New Franchi Affinity + Parts vs Used Benelli

[Mercs]

Talked to Tom, he said the forearm does not align on the nut, but on the tube. I think it also rides/centers on the barrel loop that fits over the mag tube. Nut size would have little to no impact. Just FYI

Ya but the girth of the oem nut fills the entire void inside the forearm and it can’t budge at all. With these aftermarket nuts, the forearm can pivot down away from the barrel a touch. Just enough to kinda suck

 

 

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[Bill-E-Bob]

4 minutes ago, Mercs said:

Ya but the girth of the oem nut fills the entire void inside the forearm and it can’t budge at all. With these aftermarket nuts, the forearm can pivot down away from the barrel a touch. Just enough to kinda suck

 

 

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You're right, I also think it restricts the forearm from moving better. The forearm shouldn't touch the barrel, but it will if I pick it up by the barrel and forearm. Just a little movement there. More than with the factory nut. Doesn't impact performance though. I read similar complaints about Benelli forearms on here. I have the same problem, but also the same performance for just over half the price.....

 

 

[Mercs]

You're right, I also think it restricts the forearm from moving better. The forearm shouldn't touch the barrel, but it will if I pick it up by the barrel and forearm. Just a little movement there. More than with the factory nut. Doesn't impact performance though. I read similar complaints about Benelli forearms on here. I have the same problem, but also the same performance for just over half the price..... [emoji4]
 
 

Excellent point! Same goes for the longish factory LOP on both guns as well


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[Bill-E-Bob]

1 minute ago, Mercs said:

Excellent point! Same goes for the longish factory LOP on both guns as well


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I have Gorilla arms. I could actually go about an inch longer. LOL

I just wish they didn't have that crazy shape recoil pad. You can't find a TSA pad anymore. I wrote Benelli USA Today to see if there were other options, as the factory recoil pad kind of sucks.

[SlvrDragon50]

55 minutes ago, Bill-E-Bob said:

I have Gorilla arms. I could actually go about an inch longer. LOL

I just wish they didn't have that crazy shape recoil pad. You can't find a TSA pad anymore. I wrote Benelli USA Today to see if there were other options, as the factory recoil pad kind of sucks.

I'm gonna shoot mine tomorrow, what don't you like about it or is it just the LOP? I talked to Tom about it, and he was fine with the factory pad.

 

Mercs do you have a video of your forearm? Mine really doesn't move unless I'm purposefully trying to budge it.

[Frankly]

The plastic forearm of the Franchi Affinity moves forward-backward a mm or two with the Nordic tube cranked down, no wiggle or anything that would affect anything in practice. I suspect I could slip a rubber O-ring in there to tighten it up but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

Or ever, it's not a big deal but it is irksome. And I seem to remember my M2 had a similar thing. 

 

Other niggle is the recoil pad and stock are an odd design that makes it expensive and time consuming to adapt to a gel recoil pad. Far easier to leave it stock and live without the recoil reduction you might gain from a fancy Sorbothane pad.

 

Otherwise I love the Franchi and it shoots everything very well so far. 

 

I do have the compact junior stock stock left over, make me a generous offer.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Frankly

[Bill-E-Bob]

23 minutes ago, SlvrDragon50 said:

I'm gonna shoot mine tomorrow, what don't you like about it or is it just the LOP? I talked to Tom about it, and he was fine with the factory pad.

 

Mercs do you have a video of your forearm? Mine really doesn't move unless I'm purposefully trying to budge it.

I'm just a big ol bitch in my old age I guess. It has some Snappy recoil, and I'm used to shooting my 870. It's quite a bit heavier. I didn't say I dislike it at all, it's a hell of a gun, I just need to get used to the snappy recoil. Length of pull could be a little longer, but it's the same length as my 870 and I'm used to it.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Bill-E-Bob

[SlvrDragon50]

17 minutes ago, Bill-E-Bob said:

I'm just a big ol bitch in my old age I guess. It has some Snappy recoil, and I'm used to shooting my 870. It's quite a bit heavier. I didn't say I dislike it at all, it's a hell of a gun, I just need to get used to the snappy recoil. Length of pull could be a little longer, but it's the same length as my 870 and I'm used to it.

Ahh gotcha. I've read that the inertia system will be snappier than other shotgun systems so I'm expecting that going into it tomorrow

[Bill-E-Bob]

Enjoy. 

[SlvrDragon50]

Shot it today, I forgot how much shotguns kick compared to rifles and pistol. Tried some 1250 fps Rios, cycled fine, but they kicked like a mule. Switched to a few 1150fps Federal Target Loads, much much nicer. The Rios are a bit cheaper, but it's just not worth the savings on the recoil. I'm even more impressed when I watch pro 3-gunners destroying arrays now.

 

Tough to hit clay maybe 25-30 yards away though with the factory IC choke. Gonna try out the Carlson LM choke next time.

