Member Review: Ricol 12-14 Over Under 12 Gauge

Ricol Double Barrel Shotgun

Ricol 12-14 Over Uner 12 Gauge – Shotguns are their own animal, used for bird hunting by many, others just because they are a whole bunch of fun to shoot , and they have a versatility that ranges from big game to self defense(where allowed) . The choices are many, and just like potato chips it is hard to stop at just one.

After my first shot gun purchase, a Mossberg 500, I knew I wanted a different flavor, a different style and started to research side by sides and over unders, and was put off by the expense and how most of the major name brands were very long hunting guns, not that there is anything wrong with that, I have 24 and 28” barrels for my bird gun. I was more interested in a short fun gun and was starting to lean towards a Norinco/Gizzly pump with a really short barrel or even one of their Outlaw double barrel side by sides.

As I search the interweb for information on my new hobby and passion and also comparison shopping for the best pricing as well as shipping options I was directed to Corwin Arms for their shot guns and surplus firearms (along with other neat stuff) Corwin arms along with many others are have limited run shotguns built to their requested specifications out of Turkey from what I have been led to believe also makes some of the more expensive name brands shotguns.
So by the time I found this new source of goodies the selection was dwindling but I was happy to order the Chrome receiver version ( I wanted the Black one ) at least it was a matte finish silver-ish colour . It was also the dual trigger design, some were a single trigger for both barrels.

New Package arrives
When it arrived I was impressed with the quality of the wood stock and for grip, Turkish walnut nice checkering it also came with a decent rubber recoil pad, the barrel is black in color and the receiver contrasts nicely, now there were minor flaws but that is to expected at this price range they were just cosmetic, the graphics where not even side to side and the bottom graphic was slightly smudged. Getting familiar with my newest purchase trying the break barrel over under design the thumb actuated safety and looking down the fiber optic sights. As for the sights, a short red fiber up front and a pair of short green ones they are adequate but not installed perfectly true…. Probably fine for a short barreled shot gun.

Range Time
I have had a couple opportunities to take this gun to the range for some basic target shooting and after a couple boxes or so of various shells (mostly 2 ¾” reduced recoil and a few 3”turkey loads) and even though it is inherently lighter than a longer barrel version the recoil is not that bad , reasonable even , and accurate enough for the 10-25 yards I was using it for , and with the over under design you would have to spend a fair amount of time learning the different aiming procedure for the different barrels and different chokes , for me it was more about fun than precision, I have actual hunting arms for precision.
Not one failure to fire or eject, and speaking of ejecting it does that with style , shooting spent hulls over your shoulder with authority , and if you only fire a single then only one ejector activates.
Even with its shorter length it comes up to your shoulder instinctively and points well, it could be used as a hunting rig but likely you would be better served with a full sized version.

Safety
There is a thumb actuated safety on the top of the receiver, this mechanism blocks the triggers from articulating thru their travel, but even more safe is leaving the break barrel open when moving around with shells in the chamber……. That and religious trigger finger control , keep your finger out of the trigger guard at all times until ready to shoot.

Specifications
12 gauge 2 ¾ &3”
31 inches overall 14 inch o/u barrel
Weight 6.5lbs
Walnut stock and foregrip
Fiber optic sights
Threaded for Beretta/Benelli type chokes
Dual Trigger
Tang Safety / manually actuated

About the author: KenMan

Tell us something about yourself.