Franchi Affinity as an alternative to Stoeger M3000 & M3K or Benelli M2

Spart

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I finally got my hands on a Franchi Affinity and made a video comparing it to my Benelli M2 with 3-gun in mind.

I think the Franchi is Benelli's idea of what a Stoeger should be. It has a lot more Benelli DNA and many of the Stoeger caveats don't apply.

This shotgun has been severely overlooked in the 3-gun world in my opinion. For 200-300 more than a Stoeger and ~400 less than an M2, you get most of the Benelli quality and better parts compatibility with the M2 to boot.

Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3w0auqskDI
 

jtischauser

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You can pick up an affinity on gun broker for $599 right now. They have huge potential. That's why I'm planning on working with MOA Precision this year to show what they are made of.

I'm just waiting on a gun to shoot.


 
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Spart said:
I think the Franchi is Benelli's idea of what a Stoeger should be. It has a lot more Benelli DNA and many of the Stoeger caveats don't apply.

This shotgun has been severely overlooked in the 3-gun world in my opinion. For 200-300 more than a Stoeger and ~400 less than an M2, you get most of the Benelli quality and better parts compatibility with the M2 to boot.
Welcome to boomer shooter. Who are you? You know what they say about opinions.
 

Spart

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mike cyrwus said:
Welcome to boomer shooter. Who are you? You know what they say about opinions.
Nobody, which is why I made that video so you can see for yourself.
 

Spart

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If you want to save hundreds more, buy a Stoeger. Or shoot a pump. More choices for the consumer aren't a bad thing.
 

jtischauser

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I see the Stoeger as a price point and a competitor for the 930 which most newbs buy purely due to the cheap sticker price. Unfortunately most are disappointed in the 930 if not at first eventually when they get more involved in the sport and start using their shotgun hard like most of us do. The M3000 isn't perfect out of the gate but it requires a lot less tweaks to get it race ready and reliable.

I see the Franchi as a competitor for the Beretta 1301 and Remington Versamax. Those guns are typically bought by guys who want to avoid the reliability issues or required tweaks that come with the two budget options. These can afford a mid priced option at around $1300 all in ready to race. The Franchi doesn't have a tactical or 3-gun version from the factory but at $600-700 out of the box plus $500-800 in upgrades your in the same ballpark as the VM and 1301. The big difference and why I like me the Franchi is that it is the only inertia driven option in this price point. I'm a huge believer in the inertia systems relationship ability and reduced requirements for cleaning and maintenance. The aforementioned Benelli M1 also falls into this category price wise. It's probably still the best entry level gun you can buy. Biggest drawback for it and the Franchi is newbs don't know what it is. And with the M1 it has to be purchased used and often times online which isn't something newbs know how to do. So they stay away if they can't walk into their local bass pro look at one or buy it in person.

Next up is the king-ding-a-long Benelli M2. It still is the best option for 3-gun. It's also over $2000 to completely set one up like I have mine. The A5 is another option in this market but for me there just aren't enough benefits to the auto load feature to mess with changing and learning a new platform.
 

Spart

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I see it much the same way. The Stoeger isn't going away, lots of guys are going to buy the cheapest option that will run. The M2 likewise isn't going to suddenly not be purchased by guys who don't mind the expense.

Some people (present company included) know how to buy used guns but avoid it.

If you ignore the used market for the M1 and you want an inertia gun there's a pretty big gulf between the Stoeger and M2 in terms of price. The Affinity fills that gap nicely.

The Franchi in my video isn't mine, I recommended it for a friend and he's letting me set it up to match my M2. The main deciding factor wasn't price, but it was that the Franchi Compact model has the shortest LOP stock for his five-nothing daughter compared to the similar compact models from Stoeger and Benelli.

I've handled Affinities before this but never gotten to tear one down, I was more impressed after I took it apart.
 

jtischauser

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Great info in the compact Affinity stock. That's an expensive and time consuming modification to have done. Cutting a stock and refitting another butt pad is way above the level of gun smithing that I ever want to fo

It's crazy how many Benelli M2 parts fit perfectly into an Affinity. The lifter, shell catch and the entire trigger group drop right in.
 

Spart

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Same here.

It's crazy but not too crazy... why re-engineer something that works if you're going to (I assume) build it in the same factory. It appears the only changes made to the trigger group were cosmetic in nature.
 

Spart

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Got the Affinity all set up to go 3-gunning, a few more vids soon.

QrtNyW5l.jpg

Click here for large version.
 

Spart

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Something interesting about the Affinity (and the Stoeger too, I guess) that I've noticed switching back and forth with my M2 practicing loads is that the balance is way different and you do notice it.

The M2 is very stock heavy, which is nice for weak hand loads.

The Affinity balances nicely right where I put my support hand, which is nice for strong hand loads.
 

jtischauser

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Spart said:
Something interesting about the Affinity (and the Stoeger too, I guess) that I've noticed switching back and forth with my M2 practicing loads is that the balance is way different and you do notice it.

The M2 is very stock heavy, which is nice for weak hand loads.

The Affinity balances nicely right where I put my support hand, which is nice for strong hand loads.
How is load ability on the Franchi versus Benelli?
 
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