GUNTEST
Christie Gates, Media Guru for
Benelli USA, and I had been keenly
anticipating the arrival of the new
Franchi Renaissance Sporting
Clays Competition gun. After
reviewing a few higher priced
target guns I thought it was time to
review a quality entry level over
and under. When I collected the
test gun from my FFL holder I was
surprised that there were two guns
for test. Since I knew one carton
was the new Franchi Renaissance
sporting clays model, I wondered
what the other could possibly be.
Upon opening the second hard
case I found what looked like a
more delicate version of the Benelli
Sport II – and it was, only in 20
gauge. I hadn’t even known they
were going to come out with a 20
gauge – but here it was!
TWO
FROM BENELLI
TOM CERETTO REVIEWS THE BENELLI SPORT II 20G AND THE NEW 12G FRANCHI RENAISSANCE SPORTING
BENELLI SPORT II 20GA.
FRANCHI RENAISSANCE SPORT 12GA.
GUNTEST
BENELLI SPORT II 20G
Since I am a recovering skeet
shooter I was excited about having
a 20 gauge automatic to test. I have
probably shot ten or fifteen
thousand rounds of 20 gauge
through my old Browning four
barrel set and a Browning over and
under equipped with Kolar subgauge tubes – but I have shot very
few rounds through a 20 gauge
automatic.
I took the 20 gauge with me to
the Zone V shoot in anticipation of
shooting it at some of the side
games. When I got there I decided
to shoot a few boxes of shells at the
flurry shoot but there was a crowd
of shooters there, and all that saw
the little 20 gauge wanted to shoot
it. I had to wait in line to shoot my
own gun! As if that was not
humiliating enough, many didn’t
have any 20 gauge shells and they
proceeded to shoot up my shells
too! The nice part about the whole
incident was the reaction of all who
shot it – they loved it. I finally got to
shoot a few rounds and realized
why, it was just plain fun to shoot
with hardly any recoil.
The gun sent was the Sport II
model with a wood stock and foreend, not the composite ComforTec
stock with the recoil chevrons in
the stock that the Super Sport II has.
Because it was so light, I expected
it to recoil a bit, but I was surprised
how light the recoil was – even
though I was shooting Winchester
AASC20 1,300 fps sporting clay
loads through it. Later I shot some
Remington STS20 standard 20
gauge target loads at 1,200 fps and
the recoil was even lighter. A Super
Sport II equipped with Benelli’s
composite ComforTec recoil stock
would probably recoil almost as
soft as a .410 – but the wood stock
and fore-end is certainly much
prettier. The wood had a nicely
grained satin walnut finish and if I
were to purchase one I would have
to consider the wooden stock
model. It is not only prettier than
the composite stock, but is less
expensive by $220. But you do have
the option of three different comb
heights with the ComforTec
composite stock and that must also
be considered when choosing
between the two models. Both the
composite and wooden stock
models are equipped with the
Beretta style shim and plate
adjustable stock feature that
Beretta pioneered. The stock can
be easily adjusted for drop and cast
by swapping shims between the
receiver and stock and adjusting
plates inside the stock – an
excellent feature on any target gun.
During my skeet shooting days
I had loaded a bunch of very light
loads for practice. They were real
wimp loads at about 1,075 to 1,100
fps. I took some with me to Wild
Wings Sportsman’s Club to see if
the Benelli would cycle them. I
loaded an STS target load first and
then one of my wimp practice loads
and to my surprise it cycled
perfectly. I think it would cycle a
1,150 fps load quite well.
The 20 gauge Sport II would be
an excellent target gun for a
youngster, lady or a recoil-conscious
shooter that does not want to give
up the game. It’s certainly a serious
competition target gun, particularly
in a small bore event.
GUNTEST
FRANCHI RENAISSANCE
SPORTING
THE HEART AND SOUL OF ANY BENELLI
SHOTGUN IS THE PROPRIETARY INERTIA DRIVEN
ACTION DESIGNED BY BRUNO CIVOLANI
The 20 gauge barrel comes
with five of Benelli’s Crio extended
choke tubes and long forcing cone,
the same as it’s big brother 12
gauge model. I have found that
Benelli Crio barrels equipped with
CrioChoke choke tubes to be one
of the best factory barrel-choke
combinations available. The 28 inch
barrel is equipped with a slightly
raised vented top rib – to
compensate for the smaller
diameter 20 gauge barrel – and has
3 inch chambers. At 6.3 pounds the
20 gauge Sport II would be a snap
to carry on an upland game hunt. I
am going to do that as soon as I
can. It would be a great companion
gun to a 12 gauge on an
Argentinean combination dove and
waterfowl safari.
ON TEST
I shot most of the stations at Wild
Wings Sportsmans Club with the
improved choke tube with good
success. If it works why change it?
