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Sights on Franchi I-12...Shooting Low....


TurkeySlayer2008

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Guys, I was told by a fellow at kicks industries that the Franchi I-12 should be shot by lining the middle pin up with the bottom of the fiber optic pin at the end of the barrell. My Franchi I-12 was shooting low with the gobblin thunder and I called and was trying to figure out what is going on. He claimed that guns from out of the US sights are set up different???? What do you guys think??

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I think you should hedge your bets and put a set of adjustable sights on your gun,such as those available from,TruGlo,H.S. Strut,HiViz,and Williams. The bead on the I-12 is very large and could block out the turkey's head at longer ranges.This will allow you to adjust the high and low pattern as well as the left and right variations you might encounter with different loads and chokes.These sights can be had for under $20. If shooting low is your only problem,you should be able to just add a taller rear sight and leave the front bead on the gun,if you are comfortable with the size of the bead,that is. Good Luck this Spring!

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Turk, first things first......how low are you shooting? You have a POA (Point of Aim) and the bulk of your pattern is found in your POI (Point of Impact).....sometimes this is best tested at a short distance first, 10 yards for example.

 

have you changed stock shims to compensate for the low POI? For most shotgunners the stock is your "rear sight".....and the mid bead is of little concern. however, if you want to use the mid bead you will still need to adjust the stock so when you mount the gun (stock is up to your cheek) the front site and mid bead will align as stated below....

 

when you have the gun mounted and you look down the barrel (rib) what do you see?

 

If the mid bead and front site (fiber optic) are in line with each other (or mid bead hides part of the front site) you may be shooting low. If you see a figure 8....mid bead below front site (forms an "8") you might be slightly high. Most figure "8" setups will shoot a bit high 80/20 (meaning 80% of the pattern is above POA). A turkey gun should be set up somewhere in between....my POA is the base of the turkey neck where the feathers meet that ugly head and I want my POI to be close to the same or slightly higher.

 

If your POI is too high, you will need to lower your stock. If too

low, raise it. If too much to the right, you need cast on (assuming you

are a righty). If too much to the left, you need cast off.

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10Gauge, based on my shooting today my POI looks about 6 or 7" lower than my POA. I compensated for the difference by raising my gun up and got a decent pattern but nothing like I have seen posted on here and other sites. Some of you guys have SUPER TIGHT patterns and I wish I could achieve this with my gun. I would hate to have to purchase another gun simply because I cannot get this one to pattern like everyone elses turkey gun does. When I look down the rib I see the pin covering up part of the fiber optic at the end. I guess that only remedy is either a new sight or a new gun unfortunately.

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10Gauge, based on my shooting today my POI looks about 6 or 7" lower than my POA. I compensated for the difference by raising my gun up and got a decent pattern but nothing like I have seen posted on here and other sites. Some of you guys have SUPER TIGHT patterns and I wish I could achieve this with my gun. I would hate to have to purchase another gun simply because I cannot get this one to pattern like everyone elses turkey gun does. When I look down the rib I see the pin covering up part of the fiber optic at the end. I guess that only remedy is either a new sight or a new gun unfortunately.

 

Turk, let's not give up so quickly.....what is the choke and it's constriction you are using? what load or loads (brand, size of shot, etc) did you pattern? Are you accurately measuring the 40 yard distance....assuming your testing @ 40yds?? how many pellets inside the 30" circle? how many inside the head and neck of the turkey target?

 

give us more info, maybe we can make some suggestions......like the old saying goes, "don't throw the baby out with the bath water"!!

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Kicks Gobblin Thunder size .660. I am shooting Winchester Supreme High Velocity #5s. I was shooting at about 25 when I was targeting. Did not have a 30" circle but when I aimed high and got a decent pattern I had about 45 pellets in the lower neck region mainly. Only 2 or three in the head or brain area. But the POI still seemed to be 3-4 inches low and slightly to the right.

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The closest Bass Pro is in Memphis,TN which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive for me which isnt possible because my wife is working at night and I have to watch our 3 month old son. I dont know much about adjustable sights. Any suggestions? Also do you guys have any suggestions on preferred loads? I also patterned Remington Premier Magnum #5s with about the same luck. Thanks alot.

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Kicks Gobblin Thunder size .660. I am shooting Winchester Supreme High Velocity #5s. I was shooting at about 25 when I was targeting. Did not have a 30" circle but when I aimed high and got a decent pattern I had about 45 pellets in the lower neck region mainly. Only 2 or three in the head or brain area. But the POI still seemed to be 3-4 inches low and slightly to the right.

 

Turk, sounds like the first thing we need to do is change stock shims (plastic) to get your POI closer to your POA. Assuming you bought the gun new it should have a set of plastic shims included, your owners manual will explain the proceedure for replacement.....changing cast will move POI left or right too, this is done by changing the steel "washers" that came with the shim kit.

 

second, "about 25 yards"? lets get an accurate range, don't pace it off....measure it or laser range it. 25 yards is a good starting point to get POI adjusted.

