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Fabarm Iris

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One Piece Pivot Mounts

The History of Fabarm

Fabarm was founded around 1900 by one of the historic Italian families, the Galesi family. Fabarm stands for Fabbrica Bresciana di Armi, which translates to Arms Manufacturer in Brescia. The company first produced side-by-side shotguns and pistols, but it experienced its main growth after World War II when it expanded its repertoire to include over and under shotguns and other types of weapons.

In the 1950s Fabarm started to produce compressed air rifles and even 9 mm Flauber carabines, but it was in the 1960s when the company introduced its first semi-automatic “Goldmatic” shotgun that arguably changed the course of Fabarm since it is now primarily known for the quality of its semi-auto shotguns.

It was in the 1970s, though, when Fabarm reached its first peak. The company further expanded, and it now included competitive over & under shotguns. The main one was the new STL shotgun that ended up winning several rewards and accolades. It was also in the 70s when the ELLEGI model was introduced, a semi-automatic shotgun operating on a gas mechanism that saw great success in Europe.

In 1979 the company’s CEO Luciano Galesi retired after what could be considered a successful and fruitful run at the head of the Fabarm company. Soon after Galesi’s retirement, Fabarm relocated to a more spacious work environment in Travagliato, only a few kilometers to the west of Brescia. This didn’t affect the company’s direction, though, as it remained focused on producing high-quality semi-automatic shotguns, pump-action shotguns, as well as break-barrel shotguns. What followed, however, was a period of long-lasting and lucrative business agreements that elevated the company to new heights. Fabarm started presenting itself at international firearm exhibitions and other events, and it made use of then-modern marketing techniques that resulted in up to 3000 units sold on a monthly basis.

Today, Fabarm’s flagships are the semi-automatic shotgun Lion H35 Titan and the over & under Axis shotgun, presented in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Furthermore, in 2008 Fabarm presented XLR 5 (stands for Extra Long Range), yet another semi-automatic shotgun, but it featured weaver grooves – a feature that later became the standard for Fabarm’s shotguns. XLR 5 saw some upgrades in 2012 when the XLR 5 Velocity was introduced. The latter was used by an American competitive shooter John Yeiser on the 7th of November 2013 when he set a new world record for the fastest time to shoot 25 American trap clay targets (64.14 seconds), the record that still holds to this day.

In 2014 Fabarm launched its new Professional line. It was designed to target a whole new market of professionals, and it proposes a completely new vision of the pump-action shotgun. The Fabarm Professional is centered around its base model, the STF/12.  Since its introduction, Fabarm shotguns became relatively common among Special Forces, military, law enforcement, etc.

Fabarm Iris Rifle Review

Fabarm Iris is a bolt-action rifle specifically designed for hunting. Fabarm is mainly known for its semi-automatic shotguns, something they truly excel at, but the Iris rifle is a product of the company’s endeavor to show they can be a competitor in the bolt-action market as well. Fabarm Iris is very light and can be thus carried for extended periods of time. It also comes with an 80 cm (31.5-inch) case for transportation. The case might seem rather short, but it is in fact perfect for the rifle since the latter can be very easily disassembled.

Fabarm Iris in .30-06 Spring.

Figure 1: Fabarm Iris in .30-06 Spring. (Source: https://www.all4shooters.com/de/jagd/buechsen/fabarm-iris-jagd-gewehr-buechsen-test-visier-special-69/)

Fabarm Iris boasts a cold-forged barrel, but the latter wasn’t made by Fabarm. Instead, it was manufactured in Suhl by one of the most experienced German barrel manufacturers. The barrels of Fabarm Iris are fully interchangeable and come in different lengths: 51, 56, and 61 cm (20, 22, and 24-inch respectively). The buyer also has an option to purchase the rifle with a preinstalled muzzle brake, in which case the barrel can measure up to 66 cm (26-inch).  

The barrel of Fabarm Iris is free-floating and is attached to the action by two imbus screws. They (the screws) can be found on the bottom of the rifle, right behind the forend. The latter can be easily detached for maintenance or transportation purposes. The barrel also comes with two iron sights.

Fabarm Iris features a very light aluminum action with a titanium finish. It thus ensures both lightness and durability. The action is of the push-feed style, and it hosts a three-lug bolt with a 60°-degree throw. The bolt has an interchangeable bolt head, which further improves the rifle’s versatility. Caution is advised during the assembly of the rifle, though. The shooter must always make sure that both, the bolt and the barrel, match the caliber. The bolt head is either marked by MI, ST, or MG. These marks correspond to the caliber the bolt head is made for. MI stands for “mini” calibers (.223 Rem.), ST for standard (.243 Win., .270 Win., 7x64, .30-06 Spring., .308 Win. and 9.3x62), and MG stands for magnum calibers (.270 WSM and .300 Win. Mag.). The barrel has the specific caliber marked on the right side, as does the magazine. The latter is detachable, and it has a capacity for up to 4 cartridges. There are two catches on the side of the magazine well that need to be pressed in order to release and detach the magazine.

