Target Sports

SHOTGUN REVIEW: RAISING THE BAR

Created on 14th May 2009

RICHARD ATKINS tests the FABARM XLR5 and wonders: is it a bionic semi-auto?

‘BIONIC' IS of course tongue-in cheek, but the message is not: one of Italy's leading gun makers, Fabarm, has taken some momentous strides in shotgun design and production in recent times. The company has made the decision to ensure that the guns it produces are ‘future-proofed' to ensure that any service needs that may be put upon its guns in the future are met now. Fabarm has been upgrading and enhancing its materials, design and production techniques for several years. The step it has taken to make Fabarm guns demonstrably stronger than even the proof authorities require was not as hard a decision for the company as it may at first appear; Fabarm already knew it had the technology, now these future-proofed products are on dealers' shelves and we have the first semi-auto that embodies these upgrades: the Fabarm XLR5.

All guns offered for sale in all countries aligned with the CIP (international proofing authority), have to meet certain requirements. These standards stipulate that the strength of the barrel and action will ensure that the gun is safe for its intended purpose. All guns must carry proof marks to show that they have been tested and have passed the proof test, which basically means that the gun has fired a cartridge or cartridges that substantially exceed the maximum service pressure for which the gun is intended. Having fired an over-pressure ‘proof' load of around 20% uplift on service pressure, the gun is stamped by the proof house.

The level of proof is dependant upon the calibre and chamber length of the gun, and whether it's intended for extra-heavy ‘magnum' loads such as some wildfowling cartridges; the testing and proof marks stamped on barrel and action will reflect this. Several countries have seen the use of steel shot loads increase, primarily due to legislation on the use of non-toxic shot being required, and sometimes for economic reasons. Steel shot imposes a number of factors that affect the pressure produced by such loads. The need to launch the lighter pellets at elevated velocity to approach any kind of parity with lead loads is well documented. As steel becomes more prevalent, it seems likely that moves will come to permit higher velocity and higher pressure loads. But guns sold to meet the standards of today must not be used with future higher pressure loads without being subject to re-proofing to ensure they are suitable. Some firearms may prove to be so, but many may well not. What Fabarm has bravely done is to arrange with the proof authorities to have its new semi-autos, and Axis over-and-under shotguns proofed to 1,360 bar; that is almost 20% higher service pressure than even a current magnum 12-bore steel load. When you consider the loads that the proof house must put through the gun with its uplift over service pressure, it means that these new Fabarm guns will have withstood a proof cartridge producing pressures approaching 2,000 bar! A typical 28g 12-gauge target load will produce a breech pressure of below 650 bar; it's clear that Fabarm has truly ‘raised the bar' so far as proving the strength of its guns.

XLR5 features

So what is different about the XLR5? Well, outwardly not a great deal. It retains the modern, stylish format that marks out all the latest Fabarm guns but has sufficient characteristics to maintain the link with tradition. The combination of angles and curves, like the angles found on the front profile of the trigger-guard, the receiver's upper section and the forend's tip, combined with the curves of the rear and lower receiver as well as the forend's lower forward section, give it a fresh and rather racy line. Even the forend retaining nut is a slim, tapered design with helical gripping flutes rather than the usual large knurled cap.

The XLR5 is a gas-operated semi-auto and that has the added benefit of providing what we term ‘soft shooting' characteristics. This is basically the result of the gas system spreading the time over which the recoil takes to reach the shooter's shoulder. It's only milliseconds, but that is sufficient for the peak impulse applied to the shoulder to be lessened.

Key components in any gas system are the piston and the valving arrangement which handles the operating gases. Gases are bled from small holes bored through the barrel wall and into a metal chamber welded under the barrel, in which the operating piston is housed. Fabarm has developed a system that negates the need for the complex valve arrangements employed by some makers. The need to match the pressure produced by different cartridges so that the action will operate with a light load but not be over-stressed when using a higher pressure cartridge has always been a major headache for makers of semi-autos. Fabarm's solution is called the Pulse Piston and its beauty is its simplicity. Basically, a sleeve of high-performance polymer material is fitted around a central metal piston body that has a piston ring at one end and a collar that applies the motion imparted by the gas to the action bars that connect to the breech bolt and cycle the action.

