Salvinelli 12b London

If there’s one thing the Italians can do its build 12-bores that break clays. The Italians shoot clays with a degree of fanaticism no other country can come close to, especially when it comes to trap shooting. It’s also the motivation as to why most top Italian manufacturers major on competition shotguns, constantly refining and updating their high end 12-bores in an effort to ensure those who use and shoot their guns continue to enjoy international success. But whilst the UK market is more than aware and conversant with the established big name, big gun brands, there are still some that until now have been a relatively well kept secret.

Background Check

Based in Marcheno in Northern Italy, Salvenelli was founded back in 1955 by Salvino Salvinelli and is still firmly in the family’s hands, his grandson Luca Salvinelli now heading the company along with his two brothers.

Producing around ten thousand guns per year, the range including game guns both double and single barrelled, however it’s their clay breakers that they are justly proud of and quite rightly so, these Boss-style actioned shotguns gaining in popularity so much so that the new UK importers Range Right sold each and every one of the first batch before they even entered the country. 

Four Year Cycle

Capitalizing on their accomplishments in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games with a gun of the same name, not surprisingly after 2012 the London model is Salvinelli’s latest model, this distinctive looking over-under sporter a celebration of the recent London Olympics and the achievements Salvinelli shotguns enjoyed. A competition 12-bore that is unique in appearance, the London is as is which means apart from the alternative barrel lengths, each and every London looks exactly like the one on test. Sitting in a black with red velvet lining three-lock Negrini case, the London comes complete with a small case of five flush-fit choke tubes, an extended stock hex key and, should you wish to fit them, a pair of Salvinelli barrel flashes.

Starting with the barrels, these gloss blacked 30” tubes sleeve into 3” chambered monoblocs that in turn have two deep cut lumps either side of the bottom chamber. Flaring towards the muzzles to accommodate the choke tubes, the barrels are joined together by an ovoid vented mid-rib whilst a small red bead rounds off the 7-10mm tapered and vented stippled finish top-rib whilst ‘Armi Salvinelli’ is inlayed in gold along the right hand side of the top tube.

Slightly more angular than certain other Italianate Boss-actions, the protrusions from the chambers rotate down on closing the gun and locate into the slots either side of the standing breech, this style is still one of the strongest and slickest in the business. Echoing the gloss black of the barrels, the most notable feature of the London’s boxlock action is the ornamentation, ‘Salvinelli London’ running along the upper edge whilst a shattering gold inlayed clay with etched black radiating lines dominates both sides, leaving no one in any doubt as to the purpose of the London.

Further back on the top-tang the small manual safety sits complete with the barrel selector, the short bottom tang dominated by the black trigger-guard. Unusually, whilst the outer surface of the guard benefits from the same gloss finish the inner surface doesn’t, something of an oversight to my eyes especially since the London’s main competition continue the finishing surface over the entirety of their guards. Equally unusual is the fact that the gold plated trigger-blade isn’t adjustable, something of an oversight on a shotgun of this type.

The Nose Knows

The walnut is finished with a semi-matte lacquer, the Schnabel or Tulip style forend attached with an Anson-style latch, two large wraparound panels of machine cut checkering covering most of the surface. Where the London is somewhat unusual is in the styling of the sporter stock. Size wise it errs more towards that of a trap gun, a thin soft recoil pad and black spacer finishing off the butt, the surface of broad yet nicely radiused grip and egg shaped palm swell almost wrapped in extra fine machine cut checkering.

Most of all it’s the broad comb that stands out.  I personally found it very comfortable finished not in the usual tapered, round point but in what’s best described as a chamfered square section. Forming a feature of the stock in its own right, like the ornamentation you’ll either appreciate the comb nose style or won’t. The profile has allowed the scalloping between the grip and the stock head to be deeper profiled than usual so keeping the shooter’s hand in a more vertical position, whilst the palm swell’s profile have been designed to help the hand replicate the exact same hold, while the stock still promote ease and fluidity of movement.