Fabarm also took care of the rifle’s safety. Iris features a manual cocking mechanism. When the rifle is de-cocked, the bolt’s rear part sort of extends out of the bolt’s body, and there are two dots visible on the upper surface: a red and a white one. But when you decide to cock the rifle, you need to push the bolt’s rear part towards the action until only a red dot remains visible. When the rifle is de-cocked, the bolt is completely locked and cannot be used.

The trigger of Fabarm Iris depends on the variant of the rifle. Fabarm DTG comes with a direct trigger while the Fabarm STG features a “set” trigger. The rifle ends in an aesthetically pleasing Bavarian buttstock that has a recoil pad attached to tame some of the heavier calibers’ kicks. A Monte-Carlo buttstock is available if requested.

Fabarm Iris Calibers

Fabarm Iris can be chambered for:

  • .223 Rem.

  • .243 Win.

  • .270 Win.

  • .270 WSM

  • 7x64 mm

  • .308 Win.

  • .30-06 Spring.

  • .300 Win. Mag

  • 9.3x62 mm

Fabarm Iris Variants

Fabarm Iris comes in just a few variants:

  • Fabarm Iris STG*

  • Fabarm Iris DTG*

  • Fabarm Iris DTG Elite

  • Fabarm Iris STG Elite

* There are only 2 differences between STG and DTG. Iris DTG comes with a standard direct trigger while the STG comes with a “set” trigger. The latter also comes with a muzzle brake, while the DTG variant doesn’t.

There are four holes for mounting purposes on top of the Fabarm Iris’ receiver.

The receiver of Fabarm Iris with a visible mounting surface. The cocking system with 2 dots can also be seen in the picture

Figure 2: The receiver of Fabarm Iris with a visible mounting surface. The cocking system with 2 dots can also be seen in the picture (Source: https://www.fabarm.com/web_eng/dettaglio-prodotto.asp?i=2)

Receiver dimensions for Fabarm Iris

A: 12.7 mm
B: 81 mm
C: 12.7 mm
BHU: 0 mm
Fi: 6-48
R1: R18
R2: R18

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Fabarm Iris

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Fabarm Iris

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. Rifles that have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Fabarm Iris are the following:

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Fabarm Iris

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary (distance B on the image above). This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed. Rifles that have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Fabarm Iris are the following:

Should you have any additional information regarding possible mount matches, please contact us. We will gladly accept your help and expand our database accordingly.

Best Scope Mounts for Fabarm Iris

Fixed Scope Mounts for Fabarm Iris

Talley rings are simple to install, reliable, and recoil resistant. This, combined with a relatively affordable price, makes them the most suitable fixed scope mounting solution for the Fabarm Iris. They come with a 10-year warranty and are made of aluminum, which makes them a perfect fit for the Iris’ aluminum action.

Detachable Repeatable Mounts for Fabarm Iris

Rusan offers impressive solutions when it comes to detachable repeatable scope mounts for various uses. One of them is this Rusan high-quality two-piece scope mount. It is a great choice for your Fabarm Iris, and it comes with a 10-year warranty as well.

Picatinny Rails for Fabarm Iris

This Picatinny rail manufactured by the German company EAW is a great choice for Fabarm Iris. It comes with a 30-year warranty and is made entirely of high-quality steel.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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VIDEO

Pivot mounts are a special kind of repeatable mounts that are especially popular in Europe and mainly produced by European manufacturers. Most notable among them are German Companies like EAW (Ernst Apel Wurzburg), Recknagel, Henneberger and MAK. These Companies were also among the first to produce mounts of this type. Non German companies like Rusan are also following this trend.

Main benefits of pivot mounts, or swing mounts as they are sometimes called are:

  • 100% repeatability,
  • very quick and easy detaching and reattaching,
  • extremely durable; most mounts of this kind are tested on 10000 or more reattachments,
  • size and weight; light and small, elegant.

There are also some minor weaknesses that such mounts posses and they are: they are usually more expensive than other types of mounts, the installation on the rifle should be done by a skilled gunsmith and most of these mounts are higher than 14 mm.

A distinct feature of pivot/swing mounts is the way the scope attaches to the rifle. The front foot of the mount on the scope is inserted in the front base under a 90 degrees angle to the barrel. Then the entire scope is pivoted around the front base until it is locked into position by the rear base.

Pivot mounts of all types enable windage correction on the rear base at the time of the mounts installation. There are three main types of pivot mounts which are distinguished by the type of the rear base:

  • EAW style rear base: produced by EAW and Rusan,
  • Dovetail rail base: produced by Recknagel, Henneberger, MAK and others.
  • Leupold type rear base