Geo Zoli Info/Value

Really need to see the water table and barrel flats.

There are two Zolis: Antonio and Angelo. Antonio makes the Z gun, Kronos etc., and these guns continue to succeed in th commercial mid range market today. While Angelo made some very good guns and some excellent double rifles, very few of Angelo's fine guns made it to the US. Instead, he was sort of a low cost Val Trompia producer for a range of US importers.

You have a very good looking, nicely engraved, side plate gun. The forward barrel swivel is interesting. Often seen on Spanish guns, much less so on Italians. Suggests use as a field gun, as opposed to driven birds. Hard to say which Zoli without seeing the water table and barrel flats. They will tell us date of proofing and should tell us which Zoli.

Hmmmmm. I can't see a proof date. Should be a letter inside a box - inline with " Finito", does that read XXIII ? If so, that dates the proofing to 1967.

Also don't see a maker's mark. Are there any other markings? Is it marked Zoli somewhere?

Need to see the inside of the receiver, where the under lug is. It certainly appears to be at the better end of the Zoli stables as the stuff being imported at that time tended to be lesser quality.

I can't see a maker's mark. I suggest some higher light pictures and try getting some input on Shotgun World.

I can only reiterate that by all appearances, it is a better made gun. With more pics and better light, I'm fairly sure the Italian gun gurus on SGW can figure it out. No matter what, it's a looker.

Please post a picture of the receiver bottom showing the engraving.
This may give a idea as to who made the gun.
The date code is the XX's located below the PPSF marking. The last number is very light.
The XX code marking was used from 1964 to 1974, the last mark will give the exact year of mfg.
Also you haven't shown the right side of the barrels at breach end, it may show importer or maker.

There should also be the choke designations stamped on the barrel in MMs. The sling indicates a nice sidelock field gun

The picture showing the star's stamped into the barrels are the choke sizes, * = Full, and ** = imp. Mod.

Antonio-good shotgun Angelo-bad shotgun. An Angelo Zoli almost decapitated me while test firing it when the shop was considering taking it in on trade. It doubled in the test tube, recoil from the first shot pushed the barrels out of the test tube, the second shot column hit the ring around the test tube, came back and tore the earmuffs off my head and splattered the wall on the archery bench 20 feet behind me. Not one pellet hit me on the way out, some bounced back off the archery bench wall and bounced off me, I was not hurt. We declined the trade.

Well, now you've gone and done it!

There 's bugger all information on ASM shotguns. aND were a low cost and relatively low quality producer of replica arms. I had an ASM Walker which was supposed to be crud but was well finished and worked flawlessly other than the lever falling in firing.

But I for one had no idea they made shotguns and, knowing a bit about the Val de Trompia gun making industry, I suspect they didn't.

My guess is that because ASM had a U.S. importer, Replica Arms through about 1972 and then Navy Arms, at some point, they also sold some Brescia made shotguns, badged ASM on the butt plate, but manufactured by one of the other makers , perhaps in need of a quick cash infusion. Could have been one of the Zolis. That gun does not appear to have been a price point special. Contrary to popular mythology, both Angelo and Antonio made some poor quality and some ok quality, bare bones guns for the US market - stuff for Kassnar and Sears. And they both made some very nice guns, but few of Angelo's good ones made it to the US.

Somewhere on the receiver is a maker's mark....

The photo is great. I can't make out the name either.

I think you can credibly describe it as a "Fine Italian over under of classic Brescia design, sideplated, with extensive engraving, and above average wood". Sadly, without a maker, value is only guessable as in the $600 - $1000 range.

If you ever find out more, post it up. The mystery of the Armi San Marco shotguns is intriguing.

Armi San Marco made black powder guns for import into the US. The quality was,
well, not so good. They made guns from 1960 to 2003, what happened to them ????

The side plates are just that, this is not a side lock gun, just a regular box lock with the
side plates added so the engravers had more room to practice on.
You must remember IF anything goes wrong with this gun you will need
the service of a old time gun smith who knows Italian made guns, not cheap.

I don't know the minutae of Italian shotguns, but it strikes me that it is a home market gun. Not much interest in the US for O/Us with sling swivels and double triggers.

Many of the price point imported guns have double triggers. My Zoli has double triggers and was
imported by Sears Roebuck. Too bad it is marked as so, would be worth twice if it did not
have the Sears markings on it. Please note there were several importers of Zoli guns.
If this gun the OP is talking about were a real Zoli it would have the drawn bow with arrow
engraved on it, this gun does not!

What makes the OP think this is a Zoli gun??