Vapour Lock

For what is actually quite a large 12-bore, the feel of the London belies its 47½” overall length and 8lbs 2oz total weight. Tested with the Arrow Laser Shot the London shot just as I like a sporter, perfectly flat, only the red bead visible when the gun was mounted. Interestingly though and as if to prove physical differences, a friend found the London shot slightly high, proof that any shotgun is different depending on the person holding it. Dimensionally the London has a drop at comb and heel of 17/16” and 2¼” with a comfortable 14¾” length of pull combined with an average 4lbs 3oz trigger weight.

Given that the London was delivered along with a statement that this would be one of the best quality clay breakers I was likely to try this or any other year, an intensive routine was worked out along with a few squirts of Ballistol Universal Oil since the London was brand new, a suitable quantity of 28g Eley VIP Trap and Sporting shells in both fibre and plaswad were set aside.

Starting with two rounds of English Skeet, Improved Cylinder and ¼ chokes were fitted more to give me a chance than anything else. As expected the first round score wasn’t anything to shout about but it did highlight some very interesting physical attributes of the London.

The gun balances and pivots perfectly around the hinges meaning that even for a 12-bore that weighs just over 8lbs the movement, balance within and between the hands is evenly distributed, whilst the transferral of weight and change of direction even on fast opposing pairs is carried out in what could possibly be described as a controlled instant. Apart from the fact you have something of mass and matter in your hands the London seems to require the minimum of physical input to make it carry out the job in hand, whilst the gun’s ability to come up to the shoulder and be pointed exactly where the shooter is looking was for me as good as any 12-bore I’ve used.

The Salvinelli multi-chokes were more or less exact to their demarcation, and the clays didn’t break, they vapourized… time and time again. The Salvinelli’s barrels were obviously suited to my Eley ammo. As if to prove the point certain targets I wasn’t perfectly ‘on’, were still turning into powder including two or three that I freely admit I was slightly behind, the London at times seemingly able to make up for any of my own shortcomings.

The other interesting properties of the London hark back to the stock and comb, the fact that the small yet effective palm swell is situated nearer to the top of the grip which for me anchored not only my hand but ensured my first two fingers were located in the correct position each and every time. Likewise the comb’s outline improved my grip whilst the width and height corrected my often subconscious habit of rolling my head over ever so slightly. Granted like most top sporting competition 12-bores the stock is sizable but in the case of the London you quickly understand why, every angle and dimension works with the shooter.

Shifting onto some of Bond & Bywaters summer evening targets allowed the opportunity to tighten the chokes and take on some longer, faster sporting clays targets. The end result was the exact same, bird after bird vanished in a cloud of fine dust even at more extreme distances. Shifting so as to turn a quartering target into a fast, climbing going away clay and fitting ¾ and Full chokes, at distances that would be impressive even for a Trap gun, the London loaded with the VIP Trap pulled the clays out of the sky with consummate ease whilst the well timed ejectors are of a strength that allows the shooter to catch the empty cases and drop them in the bin.

All of which means that whilst the ornamentation of the London might not be to my personal liking along with the fact I’d specify darker walnut, these two visuals aside, Salvinelli’s London never at any time failed to impress. And it wasn’t just me, Peter and Paul from Bond & Bywaters along with various other experienced sporting clay shooters who tried the London for themselves handed the gun back over along with a host of positive comments, not least the gun’s handling, balance and devastating abilities.

The Choice Is Yours

For those who’d prefer an alternative barrel length the London is available with either 28” or 32” barrels at no extra cost. Similarly, if the London isn’t the exact Salvinelli competition shotgun you need or want there’s also the Sydney XL range along with the Duke and Monarch models. These Salvenelli guns can be specified with whatever grade of walnut you prefer, stock designs and finishes including additional engraving options in addition to the game scenes that come as standard. Similarly, all offer various barrel lengths along with rib options.  That said even in basic, out of the box trim I can more or less promise that once you’ve had a couple of rounds to get yourself fully conversant with the London you’ll be walking out of each stand astounded by just how well this Salvinelli performs.

The London is the first example of a Salvinelli to pass through my hands, and I genuinely look forward to being able to shoot and report back on the Duke and Monarch. If they’re half the gun the London is there’s every chance many of the established brands will start to have more than a few sleepless nights. GM