Gough Thomas always said:
“Never use more choke than is
necessary for the job at hand” –
and I for one agree. Most gun
manufacturers use the same
amount of constriction in the 20
gauge as they do in the 12 gauge
for a like constriction, but I have
found that a 0.010" improved
cylinder choke in a 20 gauge can
pattern more like a 0.015"
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C L AYS H O OT I N G U S A
constriction light modified choke in
a 12 gauge. At any rate, I broke
47x50 the first time I shot a full
round of sporting clays with it and
that’s good enough for me.
Transition from target to target was
effortless.
The heart and soul of any
Benelli shotgun is the proprietary
Inertia Driven action designed by
Bruno Civolani when Benelli Armi
was part of the Benelli Motorcycle
Company and before Benelli Armi
was purchased by Beretta in 1983.
The 20 gauge version is a carbon
copy of the 12 gauge version only in
20 gauge. The bolt contains the
same style internal inertia spring
and rotating bolt design as its big
brother. The recoil spring is
encased in a stainless steel tube
that is rust proof and solves a
problem that very early Benelli
Inertia Drive guns suffered from –
rusting recoil spring tubes. The
tube is accessible through the butt
if it ever needs cleaning, which I
doubt would be necessary more
than once in a lifetime. The reliable
short action Inertia Drive System is
the easiest automatic action to
maintain and clean. If you do not
have any gummy gas residue to
clean out of the action you do not
have any of the inherent problems
of a gas gun. To quote our friends
at Timex,“It takes a licking and
keeps on ticking.”
I’m not going to send the little
20 gauge Sport II back until I have
expended every 20 gauge shell I
have loaded – it’s too much fun to
shoot!
SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER: BENELLI ARMI,
URBINO, PESARO E URBINO, ITALY
US IMPORTER: BENELLI USA,
ACCOKEEK, MD
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE:
SPORT II $1,515.00
SUPER SPORT II $1,735.0
GAUGE: 20
ACTION: INERTIA DRIVEN
AUTOLOADER
STOCK: WOOD/SPORT II
OR COMPOSITE COMFORTEC/SUPER
SPORT II
GUN WEIGHT: 6.3 LBS.
LENGTH OF PULL: 143/8"
DROP AT COMB: 11/2"
DROP AT HEEL: 23/8"
OVERALL LENGTH: 50"
BARREL: PORTED 28"
BORE: 0.665" NOMINAL
RIB: RAISED VENTED
CHOKES INCLUDED: CYLINDER, IC,
MOD, IM, FULL
TRIGGER PULL: 4.5 LBS
Sandwiched between the top of the
line Beretta over and unders and
the low buck Stoeger over and
unders in Beretta’s corporate
lineup is the Franchi line of over
and under shotguns. Benelli
U.S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary
of Beretta, imports both the
Stoeger and Franchi shotguns.
Until recently, Franchi did not have
an up-to-date dedicated target gun,
but they do now with the release of
the new Franchi Renaissance
Sporting. Rumors of its impending
release had been floating around
for about a year, but no one outside
of Benelli U.S.A. Corporate
personnel had seen it until recently
– and I was fortunate enough to
receive one of the very first guns
for evaluation.
Some time ago I evaluated
Franchi’s one and only target gun.
It was a nicely put together piece
but frankly as common as mud and
not much different than many
other moderately priced over and
under target guns. All that has
changed. The new Franchi
Renaissance Sporting may not be
revolutionary in a spectacular way,
but it is an excellent example of a
quality entry-level target gun that
uses tried and true technology in a
very attractive package.
Retail priced at $2,039 the
Renaissance is one of the most
handsome target guns I’ve seen in
its price range. It has some of the
best laser engraving on a
moderately priced gun I have ever
seen. Except for the sharpest of
eyes, it could pass for a hand
engraved piece. The sides, bottom
and top of the receiver are
covered with well-done English
scroll topped off by a gold target
on each side of the receiver. The
top lever is in English scroll and it
too is embellished with a gold
GUNTEST
target. The top strap is scroll
engraved above and below the
safety and the trigger guard has a
gold Franchi logo on it. A gold
trigger sets off the aesthetic
features.
The receiver has trunions on
either side of the receiver wall that
fit into half circles machined into
the monobloc for the barrel to pivot
on. The chopper lump has a full
width slot to receive the bolt that
locks into it. The chopper lumps fit
snugly into recesses machined into
the bottom of the receiver. This is a
very sturdy set-up that mitigates
the twisting forces that try to tear
The wood on my demo had a little
figure in it and is most acceptable for
a shotgun in this price range. The
stock and fore-end sport an attractive
oil finish. The grain could have been
filled a bit more, but was still well
done. The stock is equipped with
Franchi’s new two-piece TSA Twin
Shock Technogel recoil pad that is
efficient at mitigating recoil. I first
encountered the Technogel recoil
pad on a Franchi autoloader about a
apart any over and under shotgun
design. The receiver is quite
shallow for a shotgun with this
type of lock-up system. The bolt is
tapered and self-adjusting for wear.
It should last a lifetime.
The triggers are mechanical
and would not need additional
work if you wished to equip it with
sub-gauge tubes. The selective
triggers went off at 5.2 and 5.4
pounds and were creep free and
crisp. The safety hangs from the
top strap. The selector is integral
with the safety and fires the
bottom barrel when moved left
and the top barrel when moved to
the right. This is the opposite of
year ago and was impressed with
how well it dampened recoil, even
with heavy 11/8 ounce target loads.
