It was worth to try a gun that could leave me some particular and different memories at the end of the hunting season, so together with the Fausti sisters I chose to bring along the 28-gauge version of one of the over-and-unders that are most loved by hunters for the elegance of its lines, the Class SLX model, recognizable for its color case hardened receiver.
A shotgun that, in the larger gauges, can be the choice of hide hunting enthusiasts, but that in the variant with 65 cm barrels, becomes a light and quick ally in the days of walking that make walked-up hunting with pointing dogs tiring but exciting. We are at the last stages of the season, when the encounters with the wild animals become a more and more demanding matter for men and dogs, especially if we refer to hill forests and to wintering woodcocks.
They know perfectly the territory in which they have spent most of the winter, and the ways of escape from any insidiousness coming from predators are by now known to the woodcocks, who regularly move away from the approaching hunters at the slightest noise.
For these reasons, the hours of walking in search of a good opportunity increase, and along with the sacrifice and the effort, the satisfaction increases for those hunters who do not give up and do not lose their hope of seeing their dogs pointing.
Details of the Fausti Class SLX over-and-under
The preparation and the experience of dogs and hunters are the fundamental requirements to reap the right satisfactions in this moment of the hunt, but also the gun has a decisive role in deciding the final outcome of each challenge. A fast swing and weight balance are decisive aspects so that the gun is always a reliable ally and not a hindrance.
Given the often dense vegetation and the not always easy access to the hunting areas among streams of water, obstacles and differences in height, also the safety guaranteed by break-acion guns is undoubtedly an added value for the concentration of the hunter who, in the most difficult passages, can immediately open and close the firearm being always ready to shoot and at the same time follow the action of dogs in the woods. Lightness obviously facilitates speed of aiming and in the case of our 28-gauge Fausti Class SLX, the gun does not exceed 2.5 kg. Turning to technical aspects, shooting when dogs are pointingranges are never prohibitive and the 65 cm barrel length allows reliable and well distributed patterns in the woods up to 25 meters.
As always Fausti guns are made to measure for the hunter and this helps a lot in the fluidity of shouldering and consequently the accuracy in instinctive shooting, with the gun that is often immediately on the target without uncertainties or slowdowns due to oversized stocks and non-optimal and non-customized drops.
The Class SLX over-and-under is machined from solid steel billets and the receivers are scaled to gauge. It has proven to be stable and accurate when firing cartridges of standard weights for the 28 gauge. The fixed chokes, in our case cylindrical for the first barrel and three-star for the second, can also be variable, internal and interchangeable. As an optional, depending on the hunter's preferences, there are also the 70 mm or 76 mm magnum chambers and the manual or automatic selective case ejection. The trigger is single and blued, a nice match with the color case hardened finish of the receiver surfaces. You can also have a classic double-trigger upon request. Even the laser engravings depicting floral subjects and golden wild birds in flight contribute to the winning chromatic combinations of this over-and-under that shows the new Fausti logo in evidence on the opening lever and along the trigger guard. The stock, available in pistol or English versions lust like the Schnabel fore-end, are made from select superior grade European walnut and oil finished.
The different barrel lengths available, starting from a minimum length of 60 cm through the intermediate lengths of 63-65-67.5 cm to the longest of 71-73 and 76 cm, allow the over-and-under to be used successfully in different environments, in both blind hunting and field hunting. The available gauges are 12, 16, 20, 28, and .410, but with the 28 gauge I think I found on this occasion a good compromise between a sporting and exciting experience and the reliability of a gun with which I chose to live the last days of my hunting season. We will be back to tell you and show you in the next videos the Fausti Class SLX over-and-under used in the field, stay tuned.
For more information about the Class SLX over-and-under please visit the Fausti Stefano Arms website.
