The setting, game and hunting techniques are all factors that determine the type of gun the hunters will choose or inevitably prefer for the best results. On a drive, an ancient British tradition, game like partridge, grouse and pheasant are roused from the bush by teams of beaters and gun dogs, to be beaten towards the lines of shooters usually concealed in stands downhill of the beaten ground. It can be difficult to get off a good shot because the game always flies fast over the hunters at a considerable height.
Long-barrelled, perfectly balanced shotguns are essential for taking precise shots at long ranges. Traditionally, the hunter is assisted by a loader who loads the guns while the hunter does the shooting. In this case the guns are identical, designed with evident elegance, and with the same, perfect ballistic performance.
The Fausti sisters have made their name in the design and manufacture of classic fine arms, producing limited editions of both their side-by-side shotguns and the over/under guns used for this type of hunt.
The Fausti Class SL drive edition over/under shotguns are available in all the most popular bore sizes, 12-gauge, 16-gauge, 20-gauge, 28-gauge and .410.
The chambers are standard 70 mm or 76 Magnum, with barrel lengths ranging from 73 to 76 cm and fixed chokes, as shots are always taken at ranges of over 40 metres on a drive.
The two shotguns in the pair are identical in terms of specifications and balance so the hunter won’t notice any difference at all or have any problem when switching from one gun to the other, as shots can be taken in very quick succession in this type of hunt. Even the serial numbers of the guns are consequential and every part is numbered. The stock is available with a pistol grip or a traditional English grip.
It can also be configured with a Woodward grip that Fausti applies to give the hunter a fast and precise aim, even when taking the most challenging shots. This gives you a more solid grip on the gun and it’s easier to hold too thanks to the soft curvature of the design, ideal for bringing the gun to your shoulder whatever the size of your hands. The stock is made-to-measure, an essential characteristic of Fausti guns that adapts perfectly to the physical and hunting requirements of the shooter. Rubber or wooden butt pads are available. Select, oil-finish European walnut is used for the wooden parts.
The wide range of latest generation cartridges, charged with effective, high-performance powder, lets you hunt game on the drive even using a small bore gun, something that really makes the shooters’ skills evident. Barbara Fausti presents a pair of 20-gauge over/unders with an intermediate bore and one of the most loved by hunters as it gives you just the right compromise between ballistic performance and fast aiming.
These guns were designed by Giorgio Paraporti, a hunter who’s made the drive the jewel in the crown of G&G Hunting Services.
Although it may seem obvious, it’s important also to mention that these shotguns, while designed for a specific type of hunting, can also be used for hunting from a hide, because in this case you need the same precision and balance with a long barrel that are so important on a drive, as shots will be taken at medium to long ranges at game ranging from wood pigeon to waterfowl in general.
For more information, visit the Fausti Stefano Arms website
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