The laser checkering is well
done and offers a good gripping
surface – but could be a little
sharper. The stock is equipped with
an adjustable comb with a 2 inch
drop when it is adjusted fully down.
Having an adjustable stock as
standard on a moderately priced
target gun is a luxury.
The forearm, thank goodness,
is not a Schnabel. It is slightly
tapered forward and is big enough
to fill your hand, but still slim and
graceful. The checkering on the
forearm was sharper than that on
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C L AYS H O OT I N G U S A
most over and unders, but I got
used to it.
WOODWORK
The 30 inch barrels, the only
length available at this time, sport
a checkered 9mm ventilated top
rib with cross checkering and a
ventilated side rib. The barrels
ALL IN ALL, THE
RENAISSANCE IS A VERY
ATTRACTIVE PACKAGE FOR
THE PREMIUM ASKED AND
OFFERS A LOT OF BANG
FOR THE BUCK.
ITS AESTHETIC QUALITY WILL
ATTRACT ATTENTION AT
ALMOST ANY GUN CLUB. IT
IS A TARGET GUN ANYONE
WOULD BE PROUD TO
OWN. I THINK FRANCHI
HAS A WINNER ON THEIR
HANDS.
were smooth from monobloc to
muzzle without a single wave. The
Monobloc is nicely machine
turned, a touch I really like. Both
barrels are ported with 22 ports on
each side of the barrels. The
Renaissance comes equipped with
three 2 3/4 inch long extended
choke tubes. The barrels
measured 30 3/4 inches long with
the choke tubes installed.
Considering the barrels are
ported, have a vented side rib,
extended chokes, four inch forcing
cones, are ripple free and nicely
blued I would say you get your
moneys worth for the asking price.
The barrels have an engraved ring
where they join the monobloc and
just in front of the breech – another
nice touch.
Balance was just forward of the
trunions and a bit weight forward,
just about right I would say. At 7.6
pounds, the Renaissance is a little
lighter than most 12 gauge target
guns. But recoil with my one ounce
loads and 11/8 ounce heavy target
loads was negligible, probably
because the stock fitted me quite
well (after adjustment) and the
effective Technogel recoil pad. I
adjusted the comb up a bit and added
a little cast off and hit birds better after
I did. The Renaissance transitioned
to the second bird with alacrity – I
the stock grip. The fore-end is
attached with Deeley and Edge
improved style fore-end iron that is
well engraved to match the
engraving on the receiver. The
fore-end, when snapped onto the
barrels, is rock solid without a
bit movement side-to-side or
fore and aft.
BARREL FACTS
GUNTEST
SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER: FRANCHI S.P.A.,
GARDONE VAL TROMPIA (BRESCIA)
ITALY
US IMPORTER: BENELLI U.S.A.
ACCOKEEK, MARYLAND
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE:
$2,039.00
GAUGE: 12
ACTION: LOW PROFILE BOXLOCK
SAFETY: MANUAL
THE STOCK IS EQUIPPED WITH AN
ADJUSTABLE COMB WITH A 2 INCH
DROP WHEN IT IS ADJUSTED FULLY
DOWN.
that too much. I am sure ‘after
market’ choke manufacturers have
chokes in almost any constriction
you could possibly ask for and
would be very happy to fill out your
choke tube inventory.
All in all, the Renaissance is a
very attractive package for the
premium asked and offers a lot of
bang for the buck. Its aesthetic
quality will attract attention at
almost any gun club. It is a target
gun anyone would be proud to
own. I think Franchi has a winner
on their hands. ■
GUN WEIGHT: 7.6 LBS.
TRIGGER: MECHANICAL SINGLE
SELECTIVE.
TRIGGER PULL: UNDER 5.2 LBS
OVER 5.4 LBS
EJECTORS: AUTOMATIC
OVERALL LENGTH: 473/4" WITH
CHOKES INSTALLED
LENGTH OF PULL: 14 3/8" MEASURED
DROP AT COMB: ADJUSTABLE
DROP AT HEEL: 21/2"
RECOIL PAD: TECHNOGEL
BARREL: 30" PORTED
BORE: 0.724" MEASURED
CHOKES: 23/4" EXTENDED
CONSTRICTIONS: MEASURED:
CYLINDER: 0.004"
IMPROVED CYLINDER: 0.012"
MODIFIED: 0.025"
FORCING CONES: 4"
enjoyed shooting it very much.
The only issues I have with the
Renaissance are the sharpness of
the checkering and the lack of
optional 32" barrels. I like 30"
barrels, but I think any sporting
clays gun needs to have 32" barrels
available to be successful in today’s
marketplace. Perhaps the checkering
will be a bit sharper on future
production units. I would normally
not be satisfied with only three
chokes, but considering the
additional barrel work already
discussed, I cannot squawk about
C L AYS H O OT I N G U S A
37