doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com FAIR shotguns

I haven't any knowledge of FAIR shotguns built by Isadora Rizzini. Website indicates there are several grades, but I can't find prices or significant information regarding the actions form or mechanism. Haven't been able handle any of these so I have no idea about quality of work. I do know the B. Rizzini guns and quality of work. I would appreciate any information regarding these shotguns. Noticed that Isadora is located in the same town in Italy as B. Rizzini wondered if they are sharing parts like the actions?

FAIR guns are well made, but probably not to the standard of the B. Rizzini guns. However IIRC there's a pretty large price differential there as well. I own two FAIR guns; one a Verona, which is the O/U and the other a S X S Iside Tartaruga Gold. Used them both for several years/seasons. The Verona handles very much like a Beretta. The Iside is a nice little S X S that comes with very good triggers. They're certainly not "top tier" Italian guns, but well worth their costs. I bought the Verona used and the Iside new. Sorry, but I have no idea if they share any parts or services, but my gut feeling is "no".

Verona on the left and Iside on the right:

FAIR Isides have treated me very well. They don’t have the level of finish as the B Rizzinis, but I think they are just as reliable and shoot just as well. (have had both) I’ve shot the daylights out of my 16 for 5 years and it’s never had a problem, nor have a handful of others owned by friends. My Basic grade 16 is well broken-in it opens and closes smoothly, it has that liquid vault feel that I appreciate every time I use it.They are trigger plate action with no external screws to bugger. I’ve also got a 28ga in a higher grade and it’s be a remarkably easy shooter for a 5lb 8oz gun. I did order the optional 30” barrels for both and I enjoy them at the 5-stand and super-sporting course nearby. My 16 gauge came in at just under 6lb. 3oz. I also ordered a long trigger tang for both which was reasonably priced at $120. They shoot great.

Being one who can never leave well enough alone I had Mark Larson slim the wrist into more of an oval and change the checkering on my 16. He also enhanced the grain, but it didn’t really need it and I’d skip that part if I had to do it again. Marks work is great, but my factory wood wasn’t bad at all. I added a sling with the supplied hardware and the gun is my jack of all trades whether in the bottoms shooting wood ducks, upland out on the prairie or shooting clays. Shot an 89/100 at SS with the 16, and I’ve hit the low 80’s with the 28. If you can handle a swamped rib they will perform.

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FAIR shotguns first acquired a good reputation back when Jim Austin was still in business and began importing them. At that point in time, we're talking OUs only. No sxs. When Austin went out of business, Cabela's acquired most of the remaining FAIR inventory and closed them out at very attractive prices. Austin had already sent several of those guns to outdoor writers (I was one of them) and we had the opportunity to provide our evaluation of the guns. To me, one of the interesting things about the FAIR OUs was that while there was a "standard" version (round knob, SST, vent rib) other options (straight stock, DT, and solid rib) were also available. Typical sxs features not often seen on OUs. The guns sold very well for Cabela's.

I recently saw a couple of the currrent FAIR sxs at a sporting goods store in Iowa. 28ga, priced at $1800. Seemed to me a very attractive price for an Italian sxs from a reputable maker.

This is incorrect. The Dickinson (shown in my pic above, in the center) is a true triggerplate action, but the Iside is a boxlock. It may not be apparent, as the pins are hidden. It is a boxlock action, but with some internal modifications, including the use of coil springs. There are no visible pins in the action, except the hinge pin for the barrels; all other pins are concealed behind the head of the stock. The hammer pin is located behind the fences.

I guess I had that wrong. I did briefly own a 16ga Dickinson and I must have had a synapse crossfire.

Here’s Bruce Buck’s review from the Shooting Sportsman magazine.

https://fair.it/pdf/press/2015-08-ShootingSportsman-IsidePrestige.pdf

Following up on Larry's post, FAIR guns have been available under a number of different labels. When Sig started selling O/Us, maybe 20 years ago, they offered the SA3 and the SA5 in 12 and 20. One was from FAIR (I think that was the SA3) and the other (SA5?) was from B Rizzini. When the Kalispel Tribe (same group as the old Kalispel cases) wanted to get into the shotgun business, they contracted with FAIR to sell guns under the Cortona label. This was around 2009. The Cortonas came in about six different grades, all O/Us, from the Ugly Gun (camo dipped) to the top of the line grade with gold wire line engraving. I have several of the FAIR Cortonas, and the lowest Grade I have (Alumino) is pretty comparable to recent Beretta 686s in fit and finish. The higher grade Cortonas are comparable in fit and finish to my Beretta 687, but with nicer wood. Can't comment on mechanical aspects because I haven't shot them enough to know. Nice guns, worth the money. There are probably other labels for FAIR guns, but these and the Verona are the ones I am aware of.

Thanks for continuing the FAIR story, Replacement. They have indeed been sold under a number of different names.

I think the FAIR guns brought in and spec’d out by NEA were the best of the lot. They were always finished very nicely, a huge selection of options and even the wood on the lower grades was usually pretty nice.

The sig SA3 if I remember right was a pretty low end offering built by Zoli. The SA3’s I’ve seen weren’t very nice.