I've never seen a .410 shotgun like this before.

jughed440 · Jan 8, 2018

Saw this Italian made single shot .410 "Handi-Gun" shotgun laying on a table at the gun show last Saturday. It's something i have never seen the likes of before. I searched the net to learn more about it and see what it's worth (marked $500). A Google search came up with very little info on the firearm, especially on the value, but i found out that it's late '60s-early 70s vintage.
I went back on sunday to have another look at it and was impressed by how well it was made. It's very well balanced. The dealer and I have done numerous trades and sales before, and he inquired about a shooter grade Model 10 that i had offered as trade in a previous deal. We traded even up. The barrel measures 18 1/2" from breech to end, and the overall length is 32".

Any information on this oddity would be much appreciated.

moosedog · Jan 8, 2018

My friend had one in his shop several years ago and said he was told that it was designed to be a survival gun for the Italian Military.

6518John · Jan 8, 2018

Where has the modern Italian army ever been deployed where they would need to “survive” anything?

damienph · Jan 8, 2018

6518John said:
Where has the modern Italian army ever been deployed where they would need to “survive” anything?

Actually the Italian military is a very active part of NATO and has deployed troops to just about every combat and peacekeeping mission including Kosovo, Bosnia, Egypt, the West Bank, Pakistan, Iraq, Afganistan... wherever.

RV4driver · Jan 8, 2018

damienph said:
Actually the Italian military is a very active part of NATO and has deployed troops to just about every combat and peacekeeping mission including Kosovo, Bosnia, Egypt, the West Bank, Pakistan, Iraq, Afganistan... wherever.

Well, sure, that's accurate, but the previous quote was more funnier!
I think he confused them with the French.

That IS one strange and unusual firearm, thanks for sharing. I love the weird stuff.

Muley Gil · Jan 8, 2018

Never seen one of those before!

I knew a few Eye-talian po-leece officers when I was in Kosovo. They were purty nice folks.

damienph · Jan 8, 2018

RV4driver said:
Well, sure, that's accurate, but the previous quote was more funnier!
I think he confused them with the French.

That IS one strange and unusual firearm, thanks for sharing. I love the weird stuff.

I agree that it was funny but fair is fair... the Italian Army is the real deal, the French, well... um.... NATO supporters they are not.

DWalt · Jan 8, 2018

That's an entirely new gun to me. Never even heard of one. I assume it must be legal but the barrel seems awfully short. And why would Italians name it "Handi-Gun" if it was in Italian service? Why not Maneggevole-Lupara?

BC38 · Jan 8, 2018

Veeeely INT-er-est-INK!
Smoothbore I presume?

2152hq · Jan 9, 2018

Does the Stock on the OP's gun easily unscrew/detach?,,or is it a permanent fixed stock?

Just wondering if the gun is a USA import version of the gun sold elsewhere in world at the time.

The original version had a short bbl,,maybe 8 or 10" long. Same ramp sight. Stock easily unscrews from the frame and was made to do so for ease of handling and use.

They were made by Francesco(sp?) Serena, Fabrica Armi, Brescia. Italy
Gauges 410 and 28 as well as 22LR cal.
I have read of them being chambered in a couple pistol type shot cartridge loads but don't really have any other info on that.
That would have to be something like the 9mmFlobert shot or something like it I'd think.

They came in a somewhat flimsey plain pasteboard box, with a appropriate length cleaning rod and a certificate from the company claiming how well it was made and the fact that it passed Gov't Proof and at what specs. Ser# & cal of the pistol was listed.

410 ga guns were listed as '410cal' and also as '36cal' on the same end lable and paperwork.
36 being the correct 'gauge' for .410 caliber,,

I don't know anything about them being an issue survival weapon for any Armed Forces.

I've only ever seen 1 and that was a short bbl'd version that a customer brought into a shop I was working in in the 90's.
He was shown the door with his detachable stocked shorty smooth bore and told to never bring it in there again.
But we got a nice look at it before that happened!

Gulfecho · Jan 9, 2018

From the depths of the S&W Governor debate...it looks like a novelty gun to me? LOL

jughed440 · Jan 9, 2018

DWalt said:
That's an entirely new gun to me. Never even heard of one. I assume it must be legal but the barrel seems awfully short....

18 1/2" barrel. Was told by the dealer that hunting with the stock removed is illegal.

BC38 said:
Veeeely INT-er-est-INK!
Smoothbore I presume?

It is smoothbore.

2152hq said:
Does the Stock on the OP's gun easily unscrew/detach?,,or is it a permanent fixed stock?

One of the few pics on the internet that can be found shows a short barrel version with the removable stock

89406d1382972594-hey-there-speerchucker-recognize-pistol-3443187.jpg

jughed440 · Jan 9, 2018

Here's a YouTube video showing a short barrel version. Too bad i can't understand a single word that the Italian kid is talking....sounds like a Beatles record playing backwards at double speed.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4eOVB6-u9w[/ame]

DWalt · Jan 9, 2018

"36 being the correct 'gauge' for .410 caliber"

It's really not, as I think the true gauge for a .410 is more like 54. However, for a long time .410 boxes were also marked ".410 (36 Gauge)". I have a 1920's era Remington wooden shotshell crate which is marked that way.

GT_80 · Jan 9, 2018

Thats very cool! It would be better if the stock had a pin in the pistol grip so it would be easier to collapse and keep in one piece, then hold it in a backpack like a takedown model... at any rate very cool, and it wouldn't have much recoil with 410 shells. Wonder if it can shoot pistol calibers like a Governor? Its a smooth bore or rifled?

Muss Muggins · Jan 9, 2018

GT_80 said:
Thats very cool! It would be better if the stock had a pin in the pistol grip so it would be easier to collapse and keep in one piece, then hold it in a backpack like a takedown model... at any rate very cool, and it wouldn't have much recoil with 410 shells. Wonder if it can shoot pistol calibers like a Governor? Its a smooth bore or rifled?

It's smooth bore. If you take that stock off, it becomes an NFA weapon . . .

2152hq · Jan 9, 2018

You're right, the 410 is a 67gauge or there abouts.
The confusing history of being incorrectly labled a 36gauge goes back quite a ways and from different dirrections.

Here's a rundown of the way it got to be known as such:
fourten shotgun resources

I should have said the 410 is also commonly known as the 36ga,,incorrect to say that it is a 36ga.

GT_80 · Jan 9, 2018

Muss Muggins said:
It's smooth bore. If you take that stock off, it becomes an NFA weapon . . .

Oh yah... Forgot about that. Takedowns get around that because the action is in the stock.

BC38 · Jan 9, 2018

GT_80 said:
Thats very cool! It would be better if the stock had a pin in the pistol grip so it would be easier to collapse and keep in one piece, then hold it in a backpack like a takedown model... at any rate very cool, and it wouldn't have much recoil with 410 shells. Wonder if it can shoot pistol calibers like a Governor? Its a smooth bore or rifled?

That's what I was wondering and why I asked about whether it was smoothbore or rifled. With a rifled barrel and a chamber that would also accept 45 Colt rounds that would REALLY be an awesome survival gun. Even without rifling using 410 shot and slugs it would still be a pretty cool piece of survival gear.

jughed440 · Jan 9, 2018

BC38 said:
That's what I was wondering and why I asked about whether it was smoothbore or rifled. With a rifled barrel and a chamber that would also accept 45 Colt rounds that would REALLY be an awesome survival gun. Even without rifling using 410 shot and slugs it would still be a pretty cool piece of survival gear.

Well i do have a Governor to back it up. LOL

I've never seen a .410 shotgun like this before.

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