[NoKimberDave]

So, I picked up one of the 500$ Franchis and I have a questions that maybe you fellas can answer:

 

1. Any advice on extended chokes? Do they use the Benelli Mobil-chokes?

2. I used the MOA extension and spring. It recommended to cut spring at 14" beyond tube. So I did that but it feels very stiff to load quads.

Any advice on the length of the spring?

 

Thanks and sorry if these questions have been answered elsewhere.

 

This gun is pretty sweet for the money. I stoked to get out and run it. I used the MOA extension and it went together tight with no wiggle on forend.

 

 

 

[SlvrDragon50]

 

44 minutes ago, NoKimberDave said:

So, I picked up one of the 500$ Franchis and I have a questions that maybe you fellas can answer:

 

1. Any advice on extended chokes? Do they use the Benelli Mobil-chokes?

2. I used the MOA extension and spring. It recommended to cut spring at 14" beyond tube. So I did that but it feels very stiff to load quads.

Any advice on the length of the spring?

 

Thanks and sorry if these questions have been answered elsewhere.

 

This gun is pretty sweet for the money. I stoked to get out and run it. I used the MOA extension and it went together tight with no wiggle on forend.

 

 

 

I have a Carlson Sport Clays benelli Mobil Choke on mine. I haven't shot it yet though.

 

Didn't do any trimming on my spring though Tom at MOA built my Franchi. I imagine he didn't trim the spring either.

[NoKimberDave]

2 hours ago, SlvrDragon50 said:

 

I have a Carlson Sport Clays benelli Mobil Choke on mine. I haven't shot it yet though.

 

Didn't do any trimming on my spring though Tom at MOA built my Franchi. I imagine he didn't trim the spring either.

 

Thanks! Ive been looking at Carlson.

 

It does say in the instructions to trim the spring. They come extra long to fit all tube lengths. So most get trimmed somewhat.

[SlvrDragon50]

2 hours ago, NoKimberDave said:

 

Thanks! Ive been looking at Carlson.

 

It does say in the instructions to trim the spring. They come extra long to fit all tube lengths. So most get trimmed somewhat.

Ahh gotcha. Then he probably trimmed it  Your tube is quite a bit longer than mine though I think. Mine holds a total of 10. Otherwise, I would measure it for you. Tom is super helpful though, shoot him a message!

[SlvrDragon50]

2 minutes ago, Rectifire said:

Check out our extended chokes at www.rectifire.com.

Awfully pricey for something that has no reviews. Got my Carlson for $30. Gonna have to provide me with a lot of 3rd party reviews for me to try something in the same price range as a Briley or Trulock.

[NoKimberDave]

I cut a few more inches off my spring. Much better. 

 

Been enjoying the gun, but coming from an SLP it does kick much harder. This is exacerbated by using the compact stock with spacers as it doesn't have the thick spongy pad of the full size stock. I hope to find a good recoil pad solution at some point. But the gun swings a lot better as it is so light.

 

1oz 1600fps slugs while zeroing off bench: Ouch. Two is plenty thanks! Very stout recoil.

[SlvrDragon50]

Just now, NoKimberDave said:

I cut a few more inches off my spring. Much better. 

 

Been enjoying the gun, but coming from an SLP it does kick much harder. This is exacerbated by using the compact stock with spacers as it doesn't have the thick spongy pad of the full size stock. I hope to find a good recoil pad solution at some point. But the gun swings a lot better as it is so light.

 

1oz 1600fps slugs while zeroing off bench: Ouch. Two is plenty thanks! Very stout recoil.

Oof, 1600 fps. I shot 1350fps game loads, and I thought those kicked a ton already. This was with the full size stock. That said, as I shot more, the less I noticed the recoil. I'm still terrible at shooting shotgun tthough hah.

[NoKimberDave]

2 minutes ago, SlvrDragon50 said:

Oof, 1600 fps. I shot 1350fps game loads, and I thought those kicked a ton already. This was with the full size stock. That said, as I shot more, the less I noticed the recoil. I'm still terrible at shooting shotgun tthough hah.

 

Yeah, I am sitting here with my sweet shoulder bruise surfing "low recoil shotgun slugs for girly men".

 

I was kind enough to tell my buddy's at the range: "hey fellas, try these slugs out. Very soft. I think you will enjoy them".

[SlvrDragon50]

2 minutes ago, NoKimberDave said:

 

Yeah, I am sitting here with my sweet shoulder bruise surfing "low recoil shotgun slugs for girly men".

 

I was kind enough to tell my buddy's at the range: "hey fellas, try these slugs out. Very soft. I think you will enjoy them".

Haha. I shot an over-under for the first time shooting 5 stand with my cousin, and I was expecting a massive kick because of my Franchi. Needless to say, it felt like I was shooting rifle again  I enjoyed shooting clays a lot more than I thought I would. I also sucked a lot more than I thought I would... 

