Antonio Zoli is an important Italian gun company, internationally recognized as one of the most appreciated. The AZ1900 series rifles represent the flagship of Zoli for high technological standards, the latter connected to a great tradition and passion during all phases of creation.
The Antonio Zoli SpA company came in the very first post-war period, within the cultural context of a gunsmith typical of the Brescia hinterland. Antonio Zoli was born in 1905, son of Giuseppe, a manufacturer of steel in his workshop in Magno, the hamlet of Gardone, which already from the fourteenth century was recognized for the production of weapons intended for the governments of Venice, Piedmont and Naples. .
Some historical documents testify that since 1490 the name of the Zoli family was operating in Magno, within a specific artisan fabric composed of the first archibusters, the latter master craftsmen expert in the construction of firearms.
In the following centuries, the activity of the Zoli family consolidated more and more, to the point that in 1867 Giovanni Zoli was recognized as an appreciated steelmaker. As evidence of this activity, a muzzleloading pistol of exquisite execution is remembered, which bore the mark of the triumplina family and currently kept in the Zoli armory, as a sort of symbol of the family itself. The founder of the company, Antonio Zoli, at the beginning of his career, collaborated with the main companies in the sector, until 1945 October 1956 when he officially started his own business which will become, in the following years, one of the most renowned industrial realities of the area. Today this company is managed by his sons, who have brought new ideas, obtaining important results in terms of product quality and market appreciation: from the high quality shotguns, the commercial production of barrel shotguns was subsequently started. smooth with internal and external dogs, with juxtaposed and superimposed rods. In 1960 Zoli became the first example in the world of a manufacturer of replicas of historical muzzle-loading weapons, conquering important slices of the international market. Antonio Zoli SpA was the first Italian company to produce in Italy on an industrial scale, starting from the XNUMXs, combined barrel shotguns with smooth and rifled bore, interfering in the "monopoly" of the manufacturers of central Europe, who then held the primacy in this armament segment. Subsequently, express shotguns with overlapping and juxtaposed barrels were put into production, alongside bolt-action type shutter weapons.
As for all companies that want to remain competitive on the market, Antonio Zoli relies on high technological standards in the production of weapons, without losing sight of the importance of the role played by the gunsmith worker, mainly during the final phase of commissioning. point and testing of the finished rifle. The draftsman with pencil and drafting machine has been replaced with a modern technician who uses computers and Cad / Cam drawing systems in 3 dimensions, who is able to modify both the aesthetic and technical level in real time. Even the manual verification of the details and components of the individual rifles, operated with the traditional caliber, has been replaced with a computerized measurement system with tolerances of one thousandth of a millimeter. For this phase, in fact, computerized numerical control machines are used, which every day produce rockers complete with crosses and trigger groups, monoblocks for barrels, carcasses and shutters. Obviously these high technological standards travel in parallel with the experience of the technicians, who rely both on three-dimensional testing machines, which certify their compliance, and on their expert eyes.
Even the assembly phase has undergone important changes over the years, while remaining in a manual context. The ballistic aspect and the dynamics that regulate the performance result of each single shotgun are still today linked to concepts and processing phases that do not presuppose the sole and exclusive technological approach.
The one we will deal with today is the AZ 1900 Bavarian S series air rifle.
The AZ 1900 series bolt action rifle range was recently revamped after more than 50.000 were sold. Indeed, the already high quality standards, precision and reliability have been improved by designer Gunnar Larsson. The reinterpretation of the AZ1900 series has consisted in a careful refinement work marked by innovation and the accuracy of each component, while preserving originality and contents.
The new quality standard was aimed at design, precision, safety, manageability and fluidity, honoring a historic product from Antonio Zoli.
The shutter has a head with two closing wings with a claw extractor embedded in the shutter body, while the ejector is a piston. The shutter fully encloses the cartridge bottom. The appendix placed on one of the two fins acts as a guide, improving sliding.
Zoli also manufactures a shutter and casing starting from the solid steel bar with numerical control mechanical processing, and then moving on to the heat hardening treatment.
The new Stecher trigger group, entirely created with CNC machines, is available with the exclusive, safe and innovative "ISS" (Innovative Safety System) which guarantees the following features: it cannot be inserted when the weapon is in safety or unarmed; it disengages automatically when the safety device is inserted; it disengages automatically when the shutter is opened. This system eliminates possible risks deriving from the use of the stecher device. The stecher, available on request, combined with the double safety already supplied, guarantees the Zoli rifles a record safety.
The AZ 1900 was the first production rifle to offer the safety with the “DSS” (Double safety system) device. This safety, if inserted, by means of a special button allows the opening of the bolt to remove the ammunition from the cartridge chamber in complete safety.
In order to guarantee a high accuracy of shooting, all the rifles of the Zoli range are offered with the floating barrel (Free floating barrel). The castle and shutter are made from a single steel bar, the extremely fluid action, the net trigger group are just some of the peculiarities of the AZ1900 series. The “Bavarian” range is produced in different versions and is distinguished by a classic Bavarian stock of Central European style of great effect. Since the basic version, the “Bavarian S” air rifle comes standard with the “DSS” safety system, the “ISS” stecher as well as all safety equipment. The “Bavarian Lux” variant compared to the basic version differs in the classic style engraving performed entirely on the carcass and on the underguard. The left-handed configuration is called “Bavarian Lux Left”. The “Battue” version, designed to be suitable for driven hunts, differs in the shorter barrel length of 7 cm. and in metal sights suitable for fast aiming. The latter model is also available in a left-handed version. Finally, the Stutzen version, which is an even more manageable and light variant, which was created for specific and traditional hunts. The stock is long up to the muzzle and ends with a duck beak tip. Accuracy is ensured by the exclusive stock fixing system which replaces the classic band on the muzzle with an elastic bushing. The latter is positioned about halfway through the barrel and is able to manage the thermal expansion after the shot and to reduce its negative effects. Antonio Zoli has reached the third generation, managing to remain competitive on the market thanks to the quality guaranteed by its products. Technology connected to passion and tradition have determined this result.