Basically, anyone who chooses to hunt with a break-action firearm is a hunter with a sporting and traditional spirit. Choosing a double barrelled gun instead of the additional rounds that a semi-automatic gun provides often appears to be a renunciation, but there are technical considerations and advantages that side-by-side and over-and-under express rifles can provide to hunters. Particularly when hunting in the woods, these compact firearms with their usually short barrel lengths, 55 cm in the case of the F.A.I.R. Iside double rifle, are very fast in swinging and aiming. A quick-to-shoulder gun is also a gun that makes accurate shots at close range and instinctive shooting easier, so in many cases it can also prove to be the most effective in driven hunting. In addition, the locks of a break-action rifle are always a better guarantee that the reloading mechanism will not jam and therefore, especially when hunting large ungulates, an additional guarantee of a successful and safe shot. On the other hand, a break-action rifle may be stiffer when firing and with more severe recoil, but precisely for this reason, the construction principles of double-barrelled rifles such as the Iside Safari, which have mechanical features aimed at optimising balance and ruggedness, should be carefully evaluated.
Technical specifications and range test of the F.A.I.R Iside Safari Prestige
The F.A.I.R. Iside Safari Prestige double rifle is built around a receiver machined from a solid steel billet with increased thicknesses to ensure safety and stability when firing. The thicknesses of the barrel chambers are also increased. The rifle, which is designed for ungulate hunting, sports barrel surfaces embellished with deep laser engravings depicting the main European game: a deer and a wild boar on both sides and a roe deer on the receiver bottom. Barrel length is 55 cm and along the anti-glare checkered rib there are high-visibility metal sights and mounting holes for a red dot. The metal rear notch is coupled to a high-viz fiber optic front sight that is adjustable in elevation and windage. Trigger is single selective with gold-plated trigger blade. Case ejection is automatic thanks to long-stroke selective ejectors. We mentioned balance, and in a compact rifle with a total weight of 2.9 kg, this is provided by the coupling between the metal and wood parts of the stock. The Bavarian-style stock is made from select oil-finished walnut and the cheek rest the hunter can rely on when shouldering the gun is large and ergonomic. The buttstock ends in a thick rubber recoil pad. The beavertail fore-end complements the ergonomics of the rifle by contributing to a firm and precise grip thanks to the large contact surface area for the hunter's hand and the effective design of the checkering. The Iside Safari Prestige double rifle is available in all the main calibers for ungulate hunting: 8x57 JRS, 30R Blaser, 30.06 Springfield, .308 Winchester .270 Winchester .243 Winchester, 7x57R and 9.3x74R, which was the subject of our test.
On the range, we tested the rifle at the running boar line. Starting with the first shots on the still boar's silhouette at 50 meters to assess the trigger, we then moved on to fire at the running target to concretely experience the stability and accuracy of the Iside rifle. On the first two rounds, in addition to a rather heavy but clear trigger, we were also able to adjust the sights, immediately managing to place two close shots on the silhouette near the center. Shooting at the running target, the power of the cartidge made itself felt, leading us to tighten up the grip and aim at the lower section of the silhouette in order to manage muzzle flip, which was however less than expected. The two shots in quick succession always landed close together in the lower section of the boar's silhouette, demonstrating that there is no shot drifting due to excessive vibrations when firing. I would like to say that a minimum of training and confidence is required for the 9.3x74R cartridge but the accuracy and, above all, the guaranteed impact power in the typical range of driven hunting are guarantees of success with these rifles, which are certainly elegant, but also very reliable when hunting large ungulates.
For more information, visit the F.A.I.R. website.
