Sunday 8 May the weather gives mediocre indications on the progress of the climate, but with the morning without rain: the weather then takes its part to favor this meeting and the sun, perhaps a little veiled, will be excellent company until the end of the event. . The organization sees the extremes of northern Italy on the track with theFontana armory of Visco, a town close to the magnificent fortified city of Palmanova in the lower Friuli area, the Bonardo di Bra armory and the Carrù polygon: the owners of the aforementioned activities, Paolo Fontana, Carlo Bonardo and Giorgio Rosso. The subject to be treated is the Strasser air rifles produced by an Austrian company dedicated to aerospace mechanics to which it has joined this arms sector where the refinement of the workmanship shines together with the design excellence: the idea comes directly from Horst Blaser, a name that is known to all for his creations even if from some time the brand and the company passed under the aegis of a financial industrial complex where they are in the company of Sour e moult.
The techniqueThe name of the designer suggests innovative solutions together with the basic one relating to the rearmament system with the in-line movement: in fact we find a castle shaped like a prism and equipped with a ring and bridge closed with a window on both sides, equipped with large bevels and upper crosspiece for connection and stiffening. The breech of the barrel fits precisely into the front ring and in the specimens under test, all of the Mod. RS14, it is locked by means of a small internal lever that activates an eccentric. The lateral sides of the castle are covered by two panels fixed with Torx screws and inside there are the seats for the detachable magazine and the removable trigger package: the two elements abut in the front and two rear projections shaped with inclined bars. of the stock, thus finding a large contrasting surface against which the energy when fired is discharged.
In the breech extension the hooking and sliding guides of the bolt carriage conceived as follows are made. A cylindrical central part with two upper lightening flattenings supports the shaped breech cap in light alloy in the right side of which the handlebar with round knuckle is inserted; at the rear there is the slide button of the safety in which the button to reopen the bolt after cocking is inserted: the cartridge chambered with the safety on is then safely removed. At the front, the cylinder is perforated to accommodate the extension of the bolt head equipped with an orthogonal notch where an arched sheet is positioned, embedded in the main body, which can be easily lifted with a fingernail; this internal extension ends with a conical section pushed forward by the movement of the handlebar. Observing now the front portion we will notice four large sections of a cylinder held in position by a small circular spring with very tight coils, in front of which the head with a lowered face protrudes, with a firing pin hole, an elastic ejection pawl and an extraction nail shaped like a prism of considerable proportions and with T-joint, therefore with the best guarantees of operation.
To complete the explanations on the closure, it should be noted that a circular crown milling is made within the breech thickness of the barrel in which the four blanking blocks are inserted under the thrust of the conical pin. It is easy to understand how the contrast surface is extended and how all the elements work with peak load; in addition, there are various measures that increase safety by preventing the bolt from firing when the bolt is not perfectly closed and preventing it from retracting if the main constraint is not released. The barrel of considerable section with 17 mm in muzzle has a good external finish with semi-matt burnishing against scratches and oxidation; The cold hammered rifling is of excellent quality with well-smoothed solids and voids, sharp and clear edges, a perfectly coaxial chamber with the core, lively lowered muzzle.
The trigger pack and the chargerA light pressure on a spring button, reachable only after having removed the bolt from its seat, allows you to remove the trigger package including the guard and the bridge in which the trigger is inserted as well as a small Allen key, stuck in a soft plastic seat, useful for starting disassembly operations starting from the forend under the barrel. The complex is in itself a piece of fine mechanics with a simple and refined solution for determining the release weight. In the frame you can see the coupling rod with the firing pin, the spring with the return to the trigger, the extension of the table with the system for varying the weight given by an oscillating block and a contrast spring equipped with a guide pin. This pin has three positions and in each one the spring load varies and therefore the trigger weight (500-750-1000 g): in addition there is a French stecher system that brings the load to just 250 g, bypassing the various predetermined weights. There are no elements of criticism of the performance in the field where cleanliness and promptness are excellent, as we find the three weights of your choice very comfortable, but with a stecher that, with the single push forward of the trigger, brings us to the maximum of sensitivity. The charger can also be taken from its seat by pressing the two buttons on the sides of the castle: it avoids accidental release and the posture required for the action makes the pack fall right into the palm of the hand. Easy to insert cartridges without having to peel your fingers and the whole complex in solid folded steel sheet proves to be of appreciable strength.
The stockThe organization of the stock recalls the Sauer 200 project in which our Olympic champion Ennio Mattarelli had put his mind and hand: in contrast to orthodoxy, the stock is in two separate parts worked with great care and precision. The rod is released first by pressing on the pin of the front belt holder, then the median retainer is unscrewed with the Allen key taken from the trigger pack; after having removed it from the seat, the metallic element contrasting with the castle, a plate and two orthogonal cylindrical prongs, can be observed, and a shaped lever can be taken from the bottom with which to act on the element for clamping the barrel to the castle. In the sides of the block two small semi-cylindrical millings act as a seat for the aforementioned prongs. The stock from the traditional Central European line features the Bavarian back, the cheek rest and the nose pad highlighted by deep scratches, the angled pistol with an elegant black horn guard and the rubber butt plate. The fine checkering in the grip points proves to be an adequate solution for style and functionality.
The fire testsMany fans took turns on the lines made available by Giorgio Rosso in the Carrù polygon for more than three hours, with interest in this novelty which recently arrived in Italy thanks to the Armeria Fontana. The Swarovski optics with alternating values to satisfy those who prefer remote shooting on still game or hunting with wild boar in the run, they proved to be perfectly suitable allowing valuable results: unfortunately the late morning climate creates a remarkable mirage effect, but much not prevented the excellent Emilio, a friend of Paolo Fontana and his travel companion for the occasion, from printing three shots in just over 22 mm at 200 meters. This is to mean like it Strasser it is certainly an excellent shotgun, given the speed of rearming, but equally an effective solution for long-distance precision shooting. At this point in the story, a cordial good luck to the whole team that is dedicated to the manufacture and dissemination of the Strasser is pleasantly obligatory: indeed, given its origin, a classic fits perfectly. Good health!