NRA Gun Of The Week: Franchi Affinity Turkey Elite

Franchi USA’s Affinity lineup of semi-automatic shotguns has grown over the years with increasing popularity among waterfowlers, upland hunters and clay target shooters, providing well-built guns, made in Italy and feature a tried-and-true operating system developed by Benelli. Now Franchi offers a premium version of its Affinity-series shotgun to passionate turkey hunters. Watch the video above to see the Affinity 3 Turkey Elite in 20 gauge on the range.

The Franchi Affinity Turkey Elite provides a robust inertia-driven operating system wrapped within an aluminum receiver featuring Cerakote’s Midnight Bronze finish. The gun’s chrome-lined barrel comes with a ventilated rib and also covered in Cerakote’s premium finish to withstand the worst Mother Nature has to offer. Though Franchi has included a long list of creature comforts that really make this latest Affinity series a truly dedicated turkey-hunting gun, its features lend utility to hunting myriad big game animals while also serving as a defensive tool.

Proprietary forcing cones within the barrel work to reduce recoil and improve down-range pattern consistency, which is important when hunting wary, call-shy birds. Franchi USA includes a set of Rhino choke tubes, long and extra long range. Ports in the tube work to redirect expanding gas recoil mitigation, enabling its user to maintain eyes on target. The tube's extended length gives a boost in ballistic performance and its machined exterior makes for easy changing.

Aiding the performance of the Affinity 3 Turkey Elite setup is a premium set of fiber-optic, rifle-type sights. The rear unit is adjustable for elevation and windage to effectively dial-in shot placement, and the front post is fixed with a hood for glare reduction and protection. In addition, Franchi includes a drilled-and-tapped receiver with a Picatinny rail for mounting optics.

On the range, the Franchi Affinity 3 Turkey Elite proved its ability to consistently print patterns on target, and at distance. The addition of a vertical grip pairs nicely with the gun setup as a dedicated turkey-hunting rig. The use of Gore’s Optifade Subalpine camouflage is a nice addition, too. An enlarged loading port, oversized controls and a cross-bolt safety, we found, are a boon to fully clothed hunters. Our testers noted the gun’s ergonomics as being woods friendly, providing all of the features you need with nothing you don't.

Specifications
Importer: Franchi USA
Model: Affinity 3 Turkey Elite
Action Type: recoil-operated, semi-automatic shotgun
Gauge: 20; 3" chamber
Barrel: 24" chrome-lined steel
Receiver: aluminum
Finish: Cerakote Midnight Bronze
Stock: polymer; Optifade Subalpine camouflage finish, black pistol grip
Length: 41"
Weight: 6.8 lbs.
MSRP: $1,279