16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 20 Feb 2012 Posts: 36 Location: North central Ohio

Ive been looking at the FAIR Iside. I like the looks of this sxs and would like to get some opinions and feedback on this model from anyone who has owned or used one. Thanks !

Guest

I sure like mine. No issues, but I've had mine for less than 2 years. FAIR guns are not overly fancy, but if you scour the net it's really hard to find a bad review from owners. In general Italian guns from this price point and up are reliable. I'm not worried at all about the build quality. Once you get past that it's simply a matter of making sure it fits.

Guest

Innards

[URL=https://imageshack.com/i/pohvSvFNj]

[/URL]

Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1696 Location: Minnesota

Rudy, Bought mine from another member hear couple months ago and liking it so far but have only had it out 3 times. Seems like a quality piece. Which model/configuration are you looking at? They seem very open to building one to your specs too, but will have to wait for it a couple months if you go that route.

Joined: 20 Feb 2012 Posts: 36 Location: North central Ohio

Im interested in the double trigger, case hardened model,with 28'tubes. I plan on doing some bird hunting and weekend skeet and clays using 7/8 oz. loads.Durability is always a concern of mine.

Joined: 20 Feb 2012 Posts: 36 Location: North central Ohio

Also,thanks for the replies and excellent photos of the action!

Joined: 17 Oct 2019 Posts: 455 Location: New Jersey

I have one in 20 gauge and really like it. They’re well made guns that are very reliable. The only complaint I’ve ever seen is for some they’re too light. It’s very easy to get away with a 30” 16. You’re still about 6 lbs 2 oz’s. My only complaint is I think the recoil is pretty heavy. I’m not recoil sensitive but this thing kicks. I’ve never been measured so it could be fit but I’ve heard others say the same thing.

Joined: 20 Feb 2012 Posts: 36 Location: North central Ohio

I grew up using a Lefever nitro special 16 that was tightly choked mod and full.The stock was short and it kicked hard using factory Express loads.We didnt hand load in those days.What sort of loads make your 20 kick?

Joined: 17 Oct 2019 Posts: 455 Location: New Jersey

Joined: 20 Feb 2012 Posts: 36 Location: North central Ohio

What does the factory provide for a butt plate on the Iside,and how is it attached?I would probably add a small recoil pad to mine.

Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1696 Location: Minnesota

Rudy Have you been here?
http://www.italianfirearmsgroup.com/fair/details/iside
It comes with a basic plastic plate. That's what I mostly prefer for a field gun but it was too long and I plan on using it for targets a lot so I had a SC100 pad put on.

Guest

I went at things a little differently with my Iside. I do most of my hunting in cold weather, so I had the LOP set for my usual November hunting clothes, and I use a leather slip-on for off-season clays.

The pad length is easily manipulated by the foam inserts, and just the added surface area alone takes a bite out of the recoil. That said, it is a light gun, so I use 7/8 oz. reloads on targets. The mild 1 oz. factory loads like Herter's and Federals are no problem without the pad, but I think they'd get to me a little if I shot a lot of them without the pad on.

I did the same with my AyA, only I set the length to my normal Sept./Oct. LOP, and use the slip-on with no foam inserts in the summer to protect the checkered butt and again the added surface area takes a bite out of the recoil when shooting clays.

[URL=https://imageshack.com/i/poFjqm7ej]

[/URL]

I did a little fit-tweaking on my Iside. I went with the optional custom dimensions and they were very close. They had the LOP right, but the nose of the comb was a bit high, so I want at it at the pattern plate with sandpaper and refined the fit including cast.

Then I had the very talented member, Mark Larson (UncleDanFan), rechecker and refinish the gun. It was fun working out the details with Mark. He asked me if I wanted grain enhancement and I told him to go for it. The gun had pretty decent wood, so I certainly could have passed on that part, but I like how it turned out.

[URL=https://imageshack.com/i/pnsmetp2j]

[/URL]
[URL=https://imageshack.com/i/pl6mzojMj]

[/URL]

Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1696 Location: Minnesota

Looks good Dave. Id forgotten how much nicer your Iside looks post UDF.

Joined: 07 Sep 2014 Posts: 419

I like mine a lot.

Bob