doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com F.A.I.R Iside Shotguns

Do any of you have experience with the Italian Firearms Groups F.A.I.R. Iside shotguns? I'm thinking about a 16 gauge and none of the local dealers carry the brand. I'm looking for an upland game shotgun in 16, not heavier than 6-1/2 pounds and preferably lighter, that I could shoot steel in if it became necessary. I don't care about ejectors versus extractors, prefer double triggers and want at least 28 inch barrels. The Iside seems to fit the bill and is well within my price range.

In looking at the photos, the straight grip seems a little meaty. I've been shooting mostly British sxs and the ones I own are all pretty svelt. Is this so, or is it just a problem with the photo?

Thanks for your input.

Rem

I had my Iside Tartaruga Gold in hand not over 30 minutes ago, wiping it down and putting it back away until dove season comes back in. I am very pleased with it, after using it on doves and quail two seasons. Mine was ordered to my specs by Basil Slaughter of Reno, NV. It arrived in about three months, AIR. Regulation is very good with the right load, but crossfires a bit with light loads. Great triggers, very nice fit and finish. Mine is a .410 with 30" barrels. My straight grip is slender and perfectly proportioned for a .410.

Builder bought one just before I bought mine and I think he had regulation issues that he had to resolve by filing the choke tube for that barrel. Maybe he will see the thread and respond with later information. You can do a search and find that thread describing it all in great detail.

SRH

Rem,
I have a 16 gauge Basic Iside with 30" barrels. I ordered it from John Boyd before he retired. It's definitely more meaty in the wrist than an English gun, and certainly more so than my AyA #2 in the pictures.That said, I think the meaty wrist will be your friend when it comes to steel and the spicy factory bismuth loads.

Other than that and being on the plain side, I find there's much to like. My barrel regulation is right on, and I shoot the gun as well or better than any I've owned. I started shooting it at game 1/3 of the way through my South Dakota trip last year and never missed a bird with it through the rest of the season. This year I connected on the first 3 ruffed grouse and a woodcock. Hard not to like a gun that likes me so much! I do shoot it at sporting clays, so I'm pretty comfortable with it.

The triggers came from the factory a nice 3.4 & 3.9 pounds according to my digital Lyman gauge. It came from the factory weighing 6 lbs. 3 oz. and now it's just over 6 lbs. 4 oz. with a pad. The guys with the 28" barrels tell me they weigh right at 6 lbs.

I wasn't wild about the checkering, so did some sand-fit tweaking for drop and cast, and then I turned Mark Larson loose on it and he changed the checkering and I gave him the green light to enhance the grain.

I thought it would end up being a back-up gun for my AyA which is also a 16 gauge with 30" barrels, but I shoot the Iside better therefore it's earned the starting job.

In the group of guys I shoot with in the summer there's 6 Isides counting mine, four 16's a 12, and a 28 gauge. Everyone likes them and shoots them well. No problems so far in any of these 6.

Pretty strong testimony, Dave.

Can we see some closer pics of the checkering and wood after Mark went over it?

Thanks, SRH

I have 3 F.A.I.R. guns 2 are 16 ga. First is a NEA 500 ~20 years old I have 28" and 30" barrels for it. 30 for clays and 28 for hunting. Not sure of round count but has to be well North of 20K, way North. Never a problem.

Have a 12 ga. Verona which is a F.A.I.R. made gun it was my youngest sons first decent gun and never a problem with it either. Although he moved to B. Rizzini guns not long after. Well he took one of my B. Rizzini guns and I had to replace it LOL.

3 or 4 years ago at the Sweet 16 shoot I shot a F.A.I.R. Iside and as Dave Erickson kept telling me I never missed a bird with it, why the hell would I want a gun like that he kept asking me?! This summer finally picked up a 28" 16 ga. Iside with splinter, straight grip, extractors and double triggers. Everything I don't like in a gun. Been grouse hunting with it first part of the month and will the rest of the month starting this week. I finally missed a grouse with it about a week ago. Has to be the guns fault LOL.

It is now my favorite grouse gun. And I have a lot of 16 ga. grouse guns.

You asked for it, Stan! Complete with the results of my first 4 shots in the woods this year.
I wanted more wrap-around with the checkering, and since I was shooting the gun so well on game and clays I decided to just go for it a little. When I ordered it from John Boyd I asked for the long trigger tang and it was a $200 upcharge. Also paid for custom dimensions, but it was still a little high-combed for me, so I dialed it in with sandpaper. I like the way it turned out, and love the way it shoots. (I recently rewarded it with a James Flynn leather-covered pad.)

Like I mentioned I didn't shoot it on game until the 2nd day of a South Dakota trip. It really performed well on pheasants for the rest of the season, and I was wondering how it would perform in the woods with it's slightly slow MOI. Found out quickly it's fine on grouse and woodcock.

Dave, that's just beautiful. Mark did a masterful job. How in the world did he get the ribbon in the new checkering? He must have removed all the old completely by sanding. I had envisioned a "recut" of the skip line checkering like is on mine, but that doesn't look like what he did.

I got the long trigger guard tang on my .410 Dickinson, when I ordered it, but didn't think to ask about it on the FAIR. Wish I had.

Lovely. Glad it turned out so well for you.

SRH

Thanks, Stan.

He had to wipe the old checkering and that did slim the wrist and forend slightly.

I'm pleased with the gun mostly for the way it shoots which is always my first criteria. Looks good too in my opinion, but it's also a gun I use hard and I certainly don't baby it.

I really liked my 12g. What I did not like was the company would not stand behind the gun. The barrels shot 6" apart at 16 yards. They said it was within spec and returned it.

Until someone comes up with a way to test barrel regulation in the store, or at the gun show, we are subject to this possible malady of doubleguns. Happens with O/Us, too. We tested a Beretta O/U once that was way off. Called Beretta and they said if it is within 8" it meets their specs, and would do nothing. That's bad.

The good news is that the vast majority of quality, vintage doubles are well regulated. I've tested lots of them and never found one that wasn't right on. My last I thought wasn't, a Sterly 20, it crossfired with 7/8 oz. loads. I sent it to Dean Harris and he tested it himself, called and told me it was fine. It had been regulated for 1 oz. loads, at about 1175 fps. Both barrels shoot spot on with that load. But, he lengthened the chambers and opened the chokes for me whilst there, so it wasn't a wasted "trip".

SRH