Franchi Affinty experiences ?

SFC B said:
I think I have settled on it. Only wrench in the business is that the wife reminded me I need a safe before another gun ;/ So looks like the first buy with a pro deal will be a Liberty USA 48. Affinity will probably be next month :)
Click to expand...
Damn it 😉😉
 
I've used a 12g Franchi Affinity 3.0 for last 3 years, really like it, mostly duck hunting. But ask me again in 5-10 years, seems like every semiauto I've had eventually started giving me problems. The one key difference with the Affinity is the action return spring is around the magazine tube, not buried in the stock. This is a slick design which will hopefully improve long term reliability.

Have Win 3.5" gun, just never found the need for 3-1/2 since I stopped targeting geese.
 
NDGuy said:
OP go buy the Franchi Affinity Select from Scheels. Beautiful gun!

www.scheels.com

Franchi Original Affinity 3 Select Semi-Auto Shotgun

The Franchi Affinity 3 Select Shotgun delivers premium precision in a unique design. This semi-auto shotgun features an Inertia Driven system for reliable firing. SCHEELS
www.scheels.com www.scheels.com
Click to expand...
We have one on the floor and yes, it IS a sweet gun. For me this will be mostly a waterfowl gun so the camo and ability to shoot 3.5s in a pinch is the ticket.
 
Look at the Retay Air Max. Look at Randy Wakefield’s review on YouTube. Interia with no Benellis click or Benellis thumb that you will get with Franchi. Retays have a locking bolt that will not come out of battery. The shell carrier doesn’t pop up and catch your thumb. Cerakote barrel and receiver. 5 choke tubes. A real nice hard case is included. The also have an easy to remove trigger group, push two buttons and it pops out. 1 piece Chrome lined Bohler steel barrel. Easy unload no jacking shells on the ground. No plastic trigger guard, which is designed to not hit your hand on stock. Oversized controls for wearing gloves. Recoil pad that doesn’t catch on heavy clothes when pulling the gun to shoulder. This will be my next shotgun.
 
huntingman121 said:
Look at the Retay Air Max. Look at Randy Wakefield’s review on YouTube. Interia with no Benellis click or Benellis thumb that you will get with Franchi. Retays have a locking bolt that will not come out of battery. The shell carrier doesn’t pop up and catch your thumb. Cerakote barrel and receiver. 5 choke tubes. A real nice hard case is included. The also have an easy to remove trigger group, push two buttons and it pops out. 1 piece Chrome lined Bohler steel barrel. Easy unload no jacking shells on the ground. No plastic trigger guard, which is designed to not hit your hand on stock. Oversized controls for wearing gloves. Recoil pad that doesn’t catch on heavy clothes when pulling the gun to shoulder. This will be my next shotgun.
Click to expand...
Gotta say I've never heard of Retay but that sounds like a nice gun. From what I could tell they are priced similar. My boy picked out a 12ga affinity at Scheels. Shoots nice, a little springy sounding compared to my Browning Maxus but less going on then the auto 5... He hits flying clay with it fine.
 
The only thing I don't like about the Franchi is that weird shaped interface between the stock and the recoil pad. I have a really long LOP and factory shotguns don't fit me. That one would be tough for me to add spacers on. I actually just bought a Stoeger M3000 and part of the calculus for me was the inertia system mixed with a straight stock that I can easily add space on to meet my LOP.
 
huntingman121 said:
Look at the Retay Air Max. Look at Randy Wakefield’s review on YouTube. Interia with no Benellis click or Benellis thumb that you will get with Franchi. Retays have a locking bolt that will not come out of battery. The shell carrier doesn’t pop up and catch your thumb. Cerakote barrel and receiver. 5 choke tubes. A real nice hard case is included. The also have an easy to remove trigger group, push two buttons and it pops out. 1 piece Chrome lined Bohler steel barrel. Easy unload no jacking shells on the ground. No plastic trigger guard, which is designed to not hit your hand on stock. Oversized controls for wearing gloves. Recoil pad that doesn’t catch on heavy clothes when pulling the gun to shoulder. This will be my next shotgun.
Click to expand...
A couple of things make this a no-starter for me. First, even if I go with the 3.5 Elite (which I am leaning toward- 5 chokes, cerakote, oversized controls and port which gets rid of the Benelli thumb, and Optifade marsh as well) the Retay would cost me SEVERAL hundred dollars more. Second, and this is my confidence in products made by the Beretta/Benelli/Franchi group in Italy vs a Turkish manufacturer couple with a 7 year warranty vs a 5 for Retay (with a much smaller dealer and support network).
 
