GUNTEST · 2016. 10. 5. · have worked on. There’s no point in making something that’s just a...

REPRINTED FROM APRIL/MAY 2014 ISSUE OF CLAYSHOOTINGUSA

The Italian patent pendingdesign of the Invictusprovides a solution to the

wear on the hinge pins, trunnionsand locking bar that results in a‘loose’ (off the face) lockup aftermany thousands of rounds. Mostmodern guns have been built toallow this issue to be overcome bya trip to the gunsmith who canreplace trunnions, fit larger hingepins and a few other tricks of thetrade that can temporarily arrestthe issue. However, such remedialaction can be expensive.

What’s needed is a way to solvethis issue quickly, cheaply and witha minimum of fuss and that’s justwhat the design team based in Italyhave come up with. The Invictusaction includes what Wes Langdescribes as ‘reverse trunnions’which are detachable from themonobloc with the use of hexbolts. These are the point ofcontact and wear when openingthe gun and absorb much of thestress generated through recoil.The idea is that if and when thegun starts to loosen, then thesecan be simply replaced by slightlylarger trunnions whichcompensate for the wear andactually push the barrels back ontothe face of the action. However, thesystem relies on more than justone feature. These reversetrunnions work in parallel with arecoil lug that sits on the bottom ofthe barrels and locates into theaction floor. This is also easilyreplaceable and shares the load ofcoping with the stresses of tens ofthousands of rounds. So, instead ofhaving to send your gun away to agunsmith, the interchangeableparts of the Invictus can bereplaced, at home, in about 15minutes by the owner of the gun.

In conversation with Wes Langhe explained that the Invictus wasAntonio’s idea. “Its something thathe had been thinking about for a

few years. When he explained theconcept to me in detail, it was aneducational experience. There arecertain technical aspects of adouble that I didn’t realize hadsuch specific effects on thelongevity of a gun. My initialimpression was that the Invictus isa game changer as regardsdurability and solves a problemthat other manufacturers have nottackled. There’s not been anydesign engineered in a way thatwill bring a shotgun back tofactory specs after extended use.There are things that have beendone such as lugs and forendadjusters, but nobody has everaddressed the action to barrel fitand how they mate and wear.

“If and when you wear the tworeverse trunnions, you can replacethem, which in conjunction withthe recoil block, gets the gun backto factory specs. Recoil lugs aren’tin themselves a new idea but theidea of making them easilyreplaceable is,” says Wes Lang.The replaceable nature of thesekey components is a majorcontributing factor to the lifespanof the Invictus and its valueproposition.

Not surprisingly, the Invictus asa new concept in competition gunsbenefits from more than just thistechnical leap forward. The triggerunit has been tweaked andmodified to make it crisper andreduce any creep. The weight ofthe action improves balance whilethe ‘shadow’ line on the base of theaction gives it a clean purposefulline while different action fencesdifferentiate it from what’s gonebefore.

Available initially in 30 and 32inch barrelled versions, the guncarries over the recentlyredesigned 8-11mm rib that sportssome rakishly designed posts thataesthetically give it stand out frommuch of the competition. The

Invictus also adopts the roundedforend that the marque has used inrecent years and the pistol grippedstock has a straight comb ratherthan a Monte Carlo. Throw in wellfigured quality walnut of a gradesimilar to the very pleasing to theeye furniture that’s fitted to theChallenger, a price tag of around$6,500 and the Invictus is lookinglike a serious contender for yourhard earned dollars as acompetition gun.

Ladies NoteYou wouldn’t expect CaesarGuerini to launch just one gun atthe SHOT Show, and they havestayed true to form by announcingplans for a new sub brand in theform of ‘Syren’ – aimed specificallyat female shooters. It’s the firstserious production competitiongun to meet their specific needs. Itis though, as Wes Lang explains,still early days in its developmentand there’s still work to be donebefore the full specs are finalized.

“We want to make sure that its100% right. Once the gun has beenunveiled we will get a few people toshoot it and see what they thinkand maybe tweak it a little morebefore we go to full production.Stock fit is the main area that wehave worked on. There’s no pointin making something that’s just awarmed over version of a guysgun. We’ve spoken to shooters,instructors and gun fitters and tothat end we have appointed AnneMauro, who is no mean shotherself, as Brand Manager.

GUNTEST

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GUNTEST

INTRODUCING THE

INVICTUS

The Caesar Guerini brand has enjoyed something of a

meteoric rise in the premiumshotgun market in recent years,

due in part to a raft of newcompetition guns and model

upgrades launched eachseason. No surprise then that

at this year’s SHOT Show,Giorgio and Antonio Guerini,

together with Wes Lang ofCaesar Guerini USA, took theopportunity to introduce the

Invictus (Latin for Invincible).

GIORGIO AND ANTONIO GUERINI.

THE LATEST MODEL FROM CAESAR GUERINI IS REVIEWED BY DON BRUNT

REPRINTED FROM APRIL/MAY 2014 ISSUE OF CLAYSHOOTINGUSA

“Initially the gun will sport aversion of the Tempio engraving,but the intention is to getsomething done specificallydesigned to cater for the tastes offemale shooters – both in terms of

design and engraving. No othermanufacturer has gone as far ascreating a sub brand just for womenshooters and we want women tosteer the brands direction and givethem what they actually want –

that’s why its so important to have awoman leading the project.”

Initially ‘Syren’ will offer onegrade of sporting clays gun in 12,20 and 28 gauge with barrellengths of 28, 30 and 32 inches.“We are also aiming in the future tooffer a range of soft goods tocomplement the range and provideLadies with a wider selection ofsuitable equipment than iscurrently out there in the marketplace,” concludes Wes Lang.

Guerini has in recent years beenriding the crest of a wave in termsof volume sales and acceptance byshooters around the world. It hasproven itself to be a driving force interms of development of new ideasand the launch of the Invictus andcurrent plans for the Syren are sureto further cement its position in themarketplace. �

GUNTEST

TANYA FAULDS HAS BEENTESTING A DEVELOPMENTPROTOTYPE OF THE SYREN.

ANNE MAURO, SYREN BRAND MANAGER.