doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com V. Bernardelli Brescia Hammer

I pocked up a pair while back 12 and 20, couldn't warm up to the 20 so I gave it to my son. Had to add a Decellerator pad to the 12 as the stock was too short. Great gun, I really like it, mine has 27 5/8th" barrels choked M&F, English grip. Will be going on my annual duck hunt in SW Louisiana in a few weeks. Really looking forward to hunting waterfowl with it.

I can not cock both hammers at once, but that's ok as it is going to be used for waterfowl and pheasants primatily. Am thinking about getting it threaded for tubes maybe. I'd grab another for 600 in a heartbeat.

Well, now, not so quick, jOe. I have a couple of hammer guns that are easy to cock, both hammers with one thumb...Both 16's. One is a Husqvarna , the other a Cherman guild gun.They are pretty skinny, I have never, I dont think, seen a 12 that I could do that with..So that I'll give you..

I also have two Belgian Unies double 12s hammer. The hammers are close set and very easy to cock with one thumb as it easily covers the span. I would also say there is no more of a problem to do it safely than one at a time; IMO more safe.

The Bernardelli has wider set hammers as most American hammers do, so I don't know on one like it.

Buy it. From time to time I chide myself for not buying a new Brescia back in 1990 - 91, around the time when I first started getting into doubles. Not vintage, but still cool to be able to have a modern ammo hammer gun, as Franc has pointed out.

Bob, I've never seen an Italia. It sure does look tempting!

Actually Joe, Bernardelli is still in business today and they still build the same hammer gun. It utilizes the same action design but they have changed the engraving and stocking style (for the better IMO).

Here is a line up of Bernardelli's doubles.
http://www.bernardelli.com/en/doppiette.html

Here is the their hammer gun... the Italia Extra (aesthetically different from the older Italia Extra).
http://www.bernardelli.com/en/doppietta-italia.html





They also made a run of a hammer gun called the "American West" (bottom) with the Italia Extra on top.



They even make high grade H&H type sidelocks.


I have owned a couple Bernardellis. One 20ga Brescia, one 12ga Italia Extra (w/ 30" bbls). I've also owned a "Mi-Val" hammer gun. It was identical to my Bernardelli guns in every way except for the engraving.

Bernardelli Brescia


Bernaredelli Italia Extra




Mi-Val




Also, that nice looking hammer gun that's listed on Gunbroker was not made by the same maker as the guns referred to in this conversation (which were made by Vicenzo Bernardelli). The one in the auction was made by L. Satina Bernardelli (cousins perhaps???). Same basic action though... although the 3rd fastener is a little different.

Adam

Nice pics Adam.

Has anyone seen matting on the barrels like pictured on the H&H style gun?

The pictured Brescia is the one I'm probably going to buy, but it's in about 80%.

The Mi-Val has the same stock as the Brescia I'm looking at.

I have a 12 ga. San Georgio that I bought from Joe Norcom that I regularly cock both hammers at the same time on, with my right thumb. No big deal that I see.

Looks a lot like the Brescia, but with engraving and much better case colors. Plain wood, but she shoots like a house afire. Just a bit light in weight, though, for my taste.

SRH

For $600 I'd buy all I could find.
FWIW, on upland birds I carry my 20 ga. Brescia broken open with the hammers back. I close it on the way up. If I don't take the shot, it's opened again. That probably won't work in a duck blind.

mtwoodson, depends on blind construction, some have a spot on one end that is SxS or O/U friendly. Also have some spots where sitting on a stool in the rouso (sp) cane makes for good duck shooting. Will let you know in Jan. how it works out.

VB also made a few double rifles on this plan; called Minerva Express. A couple of years ago I asked a Bernardelli man at IWA Nurmberg how much would the rifled version cost and he calculated the price to be over 10,000 euros.

With kind regards,
Jani