The Pulse Piston works by bleeding gas into the chamber and under the polymer sleeve so that the gas pressure makes the sleeve expand. Light loads will cause it to expand very little, so all the energy imparted to the piston is used to send the piston assembly rearwards, cycling the action. Increasingly powerful cartridges will cause the polymer sleeve to expand more and, in doing so, grip the internal surface of the gas cylinder. The higher the gas pressure and volume subjected to the sleeve, the more the sleeve expands, gripping the cylinder walls and creating a braking effect that holds back its movement. In this way, the speed of the piston is controlled such that the parts are cycled at approximately the same velocity with high-power loads as they are with lighter ones. These sleeves are found to last for many thousands of rounds and are both easy and inexpensive to replace should the need arise; not the case with some complex designs.

A finishing touch is another polymer product, this time a shock-absorbing plug in the rear of the receiver body. This cushions the final movement of the breech bolt as it is thrust rearward by the impulse from the piston. It then rapidly changes direction as the spring, compressed by the action bars, thrusts forward to reassert itself and in so doing pulls the breech bolt forward again, picking up a fresh cartridge from the magazine on the way. The polymer plug ensures no metal-to-metal contact is possible, dampening out any shocks or vibration and removing any stress from the receiver body.

The remainder of the system is typical of a well-thought-out gas system and the components are all produced to a high standard from materials chosen and treated for their suitability. Every part oozes quality, from the twist-free twin-action bars to the beautifully machined breech bolt with locking wedge which is machined from a steel forging. There is no doubt that the XLR5 is built to withstand many years of hard use, whether with ultra-magnum loads or otherwise.

Fabarm has taken the opportunity to apply some neat engraving to the receiver using a variety of modern methods that include electro-discharge machining and photo and laser-etching. Fabarm has the facility to use combinations of these methods to achieve pleasing results that enhance the gun's appearance, which is not always the case if modern methods are used over-judiciously. The chequering on the wood of the forend and stock is also laser engraved, giving a crisp and precise result. The patterns chosen are new and would be hard to replicate by traditional methods.

The model we received for review was in more an ‘all-round' format than a competition gun. The top rib is of a narrow ‘game' or ‘field'-style design as opposed to the wide rib that is usually fitted to guns intended primarily for clay shooting. Undaunted we took the XLR for an outing at a venue hosting a world English Sporting event. The 120 targets presented were substantially tougher than one might encounter on a less formal or prestigious shoot but, considering that our squadded detail went out in a storm so harsh that a modest proportion shot just five or six stands of the 15 available, we were more than pleased to record comfortably over half the targets scored: that means that the gun proved capable of tackling any target on the course.

The gun has neutral handling thanks to its modest weight and its central distribution; it's heavy enough to feel steady on longer targets and also further absorb recoil, while easy to manoeuvre for faster and close-range targets. The trigger-pull is a little more than most O/Us, but it's smooth and easily managed with no lost movement or free play.

The gun comes with four of Fabarm's famous extended ‘Inner' chokes - the longest in the business. The choke constrictions are machined on a hyperbolic curve instead of a parallel taper. This is not just a gimmick; it smoothes the journey of the shot load, whether steel or lead, as it passes through the choke constriction. This is demonstrably the case, as the Italian proof authorities have now approved the ‘HP' chokes as being the only make of choke tube above half-choke constriction that will pass for proof when used with steel shot.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with the XLR5. It handled well and performed faultlessly. The stock cast and drop can be adjusted to suit the shooter by using the spacers supplied. Having stubby hands with short fingers, I found the wrist of the pistol-grip just a tad thick for me, but that apart we approved the overall concept. Among Fabarm's other claims are that it's the fastest-firing semi-auto around; combined with its super-strength, we reckon it must be semi-bionic.

Technical Specification

Make: Fabarm
Model: XLR5
Type: Gas-operated semi-automatic
Gauge: 12g x 3"(76mm) chambers
NB: Proofed to 1630 bar
Chokes: Fabarm Inner HP chokes tubes (four supplied in plastic box)
Overall length: 48¼"
Barrel length: 27"
Weight: 6lbs 2oz
Trigger: Single
Trigger pulls: 5lbs 8oz
Safety: Cross bolt manual
Top rib: 6mm wide RVR
(parallel)
Pull length: 14" (**Adjustable with spacers provided)
Cast: Straight **
Drop at comb:1" (35mm) **
Drop at heel: 2" (54mm) **
SRP: £1,220