help me pros and cons Franchi affinity 3 or 3.5 vs cz1012

[timberwolf204]

I am researching the Franchi Affinity 3 or 3.5 vs the CZ1012 which is only 3 inch. I know the new shells 3 inch are more then enough. im leaning towards the Franchi Afffinity 3 or 3.5 as of now. Any thoughts to them. My buddy has a Franchi Affinity 3 inch and no complaints what so ever other then he said make sure you let bolt shut good.

Anyone have a CZ 1012 or both to compare them to. I dont want to spend near 2000 for a Benelli SBE3.

thank you Jason

 

[rule303]

What are you planning to do with it? Any inertia gun firing 3 or 3.5" shells will not be a pleasant experience. Any particular reason those two guns are the choices?

 

[1KPerDay]

Yeah, unless you're hunting big waterfowl I wouldn't look at a 3.5. If you are, then... have fun.

 

[cdb1]

I don’t have a need for a 3.5” 12 gauge. If I wanted that much payload I’d save up for a Browning Gold 10 gauge.

I have two CZ rifles that are my favorite rifles. I have four CZ handguns, they are my favorite semi. I’ve owned two 720’s. I own a 20 and a 12 gauge Affinity.

Even though I’ve never held or even seen a CZ 1012 my first impulse is no way. Being made in Turkey(I assume since all other CZ shotguns are Turkish) has nothing to do with it. I’ve had three Weatherby branded Turkish shotguns for quite some time and am happy with them.

The CZ shotguns I owned were rougher than other shotguns I’ve seen in that price range. Fit and finish wasn’t there. Maybe they’ve improved. I can live with roughness if the shotgun runs and both of them did. But they both had the heaviest triggers I’ve ever experienced in a shotgun. I don’t need a 3 lb. trigger on a shotgun but 4.5 lbs. would be nice.

There might be some unconscious bias on my part because I shoot my Affinty’s very well. I have it on good authority that the Affinity is assembled on the same line as the M2.

So I’ll take an Affinity.

2nd and 3rd from the left.

 

[bannockburn]

timberwolf204

No experience with either gun but I did have a Franchi Renaissance O/U that was top notch in terms of overall fit and finish and performance. The wood and metal on that gun were done to perfection!

 

[timberwolf204]

What are you planning to do with it? Any inertia gun firing 3 or 3.5" shells will not be a pleasant experience. Any particular reason those two guns are the choices?

I will be duck and goose hunting with it. I also have an older browning A5 I will use as well in a 3 inch magnum. I am open to other offers and don’t really want the headaches of some of the gas operated guns when the temperature drops.

 

[Barny]

I have both, use the Affinity and haven't shot the CZ. Both are nice but I prefer the Franchi's feel. You won't go wrong either.

 

[jmr40]

While no experience with those exact guns I've never found a 3.5" gun that was truly reliable with every 12 ga shell. Most of the ones made for 2 3/4" and 3" shells tend to shoot everything but the very lightest 2 3/4" 12 ga loads just fine. The ones made for 3 1/2" shells usually work fine with the longer shells, but are less reliable with many 2 3/4" shells.

While having the ability to shoot 3 1/2" shells sounds good in theory I'd look at what I'd shoot most of the time. If you're mostly hunting waterfowl and turkey where heavier loads are used most of the time then a 3 1/2" gun makes sense. But if you will be using more of the lighter 2 3/4" loads I think it makes more sense to stay with a 3" chamber. In my experience there are very few times where a 3 1/2" shell is truly needed.

If you want/need the ability to do both then 2 guns might be a better idea.

That said, maybe Franchi has figured out how to make a gun that is acceptably reliable over the entire spectrum of 12 ga loads. As said, no personal experience with that exact shotgun.

 

[timberwolf204]

i bought the Franchi Affinity in 3.5 with realtree MAX 5 camo. love it. Great gun shoots nice. Will even cycle remington STS 1-1/8 trap loads and patterns nice. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Oldshotty]

Let us know what you think after you light off one of those 3.5" candles. I have pulled the trigger exactly once on a 3.5" round (1300 fps 2 oz. turkey load) and won't ever do it again.

 

[cdb1]

I am guilty of only thinking about the weight of the lead when it comes to cycling. In reality velocity is as important or more so.