Fabarm XLR5 Gold: The Casa di Travagliato left the Gardone area a long time ago, moving to the Brescia plain where the detachment produced new solutions grafted onto the fundamental construction concepts in the construction of their rifles.
di Emmanuel Tabasso
When many years ago the smooth-bore semiautomatic was imposed on the market, not only the national one Fabarm has taken the study of this weapon to heart, dedicating energy and research to it. The current landscape has certainly changed, but precisely in these situations the extent of what was first studied at the table and then put into practice on operating machines is better understood. The semiautomatic of this company has always enjoyed a reputation for robustness, practicality, excellent performance in the field and, what is not to be neglected, a decidedly favorable quotation. Innovation has continuously supported the basic idea and the model XLR5 today represents a firm and qualified point of production: in fact, on this rifle there are many improvements that make a firearm flanked in appearance to many competitors into something profoundly different. So let's see what are the details to achieve this detachment, a sort of personalization that makes those who choose Fabarm feel like an enthusiast who is not satisfied with a solution often dictated by the emotional wave.
Fabarm XLR5 Gold: The mechanics
The carcass is made from an extruded aluminum alloy, Ergal 55, machined with subsequent milling operations: so far nothing different except an attractive line that distinguishes the shotgun at first sight, but together there is a research detailed for the resistant sections that provide the proverbial robustness while keeping the weight in rather low limits for the caliber adopted: to immediately provide some numbers we indicate the 2.900 / 3.100 g for the 12/76, according to the chosen barrel between the sizes 61 - 66 - 71 - 76 cm to which is added an unusual 90 cm measure which helps to raise the weight to around 3.300 g. It would be nice to conduct specific ballistic tests on this barrel entity: let's hope in the near future. Let's go back to our Gold: in addition to the structure we observe the black anodized surface finish which guarantees against oxidation and other external aggressions for greater peace of mind for the owner; to distinguish the product we note the application on the sides of wild in golden metal. Among the technical peculiarities we find the gas intake system, called Pulse Piston, consisting of a self-adjusting elastomer piston with a zirconium valve for venting the gases: the result of the material used and the operating calibration is a very fluid movement, with dilution of energy throughout the rearm time, therefore with minimal interference on the shooter's shoulder who will easily maintain the line of sight for any repetition of the shot. The very accurate balancing of the whole plays in this prerogative. The device also has the advantage of being self-cleaning and with a surface coating of zirconium, the enemy of oxidation and wear: therefore minimal maintenance interventions are required. The mechanical restraint system rests on the mobile plug placed in the bolt carriage and the corresponding mortise made in the breech extension of the barrel.
Fabarm XLR5 Gold: The rod
Among the peculiarities in which the Fabarm has distinguished itself well in advance, there is certainly the study of the drilling of the barrels to optimize the yield of the cartridges, minimize the negative effect of recoil, prepare for the use of steel shot. The Tribore HP barrels show a rather long first part, after the cartridge chamber, perforated with over-boring compared to the traditional parameters of the caliber, about 18,8 against 18,2-18,4 mm, therefore with an enlarged section to reduce pressure, lengthening the diagram together, avoiding the so-called water hammer; the section then narrows to the usual measures, but proceeding with a certain taper, not with the usual cylindrical shape, reopening to get to the interchangeable choke, 82 mm long where the slope and the section are a function of the pattern that you want to get. A definition that summarizes all these prerogatives is the Venturi cone effect where the narrowing first and then the enlargement generates a decisive acceleration of the fluid that passes through it. In fact, the swarm of shot pressed by the mass of combustion gases can be considered as such and the effects do not stop at speed, but continue on the density of the shot pattern and on the energy developed. Five Inner-type chokes supplied with the shotgun to cover every need from woodcock to duck. Note how these rods are tested at BNP at 1630 bar for a superior guarantee of resistance.
Fabarm XLR5 Gold: The stock
The possibility of having a grade 2,5 walnut stock favors the aesthetic component following a style that the company has always been able to boast of by offering high-class walnut pieces, worked with skill and customized by edging to the design of the checkering, going meeting the demands and tastes of foreign markets, which absorb a significant share of production. We are champions of this last option and we appreciate not only the work well done on this quality material, but the personalization that can be conferred here too, making a Fabarm immediately recognizable.