Caesar Guerini Invictus IX Sporting 12-bore £13,400

With its beautiful wood, bold and brilliant engraving and crisp shooting, this gun is a guaranteed future classic, says Jonny Carter

The wood boasts plenty of figure

and a hand-rubbed oil finish

The gunstock sports a full pistol grip and

simple, sensible chequering patterns and mid bead and a small line cut the full length of the rib. As a sight picture, this little tram line really adds to the perceived accuracy you have when shooting this gun.

Great features

The stock feels great with its full pistol grip and simple, sensible chequering patterns. The wood on this one is beautiful, with plenty of figure and a hand-rubbed oil finish, capped off with a black rubber recoil pad. The dimensions are intelligent, with a length of pull at 14¾in, drops of 1½in and 2¼in with a good dash of cast. The cherry on top of all these great features is the long trigger tang that runs down the pistol grip.

The fore-end on this model is that full rounded style, of which I am a big fan, and is fitted with an extended Boss-style fore-end iron, of which I am an even bigger fan. Inside the foreend

“Every time you look, you see something new — that is the mark of great engraving”

iron is a great mechanism which, by the turning of a small screw, alters the effort required to open or close the barrels to the action.

Right and above right: the deep relief engraving is finished by hand and features mythical creatures connected by a background scroll