 

I definitely had bruises on my shoulder from my Franchi for a good week. I'm not consistent in mounting the shotgun unfortunately. I still need to install this new Easyhit front sight to help manage my cross dominance.

 

Did you end up getting a choke?

Edited June 26, 2018 by SlvrDragon50

[NoKimberDave]

8 minutes ago, SlvrDragon50 said:

Haha. I shot an over-under for the first time shooting 5 stand with my cousin, and I was expecting a massive kick because of my Franchi. Needless to say, it felt like I was shooting rifle again  I enjoyed shooting clays a lot more than I thought I would. I also sucked a lot more than I thought I would... 

 

I definitely had bruises on my shoulder from my Franchi for a good week. I'm not consistent in mounting the shotgun unfortunately. I still need to install this new Easyhit front sight to help manage my cross dominance.

 

Did you end up getting a choke?

 

Yep, started out with a black Carlsons extended IC sporting clays choke. I have patterned that and very satisfied. I plan to get a few more. Likely will use that as much as possible.

 

I have a lot to learn about shotguns. I used to feel kind of "meh" about them, but have come to realize I really love shooting them.

I've shot sporting clays twice and really loved that! Super fun!

But with rifle matches, USPSA, and 3gun, I am already spreading my meager skills pretty thin. 

 

[SlvrDragon50]

Just now, NoKimberDave said:

 

Yep, started out with a black Carlsons extended IC sporting clays choke. I have patterned that and very satisfied. I plan to get a few more. Likely will use that as much as possible.

 

I have a lot to learn about shotguns. I used to feel kind of "meh" about them, but have come to realize I really love shooting them.

I've shot sporting clays twice and really loved that! Super fun!

But with rifle matches, USPSA, and 3gun, I am already spreading my meager skills pretty thin. 

 

I definitely feel the same way. After I got the shotgun and shot it, I realized I was awful at it and immediately started questioning my decision to spread my practice even thinner across multiple sports. No sporting clays here unfortunately other than clay/trap shooting, but my cousin told me about sporting clays, and it sounds like a blast.

 

What distances did you pattern at and what shotshell do you think you're gonna use? I ended up going with an LM extended sporting clays choke. Still haven't shot it yet, but I found that the stock chokes had too much or too little constriction. I definitely considered getting the Carlson Super Steel choke tubes since they were developed for steel shot, but I just couldn't find enough reviews on them.

 

I've got some 1oz but mostly 1 1/8oz loads. Haven't shot the 1oz yet.

 

 

[NoKimberDave]

3 minutes ago, SlvrDragon50 said:

I definitely feel the same way. After I got the shotgun and shot it, I realized I was awful at it and immediately started questioning my decision to spread my practice even thinner across multiple sports. No sporting clays here unfortunately other than clay/trap shooting, but my cousin told me about sporting clays, and it sounds like a blast.

 

What distances did you pattern at and what shotshell do you think you're gonna use? I ended up going with an LM extended sporting clays choke. Still haven't shot it yet, but I found that the stock chokes had too much or too little constriction. I definitely considered getting the Carlson Super Steel choke tubes since they were developed for steel shot, but I just couldn't find enough reviews on them.

 

I've got some 1oz but mostly 1 1/8oz loads. Haven't shot the 1oz yet.

 

 

 

A buddy helped my pattern it and it was more a 3gun method testing on 4" knock offs at varrying distances. We did various loads starting at 5 yards out to 35 yards and the choke performed well. 

I still have a lot of work to do and haven't even used my stock chokes yet.

 

I used a LM for my entire first shotgun match. It was a great all rounder. 

[Mercs]

After switching between the compact and regular stock with the recoil pad options afforded in the package, I was looking into using a spacer and a grind to fit pad to extend the compact stock to the desired length. However, earlier tonight I decided it would be so much easier to just cut the standard stock to the right length.

 

I marked the angle using the compact stock, chugged a beer, and then deftly chopped it down to about a 13” LOP with a bandsaw. It was super easy and just to note, the screw mounts can still be used after being cut down. I have a small pachmyr decelerator pad been sitting in my parts drawer for awhile, and it looks like it will fit nicely and get me to 14” LOP. I’ll just have to sand the butt flat and epoxy in some wood filler to screw the pad to since the holes don’t line up, but that’s easy to do. I’ll post pics in a week or so once I get the pad ground down and fit. I’m excited

 

 

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[Masterbirdblaster]

Does anyone know if there is a different brand/model stock that fits the affinity 3?  Specifically an outlander A300, or even a Benelli stock?

[Mercs]

Does anyone know if there is a different brand/model stock that fits the affinity 3?  Specifically an outlander A300, or even a Benelli stock?

I’m pretty sure the Benelli M2 Stock will fit with some modification, but I don’t think anyone has tried it. Probably makes more sense to just buy a Benelli


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