Fausti Pro Comp Shotgun
- Last updated: 14/12/2016
The name Fausti is one that although long established in the shooting world (since 1948) has never really been considered to be a major player in the UK market. This is something of an anomaly as they have sold considerable numbers of guns both in the US and throughout Europe. The marque is now in the hands of Sportsman Gun Centre; with its dual retail locations of Exeter and Southern Counties Shooting ground in Dorset as well as its large distributor base to the trade, now is the time for the brand to move forward in the domestic market.
The model featured here is just one part of a comprehensive line up that starts at the competitively priced (£975) Warwick and goes through to the attractive Windsor Royal sideplate at £1,599. As the name suggests the Pro Comp is aimed more at regular clay shooters than at those pursuing feathered quarry and that comes through clearly in both looks and the handling characteristics.
Especially Four You…
The Pro Comp features the Four Locks action which gives a similar profile to the more commonly found Boss-style lock up typical of many Italian guns. The thinking behind the design is a carry over from E Rizzini which is now part of the Fausti operation and it offers four locking points rather than the more commonly found two and incorporates a full width Browning-style locking bolt engaging into two chopper lumps. In addition it sports two Boss ‘esque protuberances on the action walls into which locate into corresponding slots in the side of the monobloc. This makes for a very solid lock up that should provide wear free shooting for more rounds than anyone other than the most dedicated clay shooter is ever likely to get through.
The trigger is a single selective unit based on recoil operation, barrel selection being carried out in the standard fashion by sliding the well chequered, manual, top tang safety to right or left. The pull is generally positive at around the 3lb mark though a little on the light side for some. Those who like to gently apply pressure before the final squeeze may find it takes a few rounds before they get used to it. The major plus point being that it is adjustable for length via a straightforward push through button that allows very rapid changes though the near flat bottomed trigger guard is of a somewhat unusual shape.
Italian-Style
The action shows an attractive silver finish, with the legend Pro Comp engraved in an oval on the sides. The remainder of the laser engraving is pleasing to the eye although minimal and whilst it might not be everybody’s cup of tea it is a fitting look for a gun of this nature, the work being carried out by the long established Il Bulino studio. In addition Pro Competition is added to the underside whilst the fences look finished to a far better standard than one might expect on a gun at this price. The top lever is also nicely done in a pleasing design whilst the forend release catch and associated metalwork is well finished with little evidence of sharp or rough edges, which can be a common trait of guns that have been built down to a price.
Take the Tube
The barrels sit in a conventional monobloc which is engine-turned to look clean without any unsightly machining marks, both measured at a tight .723 boring with long forcing cones to help reduce shot deformation. They are well struck and a glance along them shows no sign of rivelling whilst the blacking was deep and even. The middle vented rib is accompanied by a vented 10mm non tapering top rib that is cross cut to minimise glare and fitted with a red fibre optic bead. The five chokes supplied don’t follow the latest trend for very long tubes being 1 ½” but are easy enough to insert and remove using the 4-notch key provided.
The woodwork is certainly pleasing to the eye and has a good pattern and colour to it, not the orange looking timber that can appear on lower priced guns. The forend is fitted with what is best described as a semi Schnable, which is enough to promote a firm positive grip without any of the hard, sharp edges found on some fuller design of this type that can prove uncomfortable over prolonged spells of use.
Wood to metal fit around the forend iron is good and there was little discernable play suggesting that some care has been taken during construction. Fit around the head of the stock was also very good for a gun at this price and again matched the forend well in colour and grain. The butt shows a pronounced palm swell and although not generally a fan of such additions this one did not feel overly unnatural when in use. At the other end the recoil pad is thick and again tidily fitted but in use it did have a tendency to snag a little. My preference would be for a more curved top edge to allow easier mounting, the existing one being more suitable for ‘gun-up’ disciplines such as DTL rather than sporting. Chequering is laser-cut throughout at 22 lines per inch and feels comfortable in the hand, the grip radius being bang on for skeet or sporting but perhaps a little loose for trap shooting. Stock dimensions showed a drop at comb of 1 ½” with another ¾” at heel. Length of pull is of a pretty standard too.
On The Range
The gun was tried on the testing Sporting targets on offer at Wylye Valley shooting ground, and although first impressions suggest that it’s heavier than the 8 ¼ pounds that it shows on the scales, it certainly felt responsive in the shoulder. The balance point is forward of the hinge pin but again in use it felt fairly neutral, the slightly barrel-heavy nature certainly helping to maintain swing on the longer crossing targets.
Fed a diet of Gamebore Black Gold 8’s the Fausti certainly seemed more than capable and dealt well with everything on offer though shooting ¾ and full seemed to produce fairly chippy breaks with the latter choke. A closer inspection on the pattern plate revealed that Full was extremely tight at closer ranges but it seemed that the pattern was blowing slightly at longer ranges, shot convergence probably being the reason, especially combined with the tight barrel bore.
The ideal combination proved to be ½ and ¾ and these certainly tidied things up, producing quality kills at all ranges. Apart from the issue around the recoil pad the gun came up well with a good clear sight picture that some of the others who tried it suggested was reminiscent of the early Beretta 682. Recoil was noticeable without being unduly harsh but the Black Gold is a very quick and punchy cartridge and with a softer shell it certainly wouldn’t present any problems over a normal 100-target round. The safety was positive as was the barrel selector and for a previously unfired gun the action was crisp without being unduly tight, whilst the ejectors did the job well even on the high brass cased Black Gold shells.
Conclusions
Overall the quality feels good especially when one bears in mind the price and it certainly shoots well enough, though some felt that it was more of a sporterised trap gun than an out and out Sporter. Considering the predominance of trapshooting in competitive clay shooting in Italy they may well be not that far off the mark. At this price point it is up against some stiff competition from the likes of Browning and Miroku and at this price it may struggle to sell in large numbers though it still represents a lot of gun for the money.
We Reckon!
• A capable clay gun that packs a lot of features
• Neatly designed and built to last
• Something different that stands out from the crowd and worth a look!
PRICE: £1,399 rrp