A little shotgun help from ya'll!!

[Kilimanjaro]

Hey guys, a quick question for ya.. Have any of you guys ever shot or owned a shotgun built by Rizzini in Italy for Abercrombie & Fitch? For those of you who dont know A&F (other than nowadays its a clothing store) is that it was opened back at the turn of the century (LAST century!) by 2 HARDCORE outdoorsmen. They opened a wonderful store in NYC.. They catered to the "who's who" of the hunting world back then.. Teddy Roosevelt, Ernest Hemmingway, Robert Ruark, Jack O' Conner, etc... They were THE premier outfitters of the day for hunters going to Africa, Asia, Alaska, etc. Not only that, they were legendary for the store itself in downtown NYC. There were mounts from every corner of the globe, a legendary gun room selection, a rock climbing wall, a camping section, etc.. Basically, they were the Cabelas of the 40's, 50's and 60's..(And 1000X better) Ask any oldtimer about A&F and you'll see a gleem in his eyes light up! He begin by instantly remembering those wonderful catalouges that were sent out in the mail, and then he'll speak of wonderful quality from every end of the spectrum of the products provided.. Back then they had the hunting and camping world in their pocket. But conflicting personalities between the 2 owners of the company eventually ended the AF era of yesteryear. They sold the company name and we all now know where that took the AF brand nowadays. To think back of those wonderful days of our grandfather's AF is a romantic one.. I wish I coulda seen it!

ANYWAYS, back to the point of the topic! I've found 2 A&F shotguns I might end up buying if they look and fit right. One is a 20ga. O/U Rizinni sidelock with IC and C barrels.. The only thing I can see wrong with it is it appears that the buttstock was taken off at some point and then sanded and oiled. Which is a good thing other than it made it a slightly diff color than the fore end now.. Nothing that a bit of sandpaper and oil cant fix.. great looking case coloring on the gun as well as great bluing.

The other one is a 20ga. SXS boxlock with a IC and M barrels. It was also made by Rizzini and was made in 1966. Overall a great looking gun other than the usual wear and tear from being lightly used! Great bluing and case coloring as well.

 

So, have any of you guys ever owned or shot an AF shotgun?? If so, let me hear how you felt about the gun you shot. I'd like to get some opinions on the guns from some others before I decide on buying either one or both of them

 

[azcouesandelk]

Hey Scotty my dad just sold his side by side Abercrombie and Fitch! It was a great gun with great feel, but my dad just likes his over and unders way to much. I would definately reccomend a gun like that for an avid upland hunter like yourself.

[jackshoe]

Don't know anyone who hunts with one-lots and lots of trap shooters swear by them and they are about as fine a piece of machinery as you can find. If I could afford them, I would love to own one to hunt with.

[firstcoueswas80]

Sounds like some great mearns guns to me!

[Kilimanjaro]

Christian,

what was your Dad's gun?? Was it a Rizinni as well? What guage? I shoulda put the word out to ya earlier!!

 

Got a phone call this morning telling me that the SXS is now gone... bummer! I was really wanting that gun..back to the search!

[gauchoand]

I can just see it now some Kid out in the forest with his Abercrombie pants, shirt, underwear...... and shotgun. Whats the hunting world coming to. If you dont mind letting us know I would be curious to know how much the guns were selling for.

[Kilimanjaro]

I can just see it now some Kid out in the forest with his Abercrombie pants, shirt, underwear...... and shotgun. Whats the hunting world coming to. If you dont mind letting us know I would be curious to know how much the guns were selling for.

 

 

These guns were made in the 1960's... long before what you now know A&F as. Back then they were the THE outfitters in America. Just because they have since gone bankrupt, sold the A&F name, and come back as a clothing store, some of those guns have withstood the 'sands of time" and are still around and are still world class guns.. alot of guns are like fine wine.. better the older they are. Look at the Win pre 64 nuts out there.

 

I'm buying the O/U.. Gonna wait and find another SXS in 28ga. sometime.

 

As far as pricing, A&F guns can run the gamuet of pricing. I've seen them as low as 2K, and as high as 15K.

[audsley]

Suggest you go to Gunbroker.com to get a feel for pricing. They usually have several Rizzinis advertised.

 

There have been a few people manufacturing shotguns under the Rizzini name, none of them bad, but some better than others. I'd guess any Rizzinis that were sold through Abercrombie and Fitch would be among the best.

[audsley]

Uh-oh! I just came across this. Someone quoted from Fjestad's Blue Book. I checked the quote against my copy and it's accurate. These A&F guns are good, but not that good. Read below.

 

"In the past, this manufacurer (i.e., F.illi Rizzini) collaborated with Antonio Zoli to make "spec" guns that were usually imported by Abercrombie & Fitch or VonLengerke & Detmold. These guns are normally marked on the water table "Zoli-Rizzini" or "F.illi Rizzini" (in the latter case, most of the time these guns have the Abecrombie & Fitch, etc logo as well). These guns are not to be confused with the quality of current Rizzini F.illi mfg. Normally, these older Field Grade models (non-ejector, boxlock actions in 12, 16, 20, 28 ga or .410 bore) sell in the $500-1200 range, with a 25% premium for 28 ga or .410 bore. Deluxe Field Models with a scalloped boxlock action and ejectors are currently valued in the $1500-2500 range, with a 30% premium for 28 ga or .410 bore. The Extra Lusso Model (top-of-the-line) currently sell in the $3500 range in 12 ga, $4250 in 20 ga, $4750 in 28 ga, and $4250 in .410 bore."

 

I'd love to have one of these guns, but don't pay too much for it. It's probably a $500-$1200 gun depending on condition.

[Kilimanjaro]

Audsley,

Ive been looking at ALOT of them online! I agree with you though about them having their higher end firearms being commisioned and sold through Abercrombie & Fitch. A&F carried some of the highest quality firearms of the day, and you can still find a few with the A&F stamp on them if you look.. Holland & Holland (ouch!), Griffon & Howe, Rizzini, Sterlingsworth, etc. just to name a few.. But along those lines, they did carry diff grades of the various shotguns.. The cheapest Ive seen was 1500, and the most expensive has been almost 14K!!

 

Hoping to get this O/U.. That is unless I find another SXS. I'd LOVE to have both, but I'm having a .375H&H being built by Montana Rifle right now for Africa next season, so I just cant afford 2 shotguns right at this moment.. I'm thinking about picking up the O/U right now and then getting back in the market for the SXS later in the year..we'll see.

 

 

[Kilimanjaro]

Got the notice Sat. that I was the winner of the auction for the Abercrombie O/U in the pics above!!!

 

Hopefully it ends up being a nice quail gun!!

[johnnie blaze]

It'll probably suck....Ill take it off your hands for you

[Kilimanjaro]

It'll probably suck....Ill take it off your hands for you

 

If it does, you'll be the first I call, Johnny!!

 

[Kilimanjaro]

Well guys, here she is.. Finally got her in the mail on Monday. I have to say, the gun is in better condition than I had hoped for.. For being made in 1962, it really is in great condition.. Still plan on stripping the fore end and bringing the wood back to a more neutral color.. Also plan on getting a new recoil pad put on. Can anybody here recomend a local gunsmith in the Tucson area? In addition to the pad, I need him to loosen the screws as well. I am afraid to strip them.

 

Now, all I have to do is wait the 5 LONG months till Mearns season opens!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[firstcoueswas80]

Thing looks awesome! Cant wait to help ya strip her down and refinish her. Then she will really look purty!