 

third, use a large target that you can draw a 30" circle on (after you shoot it!) and don't worry about a "turkey head" target just yet. I use butcher paper that is 40" wide and cut it to 40"x40". Place a dot in the center of the paper, this is what you want to aim at (POA) then shoot at this dot from a rest. I have a 30" cardboard cutout (disc) and I lay this over the pattern and draw my 30" circle....this tells me exactly how much the pattern has shifted from POA, left, right, up or down. For some people they make an X or + thru the 30" circle on the paper target and measure from the dot to the center of the X or + how much the pattern is off....3" left 4" high for example. I do this at least 3 times with the same load from the same box before I make any adjustments to my gun.

 

If you want to get adjustable rifle sights that's fine but I'd make my stock adjustments before I put money into sights. I personally, only use rifle sites if I can't adjust my stock....my "old" Browning Gold 10 had to have sites because it shot nearly 10" to the left! Since my guns are used for other game rifle sights must be removed after turkey season so if I can get by without them I will.....sometimes you gotta use them.

 

Finally, once you get the POI resolved then let's consider other loads....with some gun/choke combo's a lighter load....1-5/8 oz may pattern better than 1-7/8 oz....i'd consider the Double XX magnum instead of "High Velocity", from my experience most "high velocity" loads tend to throw wider patterns than some of the "softer shooting" turkey magums or heavy field loads. Don't bother changing loads until you get the POI taken care of....too many times people try to solve their POI issues with different loads but you'll just end up with less money in your pocket and a sore shoulder!

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Only one problem with changing the shim.....I dont have them. They were lost during a recent move because I had also considered that. Shooting from a rest is not an option for me because I do not have a shooting bench or anything that could be substituted for one. I read somewhere that I should pattern my gun in the position I will be in during a shot at a turkey so that is what I have been doing. I will tape off the next time I shoot and a larger target so I can see where all of my load is going. Thanks for the advice. What type of sight would you recommend for my gun?

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Ok 10Gauge, Just found my shims boxed up! They show L or R on each side and I have sizes 50,60, and 65. So I assume that I have a 55 on now. Please give me advice on which of these I should use to get my gun shooting right. Thanks

 

turk, i'm not an expert on the Franch I12 but let's assume they are similar to the benelli SBE or M1 shim kit....do you have 3 plastic shims and 3 steel plates? Maybe your kit does not have the steel plates, only the plastic shims....anyway you want to raise the stock so you need to install the "50" shim. To change shims remove the recoil pad, remove the stock bolt/nut and carefully slide the stock off. Pay attention to the shim that is already installed and place it on with the R or L facing the same direction....it sounds like the Franchi shims can be flipped over for right cast or left cast but since I don't know these guns just make sure you install the 50 facing the same way the 55 is now. Benelli & Beretta made 40 & 45 shims for some guns so if that 50 isn't enough you might want to contact Franchi and ask if the make a 45.

 

If you have the owners manual check it for proper shim changes.

 

When you get that 50 shim installed mount the gun to your shoulder and see if the mid bead forms a figure 8 with the front bead....if it does you should have a 60/40 pattern or about 3" high at 40 yards. I don't think you'll get that much change if you are shooting 3" to 4" low right now with a 55 but we can hope!

 

Last but not least POI should ALWAYS be done from a rest....surely you can drag a lawn chair out there and shoot off the back of it?!?! better than nuttin....you want to repeat this at least 3 to 5 times to make sure it is the gun not you.

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My Franchi did the same thing. Shot low and to the left a lil bit. I called customer service and sent my gun back and got this BS that it was withen their standards of accuracy. I said OK and put a holo sight on it! All done it shoots much more accurate now than it would have with iron sights so I am happy. Thanks Franchi for CR@PPY customer service you could have fixed my gun and I would not have gotten a Holo Sight!

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My Franchi did the same thing. Shot low and to the left a lil bit. I called customer service and sent my gun back and got this BS that it was withen their standards of accuracy. I said OK and put a holo sight on it! All done it shoots much more accurate now than it would have with iron sights so I am happy. Thanks Franchi for CR@PPY customer service you could have fixed my gun and I would not have gotten a Holo Sight!

 

flhaw, unfortunately the Franchi folks may be correct....MOST of the time a gun that shoots a different POI than the POA it is not the gun but how it fits the shooter! notice i said "MOST" of the time.....i have found italian made shotguns don't fit most americans, they fit "european guys" who are under 5'8", weight 125 pounds soaking wet and have arms about 26" in length! Remington, Winchester & Browning make guns that fit american shooters and this is why so many "average" joes can pick them up and shoot them without much need for adjustment

 

i have owned shotguns in the past, one was a Franchi 620, that could not be adjusted to fit me and when i had a local smith check it out the barrel and choke tubes were misaligned.....Franchi CS told me that was within their "standards of accuracy", too! I traded the 620 for a Benelli M1Super90 and moved on.

 

a halo sight is a very good option for a turkey gun and i know some waterfowlers who are using them too.

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The sight must be good for $250! Im not looking to spend that much money on a sight. I want something that is simple and cheap yet very effective...

 

turk, Barska makes a "halo sight" as do a few others that are less than $50

 

the truglo Turkey sights would be a bit cheaper but i expect they will be $39-45 depending on where you get them? see link;

 

http://www.truglosights.com/content/products/firearm/turkey/pro_series_magnum.asp

 

BTW - did that shim change help any?

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