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I am not much of a shotgunner. It is not that I
don’t like shotguns; I certainly do. There is nothing that
swings and handles as well as a good double gun, especially when
it is built right and chambered for the twenty or twenty-eight
gauge shells. I love a good double. I am just not as
proficient with one as I would like to be. I do not spend as
much time shooting upland game as I would like. There is not
much that is more enjoyable in the shooting sports than hunting
quail on a crisp, sunny fall day. It just seems really
hard to find the time. I guess the time is there, but I spend
too much of it working and not enough hunting and fishing. I
will try to remedy that situation as soon as possible. Anyway,
rifle and handgun shooting is a science. You work on the load,
the sight picture, the trigger pull, and when all is right, the
results are good. Shotgunning is more like an art than a
science. I am more of a scientist than an artist. However, I do
enjoy a good double shotgun, whether it be a side-by-side or an
over/under, there is something special about a double when it is
built correctly. Many double guns are not. Some of the
doubles seen these days look as if there were built by someone
who once saw a fuzzy photograph of a double, and built it from
that. If a double doesn’t feel right, it does nothing for me.
I can take an unbalanced rifle and work with it, or a clunky
handgun properly held and can still shoot. However, to me, what
makes or breaks a good shotgun is a quality that is hard to
describe, but when it is there, you know it. The subject of this
article, the new Savage Milano, has this quality.
When I first saw the Milano at the 2006
SHOT Show, I thought it was just another Italian
shotgun. There is nothing at all wrong with Italian shotguns,
mind you. The Italians make some of the best in the world.
It is just that I figured that Beretta and Franchi
had the affordable end of the market cornered. That was until I
handled the new Milano! It has that certain indescribable feel
to it. It is hard to explain. Like picking out a wife or a
Christmas tree; there are many that look good, but you just know
when you find the one that is just right. The Milano felt just
right. I immediately placed my request (okay, I begged) for a
production gun when one became available. I recently received
the new Milano in twenty gauge, which happens to be my favorite.
The Milano is built to Savage’s specifications
in Italy, and it has that Italian gun feel to it, which is a
good thing. It is a very good-looking shotgun, with its
satin-finished checkered walnut stock, lightly engraved silvered
receiver, and flawlessly blued barrels. The buttstock wears a
solid synthetic rubber recoil pad that is rounded at the heel to
facilitate quick mounting to the shoulder. The barrels are
chrome-lined, and have lengthened forcing cones, and of course
thin-walled screw-in choke tubes, three of which are furnished
with the gun; improved cylinder, modified, and full choked,
along with a choke wrench. The forend is finished with a
Schnabel tip, and has a spring-loaded latch for easy
disassembly. The ejectors are selectively automatic, throwing
the fired hulls clear while only slightly lifting the unfired
shells for easy removal by hand. The trigger is the single
selective type, with the selector made into the thumb safety,
which is thankfully not automatic. This is the preferred type of
safety and selector with clay target shooters, and works very
well in the field also. Another feature that I really like
is that the trigger is mechanical. With inertia type triggers,
such as is used on the Browning Citori and many other
shotguns, if the first shells fails to fire, the other will not
either, as the lockwork uses the recoil from the first shot to
reset the trigger for the second. The Milano, with its
mechanical trigger, does not have this fault. If the first shell
is a dud, pulling the trigger again will fire the shell in the
other chamber. The front bead on the Milano is a red fiber optic
unit that is very easy to see, and there is also a brass
mid-bead atop the ventilated rib. The barrels on the Milano
measure twenty-eight inches in length, and the weight on the
sample twenty gauge gun is six pounds and six ounces. This makes
for enough forward weight for a good swing, but light enough for
quick action. The length-of-pull measured fourteen and one-half
inches on the test gun. The trigger pull averaged just under
five pounds.
Shooting the Milano proved to be a delight. It
comes up quickly, swings well, and points just perfectly for me.
I like the feel of the forend. It has just enough swell and
belly to fill the hand, without being the least bit cumbersome.
The checkering is well-executed, and provides good control.
The light engraving on the receiver, latch, and trigger guard
looks good, without being gaudy. Shooting at clay targets,
which is something that I have rarely done, was very satisfying.
The Milano performed admirably, when I did my part. There were
no failures to fire or eject, and busting the clays was easy,
when I remembered to keep my head down properly.
I really like this new Savage Milano much better
than I thought that I would. It handles better for me than any
other double that I have tried. It fits me. If you are in the
market for an over/under shotgun, it would be a mistake to
overlook the Milano. You get an Italian gun, without
Italian customer service. While the Italians know how to build a
shotgun, they are not famous for good customer service. With the
Milano, you get the Italian balance, feel, and handling, with
Savage’s famous customer service. The Milano is available
chambered for the 12, 20, and 28 gauges, along with the .410
bore.
Check out the Milano and other Savage products
online at: www.savagearms.com.
For the location of a Savage dealer near you,
click on the DEALER LOCATOR icon at: www.lipseys.com.
Jeff Quinn
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Click pictures for a larger version.
Savage’s New Milano Over/Under Shotgun.
Savage's Milano is very tastefully decorated, and
exhibits a level of fit and finish one might expect on a much
more expensive gun.
Sights consist of a fiber-optic front bead (top) and
brass mid bead (bottom).
The trigger is a well-executed single selective,
mechanical design.
Selective automatic ejectors functioned perfectly during
testing.
The Milano comes with three screw-in choke tubes.
The Milano's stock features cut checkering on both wrist
(top) and forend (bottom).
The nicely-shaped forend features a Schnabel tip (top)
and recessed latch (bottom).
Recoil pad sports a radiused heel to aid in quickly
shouldering the Milano.
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