In a recent planning of its activities, Breda decided to hand over the company branch that dealt with hunting and shooting rifles: such a choice is not without risks, but sometimes you fall on your feet. Perhaps this term is not yet perfectly fitting, and it is not by default: for the Breda brand the passion and competence of Eng. Michele Marocchi represent a sumptuous and deserved rebirth where the cult of the historian joins the knowledge of the present and the divination of the future. All this has the possibility of expressing itself thanks to the solid operational reality of the factory whose name is known in Italy, but certainly not at the levels that its production would deserve by observing the numerical entities and the quality in the realization. The reason is obvious: being able to export almost all of the product is certainly not a trivial matter, especially if we consider how the United States of America have been on the sidelines of such sales until recently: today the establishment of a new, profitable relationship sees continuous growth on the first world market in the sector with respectable numbers. Such a favorable situation leads us to underline how the production flywheel is a driving factor for research and for the possibility of dedicating the attention it deserves to the jewel of the House.
The 20/76 caliber Titano
The fame of Breda shotguns was spread after the war by the long-recoil semi-automatic in various models sharing a particular style in technique and design. The all-steel Argus with a low weight of 2,9 kg with a 67 cm medium barrel is emblematic: the castle supports the mechanics fixed by a movable lid. On the sides of the arched scratches embellish the surfaces indicating the origin already at the first glance. Citing the Argus we want to refer to all the progeny of the Brescia-based company, one of the two pivots with Franchi, of the diffusion on the Italian market of the long-recoil semi-auto of national production. Today several things have changed, but we can say how Breda maintains certain prerogatives aimed at giving the current product a very peculiar class and style. When in the company it was a question of choosing two rifles for testing, we immediately opted for 20/76 calibers and today we are faced with the Titanus 20, the one with the most sophisticated aesthetic finishes and in line with the expectations of today's buyer. The Ergal castle has the shape of a lying L with ribs on the sides that visually lighten the mass, the vertical part shows a roundness elegantly connected to the profile of the upper cover in steel sheet. The finishes, the engravings, the carryovers and the company wordings combine to personalize this central part of the speargun with class: we first observe the clear, but not shiny, surface of the carcass on which the scratches mentioned above play with the addition of leaves. of acanthus under the curve of junction of the long side with the short one, in the middle the company brand stands out in its composed clarity in the well-known frame.
A dark ribbon with the light Breda writing repeated along the entire length crosses the right side like a parabola, creating a personal stylistic motif. Under the expulsion window there is another field engraved with hunting scenes with a background of trees on which a light blue enamel is silhouetted: we think it means that when hunting with Breda the sky is always blue. The work is completed with the affixing of two woodcocks in gilded metal that induce the thought of a sumptuous coppiola. The analysis of the detail ends by highlighting in the lower part a small frame with the name and caliber of the model: the handwriting in italics is well chosen, which stands out from the rest. Analogous finish for the left side of the weapon differentiated only by the carryover, always in golden metal, of three partridges flying from low crops: here too a couple would come by the way, the hat-trick would perhaps be too much, but if everything remained in the rule it would remain a satisfaction priceless. Still on the subject of style, we note the upper lid with a rounded section that detaches decisively from the castle thanks to the intense burnishing on a perfectly drawn bottom, without shadows and sways: the two lower parallel profiles are recessed within the complementary ones on the sides of the castle for a perfect joint. We turn the gun over as if to introduce the cartridges into the tubular magazine: in the compartment below stands the chromed steel elevating spoon with a very marked double relief shape: in this way the friction surfaces with the cartridge are reduced and the rigidity of the piece is increased.
