If someone were to ask you to list the finer gun-makers of Italy, most of you would likely callout names like Beretta, Perazzi, Benelli, Fabbriand a few others. In this review, I will be

extolling the features and virtues of a dedicated trapgun from a fairly new name with Brescian heritage, anUnsingle from Caesar Guerini.

Story & Photos by Johnny CantuArticle appears in the May 2007 issue of Shotgun Sports.

Please be sure to visit our website www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com

Located in the Val Trompia region ofItaly in the town of Marcheno, CaesarGuerini has been producing qualityshotguns for discerning sportsmensince 2003. Georgio Guerini, AntonioGuerini and Wes Lang have focused onproviding the American market withexcellent products made of the finestmaterials, sculpted with old worldcraftsmanship and blended with mod-ern technological expertise.

I had the distinct pleasure of spend-ing some time with Georgio and Wes atthe 2005 Grand American. Georgio is abrilliant young man who fully under-stands the challenges facing newcom-ers in the Italian gunmaking business.He exemplifies the strong will, deter-mination and artistry we have come toexpect from the best of the Italianfirearms manufacturers. Wes, whoheads up Caesar Guerini USA, and Ihave been friends for years since wewere coworkers at Beretta USA insouthern Maryland. Wes spent yearscovering the country as a high-levelcompetitive shooter and understandsthe wants and needs of American shot-gunners. He has lent considerableinsight to the design of the CaesarGuerini guns for the American mar-ket, and his input has been invalu-able for the success of this fine lineof shotguns. The Guerini Field andSporter shotguns have enjoyed excel-lent acceptance in the last few yearsand Wes has been a large part of that(see our review in the June 2005 issue).

Now, from this combination ofItalian artistry and American insightcomes a dedicated shotgun for theAmerican trapshooter. The SummitTrap Unsingle and its upscale siblings,the Maxum and Magnus Trap, are theculmination of more than three yearsof collective work to create a line

designed to allow trapshooters to notjust excel but win. Many conversationswith American trapshooters of all skilllevels took place over the years, andtheir responses were earnestly heardand noted. A basic question asked was:What would your ultimate trap gun belike? Armed with the answers fromthese passionate trap competitors, theteam at Caesar Guerini used them as aguide through the often rigorous

processes of initial design,production, modi-fication and final

changes thateventual lywould endwith a state-

o f - t h e - a r t

trap-gun series.When I first spoke to Wes about test-

ing and reviewing the Summit TrapUnsingle, he fairly warned me the gunI would receive as a test model wouldbe a prototype and some minorchanges would occur between it andthe final production models. With thatin mind, I fully expected a few interest-ing points to come up with the test ver-sion. There were few, most not

worth mentioning here. The particularSummit Trap prototype I receivedsported a unique adjustable rib as wellas an adjustable comb. The Unsingleversion will be made available to theAmerican market as a combo. The over& under barrel will also sport anadjustable rib, although not as pro-nounced as the design on the Unsingle.The Summit prototype also came to mewith a 34" barrel with screw-in chokes.All the better, as that is my favoritelength for a single-barrel trap gun. Thechokes provided were mostly justquick setups to have something toshoot; however, the Extra-Full was of aGuerini design called the “MaxisCompetition Choke.” These speciallydesigned chokes go hand-in-hand withthe Maxis barrel. More on these a littlelater in my review.

The Summit came with a hand-rubbedoil finish on the walnut buttstock andforearm that resulted in a medium sheen.

Not at all unattractive. The stock on mytest version was well streaked with nice,dark color and grain that could be seeneven through the checkering. The check-ering was hand-cut at 26 lines per inch ina simple but appealing style. The semi-beavertail forearm came with fingerflutes, a concept I personally prefer. Thisstyle of forearm is sometimes called atrap/skeet forearm. The fully rounded

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With the stock removed, the firing mechanism is now visible with the 1.5mmAllen wrench inserted into the set screw of the trigger shoe. Here it is at therearmost position to accommodate my hand and trigger finger. Also visible arethe hammer-spring assemblies, sears, hammers, inertia block and overtraveladjustment screw. The graceful and artistic scalloped fences are testaments toGuerini’s attention to aesthetic detail.

The Summit Unsingle Trapprototype as I received it. Notice the

adjustable rib. I was sure the polished and rounded postswere made of polymer. I was wrong. Three Allen-style wrenches are sup-

plied for stock removal, comb adjustment, trigger-shoe adjustment and take-up.

and check-ered undersideof the forearm,combined with theflutes, gave my hands goodtack and comfortable seatingof the fingers to guide the gun. Ihave to assume the forearm was calleda “semi” beavertail because it did notswell out to a larger dimension at theforward end. That’s just fine for me andmy medium-small hands. The SummitUnsingle was easy and smooth to guidewith my front hand.

