Franchi Affinity Synt 20/76: The model maintains the name and caliber that marked the start of the new production of the Franchi brand: within these semiautomatics, the proposals are differentiated to satisfy an ever-increasing range of customers
di Emmanuel Tabasso
Here we are again dealing with a Franchi rifle with all the mental connections to the past and equally with the appreciation of what the brand is currently offering for a different and modern understanding of hunting, of manners, of game and, above all, of the shotgun to be used in such a panorama. Seizing new opportunities is increasingly difficult because identifying them presupposes a very precise knowledge of reality, knowing how to sort out the dubious mental problems from the real need, the one that ultimately allows to maintain production with the numbers appropriate to an industrial apparatus.
The semiautomatic continues to prove to be a repeated choice, thanks to a plurality of answers promptly provided to the hunter thanks to its versatility, to the solid mechanical setting that has always improved over time, to the low cost which, ultimately, proves to be a rewarding argument. The Affinity Synt model in caliber 20/76 contains what is classic and what is innovative: we have the technical concept of one and the stock and the choice of caliber of the other.
Mechanics
We observe the closed castle in light alloy machined with a milling cutter with a convex cap equipped with an anti-reflective groove as an invitation to the line of sight given by the anti-reflective rib, customized connection in the coupling with the stock, ejection window with inclined rear edge, front ring for the insertion of the barrel and, underneath, the magazine tube. In the large lower opening, the trigger unit, including guard and bridge, trigger and transverse button of the safety, is fixed with a hook and an elastic pin.
In front there is the elevating spoon in polished and deeply ribbed steel to obtain solidity and smooth movement of the cartridges. The repetition mechanism relies on the inertial system whose cleaning characteristics and speed of intervention are thoroughly known. The two-piece bolt slide features a two-wing rotating head with a rounded profile, equipped with a hole for the firing pin and a sturdy extractor claw with built-in register spring, which achieves a stable closure by inserting itself into the mortises made in the breech of the barrel. When fired, the whole rifle moves back, in particular the barrel and head assembly, while the mass of the slide remains stationary. Between the two elements, a stubby spring resistant to a pressure of about 125 kg goes to pack, accumulating the energy that it will return, as soon as the recoil thrust ceases, finally sending back the carriage itself where an inclined track plays with a peg protruding from the head forcing it to rotate.