Gas-operated shotguns are more popular today but the recoil-operated shotgun still has a lot going for it. At the top of the list is weight. One of my favorite upland guns, a 28-gauge Franchi 48AL, is recoil-operated and weighs only 51?2 pounds. Part of its feathery heft is due to its aluminum receiver, but more of it is due to the lack of any gas-handling apparatus that adds weight to a gun.

The advantages do not stop with weight. Since a recoil-operated shotgun does not have a gas-handling system that can clog with carbon fouling, it can usually be depended on to fire more rounds between cleanings without malfunctioning. The recoil-operated gun also has fewer parts to wear out or break, and this makes it a favorite of South American outfitters who rent shotguns to their clientele for use in high-volume dove shooting. And since its fore-end does not have to be fat enough to house a gas-diverting mechanism, the recoil-operated gun can be built trimmer in that area.

Such a gun, however, is not completely free from a downside. When the weight of the guns and the power of the shotshell load used are equal, perceived recoil is lighter with the gas-operated gun. Not all of the difference in recoil can be attributed to differences in their operating systems because, as I have already said, the typical gas gun is heavier than the typical recoil gun, and the extra weight probably dampens about as much recoil as the gas operation.

Manufacturers of recoil-operated shotguns have not exactly sat on their hands since John Browning introduced his Automatic-Five in 1903, and advancements made in the design have shortened the shooter comfort gap between the guns they build and those of gas operation. The new Inertia-12 shotgun from Franchi is an excellent example of just how much progress has been made.

It is so new I cannot predict just how durable it will prove to be, but since its operating mechanism is a close copy of the Benelli Super Black Eagle--and since that gun is known to function perfectly after digesting over 350,000 rounds--my guess is the new gun from Franchi will still be ticking long after some of the others have succumbed to the licking.

The I-12 is recoil operated, but its operating mechanism bears no resemblance to earlier guns of its type such as the Franchi 48AL and the Browning A-5. The "I" in its model designation is short for "inertia-driven," and that alone goes a long way toward explaining how its bolt locks and unlocks during firing.