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Old 08-17-2010, 11:00 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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Default New Fair shotgun

My new 20 gauge FAIR shotgun arrived,and after careful examination,I would give it a fair to good rating.Overall,the metal to metal fit,and wood to metal fit seems good,but there is a defect in the wood,and both the front and mid bead are off center of the rib.The mid bead is to the left of center,and the front bead is to the right of center,so lining them up,puts your aim off center.The metal finish is very good,and the wood finish is good.The recoil pad is too hard,and not shaped all that great.Compared to my Citori,the fit,and finish is not as good,and the recoil pad is inferior,but the off center beads clearly put the FAIR a grade below the Citori.On the plus side,the fair balances better,and has a better shaped fore end.It really is a shame that FAIR did not take more time with the beads,and install a better recoil pad,because the gun really does swing good and balance well.I will shoot the FAIR this weekend,and then I will likely keep the shotgun that I shoot best,and sell the other one.
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Old 08-18-2010, 06:07 AM
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redranger15 redranger15 is offline
 
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If it was me and knew the beads are off, I think it would bug me too much.Can this not be fixed? I'm guessing you'll keep your Citori.
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Old 08-18-2010, 09:25 AM
southernman southernman is offline
 
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Thats a bit dissapointing,
I just shot my new Fair 16ga for the first time last two nights, It is without a doub't the finest shot gun I have ever owned, fit and finish are perfect.
Perhaps contact the dealer,
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Old 08-18-2010, 06:03 PM
greylynx greylynx is offline
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Return the F.A.I.R. unshot and demand your money back.

If I bought that gun, I would be wondering what the heck else is wrong with it before trouble begins.

Years ago, I bought a new Winchester model 23 side by side that was in constant need of repair. The gun fit me like a glove, but the gun kept breaking down, although it had a good reputation for being mechanically reliable.

The trouble is that this little new addition to your gun family is so cute and inviting. I have been there, but now am a bit smarter.

"Caveat Emptor" Buyer beware

I am now into B guns. Berreta, Browning, and Benelli

Last edited by greylynx; 08-18-2010 at 06:12 PM.
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Old 08-18-2010, 08:41 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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I have examined the gun again,and other than the slightly misaligned beads,I can see no faults at all in the gun.As to the misalignment of beads,it is not something that everyone will even notice.In fact the front bead is very close to center,with the rear bead being about .020" closer to one side of the rib than the other.I saw it because I work in a field where I deal with very close tolerances.The reality is that many people would likely not notice it.
Comparing the gun to my Citori did reveal a very slightly better fit and finish for the Browning,but had the beads been perfect on the FAIR,the difference would be extremely small.The point of my review was not to bash the FAIR,but more to compare the fit and finish of the FAIR and the Citori.
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Old 08-19-2010, 09:02 PM
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kennedy kennedy is offline
 
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The Citori's are really nice guns. However, demand they fix your FAIR.
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Old 08-19-2010, 09:45 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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Quote:
The Citori's are really nice guns. However, demand they fix your FAIR.
I contacted the dealer today,and I really was surprised that he didn't appear to be at all concerned about the defect.He was talking about relocating the mid bead,and filling the existing hole.I am skeptical that the hole can be filled properly,so it won't become an eyesore.I honestly expected more concern about the issue on his part.I guess that I have become spoiled by dealing with Clay from Prophet River.His customer service is in a different class that most other dealers,including the dealer that I spoke with today.
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Old 08-20-2010, 11:59 AM
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I know elkhunter as a reasonable guy.
I have seen the results on paper that he gets from his reloading bench. If he says the #'s are out they are out.

In addition this gun was not a discounted or clearance item.
But was ordered right from the factory.
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Old 08-20-2010, 12:20 PM
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i CANNOT believe none of you have made a stupid pun joke to elk about his fair shotgun not being great. i expected more from you guys.
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Old 08-20-2010, 04:43 PM
greylynx greylynx is offline
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Anyone who has read Elkhunter's post's know he is not a B.S.er and he really knows his stuff when it comes to to guns.

Thanks Elkhunter for telling us fellow AO members your problem and concerns with this purchase.
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Old 08-20-2010, 10:52 PM
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kennedy kennedy is offline
 
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If your dealer is concerned or not concerned that is not what the problem is here! You need to emphasize that you paid premium dollar for a premium gun. You paid for a custom gun with quality built into and not something that looks like junk to you. It should also have manufactures warranty on it. Clearly a defect that you would always notice causing it to be an undesirable gun for you to use. Doesnt look like your dealer has any good sense of customer service. How would he propose to fill the hole afterwards? Is he going to re blue the gun afterwards? I have seen SxS and O/U made by Guerini, beretta and brownings that are still better quality than some of these custom built guns. Good luck and demand the problem be fixed.
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Old 08-21-2010, 03:20 PM
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whitetail Junkie whitetail Junkie is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kennedy View Post
I have seen SxS and O/U made by Guerini, beretta and brownings that are still better quality than some of these custom built guns. Good luck and demand the problem be fixed.
Beretta's like your's and guerini's shotguns are at least on the same playing field as F.A.I.R shotguns wehn it comes to quility and everything else.I was really thinking of going With a Fair 0\U,but after this thread I dont know now?

If I do go Fair i'll be looking closely at the shotgun before I buy it.
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Old 08-22-2010, 06:52 PM
elkhunter11 elkhunter11 is offline
 
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I just returned home from the AO pointer party,where I used the FAIR for all of my hunting.I had no issues at all with the gun,and I had no problem at all knocking down Chukars with the gun.The slightly off center bead appears to have no effect on my shooting,and the gun handles and swings great,so I am going to leave the gun as is,rather than chance trying to correct a very slight cosmetic issue that may result in a much more noticeable issue.Such things shouldn't happen on a gun in this price range,but the options offered by the dealer don't appear to be worth the effort or risk of making things worse.
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Old 08-22-2010, 08:02 PM
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whitetail Junkie whitetail Junkie is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elkhunter11 View Post
I just returned home from the AO pointer party,where I used the FAIR for all of my hunting.I had no issues at all with the gun,and I had no problem at all knocking down Chukars with the gun.The slightly off center bead appears to have no effect on my shooting,and the gun handles and swings great,so I am going to leave the gun as is,rather than chance trying to correct a very slight cosmetic issue that may result in a much more noticeable issue.Such things shouldn't happen on a gun in this price range,but the options offered by the dealer don't appear to be worth the effort or risk of making things worse.
Good Call,"if it aint Broke ,dont Fix it!!!"Glad to hear that the Shotgun shoots good for yaa!
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