There are more shotgunners than ever these days, and with the popularity of newer organizations like the Scholastic Clay Target Program, as well as stalwarts like the Amateur Trapshooting Association (Grand American) seeing junior shooters swelling their ranks, there is a need for youth-focused clay target guns that won’t break the bank. Luckily, manufacturers have noticed this uptick, including Italian gunmaker Fabarm. The Fabarm Elos N2 Allsport ($3,125, fabarmusa.com) is a versatile 12-gauge shotgun with reduced stock dimensions that’s geared toward high school and collegiate competitive shooters, along with smaller adults. The key word here is versatile—the Allsport is an ideal 12-gauge shotgun for competitive shooters who want to shoot all the clay disciplines with only one gun.
Upon uncasing, the smaller dimensions aren’t immediately apparent. However, when you first mount the Allsport, the smaller LOP is noticeable. For customizing the fit there’s an adjustable comb, along with interchangeable recoil pads and a crisp competition trigger that can be moved rearward or forward with an included Allen wrench. The adjustable trigger is inertia operated, meaning the recoil from the first shot sets up the follow-up. A tang-mounted manual safety doubles as the barrel selector.
With tasteful engraving, the Allsport designation in white on the sides of the forged steel receiver is instantly recognizable. There’s also accent etching along the top edge and “Fabarm Elos N2” is engraved on the bottom. The rounded edges of the action are comfortable in the hand. Additionally, the fit between wood and metal is similar to other guns priced much higher.
A Deely-style lockup secures the fore-end to the iron and since this is a boxlock, it also provides for cocking the gun and automatic ejector operation. The fore-end itself is a semi-beavertail with checkering and there is additional checkering on the reduced-size pistol grip.
My favorite feature by far is the Quick Release Rib (QRR) system, which allows you to quickly switch the Allsport from a flat-shooting, sporting-style low 50/50 point-of-impact rib to a higher-shooting 65/35 trap rib. With one gun you can go from a skeet and sporting gun to a trap gun in literally seconds. Both ribs taper 8mm at the muzzle and 10mm at the rear. Each rib attaches with a single retaining pin; to perform the quick change you punch this pin out the side of the rib in the rear. Next, set the desired rib on the barrel, and the rear retaining ears will engage as the rib is positioned rearward. Simply replace the pin into its hole at the rear of the rib and you’re done. Thanks to the four-way adjustable comb, shooters can fine-tune the sight picture with either rib in place. One thing to note—only one pin is included, and it’s quite small and easy to lose. Perhaps in the future Fabarm could include a spare pin for those of us that are prone to losing small items.
Like all Fabarm shotguns, the Allsport has Tribore barrels, here with the HP designation. The bores are plated with hard chrome for durability, and also tapered—working like the nozzle of a hose to gradually reduce the barrel diameter, which increases pellet speed before reaching the choke tubes. Regarding the sights, there’s a white Bradley-style front bead, along with a silver mid bead. I found that the white bead contrasted well with bright blue skies.
As for the Allsport’s chokes, they are 3¾-inch Exis HP Competition tubes. There are five screw-in chokes included: Skeet, Improved Cylinder, Modified, Improved Modified and Full. All of the chokes are safe to use with steel shot.
The included hard plastic Negrini case is a nice bonus. It’s divided into sections for the disassembled shotgun as well as designated spaces for tools and the choke tubes. Plus, the top section of the case also has two thin cutouts in the foam to hold both of the quick-change top ribs. This case is better than some cases I’ve seen supplied with other shotguns in the same category.
At the Range
For my first outing with the Allsport, I began with a round of sporting clays. Just for kicks, I brought along my friend Jeff M. to test the gun with me. He’s more of a rifle shooter, but I wanted the opinion of another adult that could stand to benefit from a gun like this.
Both of us noticed that the gun has just the right amount of heft to manage recoil while remaining very pointable. At 7 pounds, 11 ounces the Allsport is lightweight enough for a junior shooter to lug around the range without worrying about it becoming burdensome. At the initial station I missed the first bird, but by my third clay I figured out the right move and nailed it dead center with a satisfying explosion of orange dust.
On the other hand, when Jeff took his turn with the Allsport he absolutely smoked his first bird. I thought maybe it was beginner’s luck, but as we ventured from station to station the same scenario unfolded. Most of our shots ranged from approximately 15 to 40 yards. The Allsport didn’t skip a beat, from the low-ready it was almost as if we were on autopilot and only had to point and shoot.
After a quick rib change (timed at 16 seconds), we next headed to the trap field. Keeping things simple with a quick round of singles, the higher rib didn’t quite smoke birds like the 50/50, but still provided positive impacts on the fast-moving, rising clays. I chalk this up mostly to the fact that Jeff and I both stink at trapshooting.
We were shooting two brands of shotshells, Winchester’s AA Diamond Grade that debuted at SHOT Show earlier this year, along with Federal’s Gold Medal Grand target loads. Running both of these, the Allsport’s performance was impressive with no malfunctions of any kind after approximately 500 rounds.
Bottom Line
A shotgun that adapts to your body well should be on every serious clay shooter’s wish list. I don’t have long arms. I also don’t want a shotgun that’s obviously designed for kids. The Elos N2 Allsport fit my frame perfectly and once it was properly dialed in, I was crushing clays with the best of them. Not only that, I was able to hand it over to an inexperienced clay shooter who proceeded to bust clays like it was his job. What’s more is the Allsport is not only an ideal upgrade for young shooters (and parents) looking for a reasonably priced combination over/under, but also an option for smaller adults interested in a nice, eye-catching shotgun that’s suitable for every clay target discipline.
Complementing the right-handed version, Fabarm USA offers a southpaw Allsport with a $155 upcharge. And if you’re in the market for a larger gun, earlier this year Fabarm debuted the Elos N2 Allsport XL, which boasts a 14.75-inch LOP and other increased dimensions. Learn more at fabarmusa.com.
Gear List
- Fabarm USA Elos N2 Allsport 12-gauge O/U. $3,125, fabarmusa.com
- Winchester AA Diamond Grade 1 oz., 2¾ in., 7½ shot, 1,250 FPS. $11.99 per 25-count box, winchester.com
- Federal Gold Medal Grand 1⅛ oz., 2¾ in., 8 shot, 1,145 FPS. $12.99 per 25-count box, federalpremium.com
- Axil 32 dB Foam Earplugs. $0.99, goaxil.com
- Albion England Classic Leather Cartridge Bag. $525, houndhare.com
About Fabarm
Fabarm built its first factory in Brescia, Italy, about 120 years ago. The company is the brainchild of the Galesi family, one of the great dynasties in the Brescia area, which has been the breadbasket of shotgun manufacturing in Europe for centuries. The name Fabarm itself is an acronym for Fabbrica Bresicana di Armi, which means Arms Manufacturer in Brescia. Much like its contemporaries, Fabarm has a modern 10,000-square-meter factory in Brescia that is capable of producing nearly 20,000 firearms a year. All parts are made in Italy with nothing subcontracted to outside countries. The Brescia factory is important to the company, since it’s dedicated to producing Fabarm guns in-country. According to company literature, “Fabarm has a massive investment in both its research and development and industrial facilities.”
Established in 2012, Fabarm USA is one of two subsidiaries (the other is in France) that makes it easy for U.S. customers to purchase Fabarm products, as well as for servicing—all Fabarm USA shotguns include a five-year warranty.
All photos by Peter Fountain, unless otherwise indicated.
See more: WATCH: Inside Look at the Beretta Factory in Italy
