Verney Carron Impact Nt Battue air rifle: maximum efficiency in driven hunt

The Impact Nt Battue .300 Winchester magnum is a shotgun conceived and designed for driven hunts: Available in two versions, Battue and Diamant, the Verney Carron Impact can be loaded with different types of cartridges, depending on the hunter's preferences.

La Verney Carron is a French company based in Saint-Etienne, which has been producing hunting rifles since 1820. Thanks to the experience accumulated over the decades both in the French market and in Western Europe and North America, Verney Carron is managed to carve out important and significant spaces also in Eastern Europe and South America. In recent years, rifle manufacturers have applied a real revitalization of their weapons intended for driven hunts.

Both the inclusion in the sector of new competitors, such as Benelli with its Argo and Winchester with the SXR, and the more "classic" manufacturers have both decided to review their top models, as Remington has chosen to do. the new 750, the heir of the 7400, and Verney Carron, who conceived his new semiautomatic rifle obtaining the Impact nt model.

Two versions available, Battue and Diamant, which differ in the finishes, this shotgun, produced in Saint Etienne, apart from being chambered for a classic batting caliber such as the .30-06, is also marketed in the .300 Winchester magnum caliber and in two other exclusive calibers : the 7 × 64, a very fashionable cartridge in central Europe, and the 7 mm Remington magnum, an ammunition always appreciated by those who love the typical recoil of the .300 Winchester magnum. The line is very streamlined, but lightened thanks to a series of engravings located on the sides of the carcass in Ergal. On the left side there are deer inserted in a mountain environment, while on the right side there are wild boars in a hilly landscape in full autumn. The point of union between the Ergal carcass and the barrel is definitely defined; on the contrary, the recesses of the stock have been more accurate. Since the receiver is made of light alloy, the bolt engages its locking lugs directly in the breech of the barrel. The operating system is a long recoil gas outlet, with a rototranslating shutter. The latter is provided with six closing lugs placed in two series of three at 120 degrees, while the rotation of the head is controlled by a cam profile in which a peg is inserted which engages the bolt to the bolt carrier.

On the right side of the latter there is a sheet metal casing which, when the weapon is closed, matches the ejection window, in order to prevent external elements such as sand, dust or dirt from entering the 'indoor. The cartridge is extracted thanks to a large extractor installed on the outside of the shutter, characterized by a cut face that houses the entire rim of the cartridge. The expulsion is carried out by two piston ejectors which act in pairs, both positioned on the left side of the shutter and separated by about one millimeter from each other. The retrograde thrust to the bolt carrier is made reliable by two return rods, the latter connected to a block that performs the function of piston since it receives the gases taken from the barrel and conveyed through a nozzle. The block has two spring-loaded pegs which act as a shock absorber for retrograde travel. The mechanics are therefore simple and rational, even if the disassembly of the rifle is not very simple and easy to perform. The safe of the Verney Carron is the classic crossbar, positioned in the rear part of the trigger bridge, while the magazine release button is located on the right side of the receiver, in order to operate it with the same hand with which the magazine is extracted. The hold open lever is located on the left side of the castle and immediately behind there is a small button, that is the shutter release command. With this system, with the hammer cocked, the bolt is locked in closing regardless of whether there is a cartridge in the chamber or not; to open it there are only two possibilities: either you pull the trigger and knock down the hammer, a solution highly discouraged as there may be a cartridge in the chamber, or you compress the button and at the same time you move back the cocking lever. Verney Carron has chosen this safety system in order to avoid involuntary opening of the shutter in the event of accidental impacts on the cocking lever during hunting. The magazine is single-stack and removable, with two or four rounds. The two-shot magazine is equipped with a crossbar intended to operate the hold open, which is missing in the larger capacity tank.

Therefore, those who use the two-round magazine, once the last shot has been fired, the bolt remains open; if, on the other hand, the four-round magazine is chosen, once the last shot is fired, the bolt closes again and to open it, press the release button. The four-round magazine, in particular, protrudes slightly from the gun, increasing the overall dimensions a bit. Both magazines take up 89mm internal space. The barrel is made of carbon steel, obtained through the roto-hammering system. At the rear, the barrel shows a cone-like enlargement that houses the six closing tenons. The rifling is six-start, with a pitch of 1:10 "(250 mm). The barrel has a light profile, as it was chosen to reduce weight; the muzzle, equipped with a recessed hunting-type crown, measures only 15 mm. In the upper part, a ventilated rib starts from the top of the seat of the closing tenons to reach up to a third of the barrel, while in the upper part a red line helps to improve the acquisition of the target in an instinctive way. The rib ends down towards the barrel with an inclination of about 60 degrees, building a right triangle with the barrel, where the latter could be considered the hypotenuse. The viewfinder is fixed and is equipped with a red fiber optic insert. The line of sight is only 305 mm long and has been optimized for shoulder shooting, so that the rifle has a very instinctive attitude, obtaining collimation of the target in an almost immediate way. There are four threaded holes on the castle to accommodate a scope. The fore-end and the stock are finished with oil and both knurled in the grip points: the knurling, in particular, even if printed, is well engraved. The ventilated type butt pad attenuates recoil and the rubber of which it is composed is shiny, in order to obtain a perfect sliding on the clothes while holding it. Ultimately, the possibility of freely choosing the type of ammunition with which to load this rifle and all the mechanical and safety devices, make the Verney Carron Impact Nt Battue one of the most reliable rifles for driven hunts.