Revo Premium Game O/U

It’s getting rather habit forming is all this, as soon as a new Turkish built shotgun appears on the market, one of them wings its way to me. And, can I say, there’s nothing at all wrong with that since I seem to be one of the few who forecast the upsurge in popularity of hunting weaponry from this part of the world. Why? Because many Turkish shotguns are now well made, fit the bill as decent all-rounders, come with all the supposed extras as standard and above all else, are seriously affordable. Add into the equation that most Turkish shotguns come with everything you’re likely to need as standard and yet again the increasing appeal of Turkish guns becomes even more apparent, with the new range of Revo over/under shotguns imported by the Sportsmans Gun Centre bearing testament to the fact.

All Inclusive

Manufactured by Silah, a maker that’s perfected producing shotguns that have genuine appeal and quality, especially for the UK market, the first surprise is that to own a Revo Premium Game 12 bore all you’ll have to part with is £499.99p but don’t for one moment conclude that all you’ll get is the gun. To start with you get a proprietary black plastic travelling case along with a smaller case that contains a full set of five flush-fit choke tubes and a key. The next item to draw your eye is the gun itself which looks remarkably like Sportsman may well have supplied you with the wrong 12 bore going on looks alone. It looks far more expensive.

Being Turkish the furniture is of course walnut, a resilient polyurethane-style finish covering a nicely grained game style stock that incorporates a thin butt plate with a hard heel insert that reduces potential drag when mounting. Two soft but well defined oversized panels of chequering have been applied to either side of the semi-pistol grip, the same pattern repeating both sides of the London-style forend, a design that to my mind is far more comfortable to hold, allows for greater leading hand movement and considerably more pleasing to the eye than the now outdated tulip or Schnabel format. 

Close Inspection

The familiar Italian style boxlock action is lightly decorated with profuse rose and scroll ornamentation with a sandblast effect applied to the fences. A short black top- lever and broad, barrel selective automatic safety-catch dominate the short top tang whilst a broad though rather small and unusually shaped black trigger-guard protects the non-adjustable blade.

The blacked 28” monobloc barrels have a 7mm vented top rib and the mid-rib also incorporates slots that precisely echo those above them – the latter being a slightly unusual feature for a game gun. Flaring ever so marginally at the muzzle, a small brass bead sitting just above them, the tubes swage into 3” chambers and strong ejectors.

The overall fit and finish of the metal and woodwork would match that of far more expensive offerings.

Up and Running

With the Arrow Laser Shot confirming the Premium’s flat attitude it was off to enjoy Bond & Bywaters’ last evening shoot of the year, the Revo being a perfect partner for sixty or so sporting clays. Size wise, the Premium weighs in at a rather hefty 8lbs 4oz with a balance point about an inch beyond the hinges giving the gun a weight forward attitude. Overall length is an exact 45” with 1½” and 2¼” drops at comb and heel, all more or less as they should be for an all-round game gun that’ll also serve as a clay breaker.

The two negatives of the Revo’s physical attributes were that the safety is at times a tad gritty; something that can usually be cured easily and the mechanical trigger pull weight at 8lbs break is way too hefty. Yes, once used to it, the release weight didn’t prove a problem but it needs at least a pound or more shaving off. Most game guns have slightly heavier triggers as part of their overall safety features but 8lbs is just too heavy, although the 14 1/16” length of pull is ideal, allowing the shooter a goodly degree of clothing variation over the season without to great an alteration in reach. As regards the safety, personally I don’t like auto safes anyway, so I’d have my local gunsmith disengage the facility so the problem would no longer exist.

However, the trigger weight and safety certainly didn’t stop the Revo shooting well, a varying diet of 28 gram and 30 gram Eley VIP Trap and Pigeon loads along with a few Alphamax shot through ¼ and Cylinder restrictions allowed the Premium to prove its worth. Given the gun’s weight you do have to initially drive it on but once the swing has started off it goes in search of its targets, breaking them with assurance.

Between them, the slim grip and evenly contoured forend also promote fluidity of handling which means the shooter, especially on clays, can keep the Revo active within the hands whilst the stock dimensions along with the hard heel insert means the gun can be mounted in an instant, the weight forward attitude meaning the initial swing movement can be started well before the butt meets the shoulder pocket. Driven, going away along with close and fast or long and distant crossers, they all fell victim to the Revo’s abilities, a 12 bore that was on the money from the moment the first bird flew, the 28 and 30 gram loads all being easily coped with.

Corvid Crusher

The evening ended with the chance to tackle a few roosting crows and a few late woodies drifting quietly home. It was also a chance to up the load size to see how the Premium coped with larger 36 gram and above cartridges. As with the clays the Revo made short work of the unsuspecting corvids as they came into settle on the upper branches, with the chokes tightened to ¼ and ½ the black pests were tumbled down through the foliage with ease. One point though, whilst the Revo makes little of most loads, progress much past 34 gram and you will feel the recoil.

What More?

Basically for £499.99p what more do you want? A good looking over-under 12 bore game gun complete with a full set of chokes and a case. Add in the facts that it shoots well, balances, handles and patterns as well as any shotgun in its class and you have a gun that’ll do almost anything and everything you’d want it to do. Apart from those who have an unjustified conceit when it comes to Turkish built shotguns, I defy most shooters to find fault with the Revo Premium Game 12 bore. For those who have this oft misguided dislike of Turkish guns, wake up, you don’t know what you’re missing at a fraction of the price of the shotgun you might be considering. 

For those who fancy the Premium Game but not in a 12, it’s also available as a 20 bore and as a 20/410 Youth combo for an even more affordable price of £424.99p. Think on this, a pair of shotguns for you and one for your wife, son or daughter for less than a grand, makes you wonder why others manage to charge so much! GM

PRICE: £499.99p