Britain and is…
Beretta Silver Pigeon I 28 bore
Our current trend for increasingly pocket- bursting mobile telephones aside, the advancement of technology in recent years has also been an on-going march towards miniaturisation. From silicon chips being manufactured in…
Midland Gun Company Single-Barrel .410
The Midland Gun Company was formed in 1889, making it in some ways a relative newcomer to the Birmingham gun scene. It grew to become quite a large business and…
F.A.I.R. Iside Deluxe 28-bore side-by-side
There is always something attractive about small-bore guns that is difficult to define. Whether it is the small bore size that accentuates the slimness, the lightweight, dainty action size, ultra-fast…
Webley Stingray Express LE
Webley & Scott was one of our oldest gunmakers but sadly it ceased manufacturing in Britain in 2005 and all its airguns are now made in Turkey. It is a…