Product Details
** IVO FABBRI
A SUPERLATIVE PELI-ENGRAVED TITANIUM ALLOY AND STEEL LIGHTWEIGHT 20-BORE SINGLE-TRIGGER OVER AND UNDER DETACHABLE PINLESS SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. E1111,
29in. nitro barrels with raised solid top-rib, side-ribs, the over barrel engraved with the makers name and 'Fabbri SS2002 Steel', 2 3/4in. chambers, bored approx. 1/2 and 3/4 choke, titanium alloy action with finely carved fences, manual safety, detachable pinless sidelocks with concealed flush access panels, non-selective single trigger, the action, lockplates and furniture profusely engraved in high relief with scrolling floral and foliate arabesques on a finely matted background, the fore-end decorated en suite, the triggerplate signed 'Creative Art V. PELI', action bar engraved with the serial number and 'SCI 2007', retaining virtually full anodized finish, 14 3/8in. highly-figured stock, weight 5lb. 10oz., in its oak and leather case with full complement of accessories, canvas and leather outer and Creative Art trade label
Provenance: This fine shotgun was completed in 2006 and was commissioned for the S.C.I.'s (Safari Club International) fund-raising auction at their 2007 convention.
It represents Fabbri's first gun with an action built from a single billet of titanium alloy; a remarkable material that combines the strength of hard steel with the lightness of aluminium. However, titanium is extremely hard and difficult to machine and much development work was covered before this gun was completed. Titanium forms its own natural 'colour-hardening' when heated but this example has been hard-anodised in a process that reportedly involves the use of Coca-Cola as an agent.
The barrels are of stainless steel and finished in a vacuum-arc process that the makers suggest offer several advantages. When these two materials are combined we are presented with a shotgun that should stay within its original tolerances for a great deal of time. It also makes for a lightweight and exceptionally well-handling gun.
The exceptional standard of engraving on this Lot is even more remarkable when one considers just how much harder the parent metal is to work with. Valerio Peli of the Italian engraving house Creative Art was commissioned to execute the complex design in high relief.
Literature: This Lot was the subject of an article entitled "The Ultimate Fabbri" in Shooting Sportsman Magazine, 2010.
** Please note this item is subject to 20% VAT on the hammer price.
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Estimate £80,000-100,000
S2