SFC B said:
A couple of things make this a no-starter for me. First, even if I go with the 3.5 Elite (which I am leaning toward- 5 chokes, cerakote, oversized controls and port which gets rid of the Benelli thumb, and Optifade marsh as well) the Retay would cost me SEVERAL hundred dollars more. Second, and this is my confidence in products made by the Beretta/Benelli/Franchi group in Italy vs a Turkish manufacturer couple with a 7 year warranty vs a 5 for Retay (with a much smaller dealer and support network).
Click to expand...
You kind of lost me at 3.5 Elite. Benelli Ethos??? Which costs way more than an air Max. The Retay air Max is $1400. That’s a lot of gun for that price. The Mausi Mara have been out for a few years, and the reviews have been great. Briley from Briley Chokes does all the warranty work on them and say we never get any of them in for any work.

I have two friends that bought the fancy SBE 3s that were over $2000. One shot way left and had to be sent back and replaced. Thanks God the other one didn’t shoot left it only shot way high and it had to be sent back and replaced?😳😳😳 Great Italian craftsmanship.

Now we all sit in the duck blind and when one of them isn’t looking the other drops the others gun 6 inches and then laughed when ducks come on and it goes click. To each his own. People hear turkey gun and say junk which is often true. I just don’t think it is with Retay.
 
huntingman121 said:
You kind of lost me at 3.5 Elite. Benelli Ethos??? Which costs way more than an air Max. The Retay air Max is $1400. That’s a lot of gun for that price. The Mausi Mara have been out for a few years, and the reviews have been great. Briley from Briley Chokes does all the warranty work on them and say we never get any of them in for any work.

I have two friends that bought the fancy SBE 3s that were over $2000. One shot way left and had to be sent back and replaced. Thanks God the other one didn’t shoot left it only shot way high and it had to be sent back and replaced?😳😳😳 Great Italian craftsmanship.

Now we all sit in the duck blind and when one of them isn’t looking the other drops the others gun 6 inches and then laughed when ducks come on and it goes click. To each his own. People hear turkey gun and say junk which is often true. I just don’t think it is with Retay.
Click to expand...
The Affinity 3.5 comes in an "Elite" version with those additions and with my discount I will pay just over half of the cost of that Retay.
 
SFC B said:
I am leaning heavily toward inertia and the Franchi Affinity 3.5 Anyone have personal experience, especially waterfowlly experience, with one they are willing to share?
Click to expand...

mine's not a 3.5" version but I like my Affinity for duck hunting,,, never had an issue with it and shoots where I am looking
 
huntingman121 said:
I just don’t think it is with Retay.
Click to expand...
Man I know you like the product but gotta remember they are a newer company and have a long ways to go before people would grab one vs a Benelli, Beretta, or Browning.
 
I bought an Affinity 3" around 2012. I had some issues with ejecting Rio shotshells my first year. I don't shoot those anymore, and I've never had any ejection issues since. It's been a great gun, and it fits me like a glove. First auto I've owned. It sees a lot of waterfowl hunting in icy conditions and late season pheasant hunts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Kiwi
Wyoming Hunt
Replies
15
Views
1K
Goatshoes
Goatshoes
chuckchili
Any Experience with GM 3.0l Duramax Diesel 1500 Trucks?
Replies
19
Views
13K
tmich05
T
C
Unit 70 Colorado deer
Replies
10
Views
1K
Caddis28
C
M
NM Unit 51 December Muzzleloader - what to expect?
Replies
2
Views
818
elkduds
elkduds
davinski
Ever lose your mojo after a bad guiding experience?
Replies
13
Views
1K
ccc23454
ccc23454

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
111,059
Messages
1,945,351
Members
34,997
Latest member
winchester 73

Share this page

Back
Top