It has a slick heel to help with a smooth gun mount and horizontal striations across the center of the pad to stabilize it against the shoulder once mounted. The synthetic stock terminates in Franchi’s TSA recoil pad that does an excellent job of attenuating recoil. Loading the magazine was a little harder than most, as the shell latch’s spring is fairly strong, and must be overcome with a harder-than-usual push. The Affinity’s magazine has a capacity of four shells, but comes with the mandatory-for-hunting plug to reduce the capacity to two. The magazine loading port is also enlarged to facilitate loading. At the right-front-top of the trigger guard is a small serrated tab that must be depressed in order to lock the bolt open. The crossbolt safety, located at the back of the trigger guard, is smallish compared with the other operating controls, but we found it to be no impediment in the field. So, too, the bolt release is a nearly 1/2"-wide button for fumble-free operation, as is the trigger guard, which is large enough to accommodate winter gloves. Standard with the Affinity is an extra-large bolt handle that extends a full 1 1 ⁄ 8 " from the side of the action. This type of finish provides excellent protection against the elements, plus concealment from the birds’ eyes. Our test gun came with a Realtree Max-5 dipped camouflage finish. The average trigger pull was 5 lbs., 8 ozs.-fairly light for a semi-automatic. Rio light target loads, which the Affinity cycled without a hitch. The shots taken at the fitting plate were 7/8-oz. We shot each ammunition type individually, and also mixed them together randomly, again without a malfunction. In the field, we used a combination of Hevi-Shot Hevi-X, B&P Magnum, Winchester Blind Side, Federal Premium Black Cloud and Kent Bismuth. We had the opportunity to shoot the Affinity for several days while hunting Maryland’s Eastern Shore geese, and it didn’t disappoint. A red fiber-optic front bead (r.) is located near the end of the shotgun’s vent rib barrel, and the aluminum receiver is drilled and tapped for optics. The Affinity 3’s bolt handle and bolt-release button (l.) are oversize to help promote fumble-free operation in the field. The Affinity 3 features a red fiber-optic front bead, and the top of the aluminum receiver is drilled and tapped for the mounting of an optic. In the event it was off, the easy-to-follow directions show how the shims are employed, facilitating fitting the gun to the individual. fitting plate we found that it shot about 1" high, just right for keeping game or clay visible over the rib. The Affinity comes with a set of stock adjustment shims so that users can customize fit and length of pull. The forward-traveling bolt then pushes it into the chamber with the extractor snapping over the rim of the shell. If there is a fresh round available, it is released, tripping the action release and, as the bolt travels forward-powered by the return spring that is wrapped around the magazine tube rather than concealed within the buttstock-pivoting the carrier up to place the new cartridge in front of the bolt. If there is no round in the tubular magazine, the bolt is locked to the rear. Once the ejecta leaves the muzzle, the spring tension relaxes and the bolt is then freed to move rearward, extracting the fired shell and ejecting it as it reaches the ejector at the rear of the barrel extension. When fired, the gun recoils, but the spring, supported by the mass of the bolt, is further compressed, which tightens the engagement of the bolt head with the cuts in the barrel extension. The inertia-driven operating system works by means of a rotating bolt head that is held in battery by a strong spring. Our sample gun was a 28"-barreled 12 gauge chambered for 3" shells-the company also makes a 3½" chambering, but given the added punishment those shells produce, the 3" version will get the job done equally well. Franchi’s Affinity 3 uses an inertia-driven operating system that weighs less, has fewer moving parts and runs cleaner than gas-powered shotguns.
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