need help identifying a shotgun

J

jkunc00

Inactive
I have a 12 gauge side by side that has been in my family for years. Nobody is sure of it's origin. It has some birds stamped in the barrel, and a crown with psf stamped under it, and a crown with finito stamped under it. It says Acciaio Fiat on the barrel, but I understand that is the type of steel. Most people I have described this too all agree it is Italian made, but we can't even determine the manufacturer or model. Is anyone familiar?
Thanks
 
You are correct that you shotgun is Italian, the proofs are for smokeless powder and the mark is for steel supplied by Fiat. Finito means it was proofed after it was finished/assembled. As for who made it, that will be hard to establish without a makers mark. There are literally hundreds of small arms makers in the Brescia area of northern Italy. Makers put a stamp on the gun that identifies it as their product, but these are often small and indistinct.
 
[some birds stamped in the barrel] - Decorations

[a crown with psf stamped under it] - Provisional proof mark.

[a crown with finito stamped under it.] - Definitive proof mark.

[Acciaio Fiat] - Advertising, meaning "Lightweight Steel".


It takes a village to make a shotgun.

The Brescia area of Italy has long produced shotguns through community effort.

Some families (aka: companies that are really all cottage industries) specialize in making only actions, some barrels, others do the stockwork, and others do finishing. Engraving is yet another specialty.

An assembler/finisher fits everything together for sale and/or export by whomever.

It's extremely difficult to discern any of the makers w/o both detailed pics ( or personal examination) and an intimate knowledge of the workers in the area & their markings.

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