Bohannon, I’ll be very interested in your thoughts about your rifle as you become acquainted with it. I’ve been considering a Rizzini. They seem to be a quality rifle at an attractive price point.
I must say that after shooting the rifle a bit I do really like it and am convinced it's actually going to be a good rifle.
I'll start with the negatives. Obviously the cracked forearm sucks, but it didn't impact shootability and they're sending me a new one to replace the cracked one. The action is a bit stiff to open, but I do expect that to loosen up as I work it more. Only other things I've noticed is that one of the pins on the receiver stands slightly proud and the engraving is a bit shallow. But these are super nit-picky things that are purely cosmetic. Oh, and I wasn't super thrilled with the nigrini case it came in. It's fine for local range or hunting trips, but I wouldn't trust flying with it. So I ended up buying a Nanuk takedown case for it.
Now for the positives. For a 10lb 470ne rifle, the recoil is very manageable. I know this is subjective, but shooting from sticks it felt like a stout 3in 12ga load in a non-semi auto. Don't get me wrong, you know you've sent some big lead down range, but it's not the shoulder breaking, retina detaching recoil some have claimed. I think it's very manageable and have no desire to add any weight to the gun. For reference, I'm 5' 11" and 220 lbs. I'm shooting Hornady 500gr DGS factory loads, which is the regulation load for this gun. At 35 yards, the regulation matched the factory target. At 60 yards from sticks I put 4 rounds into a fist-sized group which I believe is very acceptable. I will say that as it's set up now, you have to use a bit of a 6 o-clock hold vs a dead on hold or you'll be a couple inches high. I'm ok with that and don't plan to change anything. I really like the fiber front and v-notch rear sight setup. The triggers are perfect for a dangerous game rifle - very little take up and a solid wall with no creep. Haven't put a gauge on them, but I'd guess around 5lb pull weight. The ejectors are really good too - they're selective so if you only fire one barrel then only the spent case is ejected. They do kick those big 470 cases out with some authority.
Even though I had some concerns initially, I really do like the gun and feel that it punches way above its price point. Would I buy it again knowing what I know now - 100% yes. I'm happy with it and look forward to taking it to Zimbabwe in October.
