Rizzini Ribless round-body 20-bore

Roger Glover tests a B. Rizzini Ribless 20-bore, a new incarnation that has been designed and produced specifically for Ian Coley Sporting

The vast majority of shotguns are mass produced, with many hundreds made of each model over its lifespan. A basic design may be carried forward for decades, with a few detail changes in style being made to revamp it and bring it up to date.

Most manufacturers will, if the order is large enough, produce a model specific to a client’s requirements and agree sole distribution of it. This is what B. Rizzini has done in conjunction with Ian Coley Sporting, and this Rizzini Ribless round-body 20-bore is the result.

Ian Coley has had a long career in the shooting world. He knows what makes a gun fit for a purpose. Seeing an opening in the market, he approached B. Rizzini, one of Italy’s top manufacturers, and between them they worked up a specification for this gun that makes it a unique range to Ian Coley Sporting. It uses the Rizzini round-body action from its current range with the same barrel length, but all bar the tip and tail of the rib has been deleted.

Gun fit

This is where gun fit really comes into play, as you shouldn’t have to rely on the sight picture along a rib to get you on target. If the gun fits you correctly, once mounted it will naturally present your eye in line with the vertical axis of the barrels and in line with the bead.

A ribless gun has less weight in the barrels than its conventional contemporary, which makes it exceedingly quick to change direction and the ultimate development for grouse and partridge. The skill of the gunmaker comes in retaining good balance, and this gun balances just 1in behind the hinge, making it feel fast and light yet far from “twitchy”. It is balanced without being butt heavy.

There are other differences between this model and the standard round-body gun. The pistol grip of the standard gun is the Prince of Wales type that is rounded and elegant, but not what Coley was looking for. His choice was to have a capped pistol

32 • SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE Price

The foliate engraving is extensive and classy