Bolt, trigger and barrel
The shutter represents the heart of the inertial system to which the rearmament of the Titan relies: obtained from a block of alloy steel and finished with chrome plating, it contains within it the short and powerful spring which in relative motion between the rear mass still for a few moments , and the rest of the rifle that retracts under the recoil, stores the energy it returns when the thrust ceases. The interaction between an inclined track obtained in the block and a pin connected to the obturator head causes this to perform the necessary rotation to release the two front wings inserted in the mortises of the breech. The set is completed by the two lower sliding guides, the extraction claw and the firing pin hole, the rear recovery link, with spring inside the stock, and the ejection peg located in the rear extension of the barrel.
The rigidity of the trigger unit guarantees the absolute constancy of positioning and correspondence between the different components: it is a piece that deserves to be observed since it is machined from solid by milling a solid Ergal. Obviously this process realizes, together with the seat of the mechanisms such as the hammer and the contrast surfaces, also the bridge for the insertion of the trigger and the guard with the cross button of the safety protruding from the rear tine. Several tests carried out with the Lyman tool agree in designating the average release weight at 2320 g with oscillations around 50 g: already these values indicate a careful attention to the function, then certified by use where promptness, cleanliness and constancy are appreciated. .
We find that in our specimen the barrel length of 71 cm fits well on the whole and, considering the size of the shotgun appropriate to the 20 gauge, this gives a considerable momentum: in short, a nice glance that revives the spirit. Then there is obviously the ballistic aspect that on the hunting ground has asserted its prerogatives with 20/70 cartridges (20/76 cartridges were not used) loaded with progressive powder and 32 g of shot. The factory operations involve drilling and then hammering on the pin to obtain the different internal diameters with the relative connection cones. Next to the muzzle there is the thread for fixing the interchangeable choke: together with the special key, five are supplied thus allowing an optimal choice for the hunt you intend to undertake. The exterior is shadow-proof and the beautiful intense browning stands out beautifully: details, okay, but also a nice frame helps to highlight a valuable painting. Let's observe some details such as the lower ring fixed to Castolin through its rectangular base, and then the shaded rib welded directly to the barrel with the jumpers, without the sub-rib, and with the blunt apex: two other choices of taste. The LPA front sight is a red fiber optic cylinder, with a small section and pleasant functionality, making it clearly visible without over-covering the target.
The stock
The choice of walnut blanks from Georgia is the task of Eng. Michele who spends several days with a trusted importer for the annual supply: the seasoning then takes place again in the leg, that is with the pieces standing under a canopy with free air to allow the wood all the movements that precede the correct and definitive stabilization. The pieces are then designated to the different models on the basis of the grain so that they are in aesthetic assonance with the shotgun, favoring now elegance, now austerity highlighted, as a final touch, by an adequate surface treatment. In the Titano, elegance is dominant with a warm background color and natural brown veins with an enveloping trend: the chromatic consequentiality between the stock and the fore-end is perfect. The classic shapes see the medium elevation nose pad with side scratches and a rounded profile followed by the linear and conveniently thick back for a comfortable cheek support. The pistol grip with increased section towards the guard offers a firm posture to the hand as well as the narrow section rod, an advantage of the inertial system, rounded and crossed by two full length bevels in which the fingers tighten the grip for the swing. In the present case, the surface finish sees a not too marked closure of the pores followed by a triple semi-opaque oil run with an elegant and protective effect at the same time. The work is completed by the corrugations of the grip points alternating with knurls with well-raised diamond cusps separated from each other by smooth edges; lastly there are the two sling t-shirts, one with a screw seat in the stock and the other with hooking to the peg of the front tightening cap.
To conclude
The semi-auto is often considered a gun with the predominant function of class and refinement: on the other hand we bow to some excellence such as the Cosmi for the design and executive refinement comparable to that of a high-ranking side-by-side, or to the legendary FN Auto 5 for the birthright in the sector, for the genius of the largely machinable project by JM Browning and for the sumptuous final dexterity of the gunsmiths of the House of Herstal. Today very few other examples of semiautomatics conquer the status of beautiful shotguns thanks to intelligent mechanical solutions and an executive care that pays attention both to the point and to the smallest detail: the Bredas are rightfully placed among these.