The forearm was attached to theUnsingle barrel by means of a modi-fied Anson pushrod latch system. Thetip of the pushrod protruded approxi-mately 7mm out the front of the gun.Versions of this system have been usedon different makes of shotguns formany years. Guerini’s version of thisreliable and attractive system incorpo-rates a replaceable bushing that allowstightening of the forearm iron to thereceiver should it ever be needed. Thisis just one of the subtle features thatmake the Guerini the kind of trap gunshooters have been wanting to see.

The beautiful Guerini receiver, withits gracefully scalloped fences, was ofthe popular “Boss” style. Many othermodels of shotguns have copied thisstyling of the fences and shoulders, andit’s easy to understand why. CaesarGuerini made the most of their innatestyling skills and created a singularlybeautiful over & under receiver. I canonly imagine machining a receiverwith scalloped fences has to be moreexpensive than not having them scal-loped. To me, this speaks highly of thecomplete quality and aesthetics CaesarGuerini demands of their products.

The finish on my Summit receivermight be called “French grey.” Wesprovided me with the details of theSummit’s finish, which is produced bylayering two different finishes onto themetal. First, a layer of Teflon-impreg-nated nickel is layered onto the receiv-er and, afterwards, a layer of a special-ly developed proprietary coating calledTinaloy™ is applied. The finish, com-bined with the very attractive laser and

die-stamped engraving, gave thereceiver an overall appeal not likely tobe outdone by many other firearms inthe same class. The Summit is certain-ly a gun you will be proud to uncase atthe gun club!

Within the Summit’s receiver was,of course, the firing mechanism.Guerini designed the Summit with anonselective, inertia-operated triggerwith a manually operated safety.Rebounding hammers equipped withsecondary safety drop notches provid-ed forward inertia to the firing pins.The firing pins rebound away from theface of the receiver after firing.Powerful coil springs were wrappedonto hammer spring assemblies setinto sockets at the rear tang. Theseassemblies drove the hammers forwardwith more than enough force to makeeven the toughest primers do theirthing. Almost all my over & undershave this type of hammer poweringsystem and, after many thousands ofrounds, I can barely recall the last time

I had any trouble with them. It’s a sim-ple and highly durable design.

This next information should make alot of trapshooters happy. Wes informedme the Guerini Trap Guns will beoffered, in the not-too-distant future,with factory release triggers. Theadvantage to having release triggersinstalled by the factory is the parts canbe designed to give the best perform-ance and durability by being correctlyengineered and hardened for the gun.This eliminates the problems that can beencountered when aftermarket triggersystems are installed. Additionally, withfactory installed triggers, your warran-ty is maintained. Wes told me release/pull and double-release triggers wouldeventually be part of the optionsoffered. He also let me know, should acustomer desire a selective triggermechanism, that request could be easi-ly accommodated.

The trigger of my Summit Trap wasadjustable for overtravel as well astake-up. Overtravel was adjusted bymeans of a flat, slotted screw head fit-ted flush alongside the right edge of thelower tang of the receiver (you have toremove the stock to access it). Take-upwas adjusted with the supplied 1.5mmAllen wrench. The adjustment setscrew for take-up was located justbehind the gold-plated trigger alongthe right side.

The trigger shoe was also adjustablefor length of draw (or “length of reach,”as Guerini calls it). The adjustmentrange of the trigger shoe from fully for-ward to the rearmost position is a full 1/2",plenty of movement for even the largest-handed shooter. It can be set at any pointalong that range, not just at pre-cutnotches, as with some other adjustabletrigger shoes. Width of the serrated trig-ger shoe was 7.95mm. Guerini’s listedlength of draw is 4.1", measured at thecenter of the overall range.

Although I never tried to adjust thetrigger for overtravel or take-up, I didadjust the position of the shoe to betterfit my trigger finger. The Summit’strigger broke cleanly and consistentlyat 3.25 pounds throughout all my testfirings and never showed signs of fad-ing or hardening. The Guerini triggersystem is well-designed and shouldeasily hold up to long tournament sea-sons and shoot-off punishment.

The stock of the Summit Trap wasvery attractive and, of course, carriedwithin it the adjustable hardware. Thiswas a prototypical area. I was assured

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The breech of the prototypeGuerini Summit Unsingle. Theunique rib is seen from the rearwith its tall rear step and gracefulposts. The full-width underlug ofthe monobloc is also visible andthe false upper chamber. The topchamber will, in the productionversions, house a snap-cap/firing-pin cushioning device, as well asthe anti-vibration system. Themidsection of the rib along the top-chamber barrel extension housesstill another device to lessen ribnoise and vibration.

by Wes the adjustablecombs on the productionmodels would be as easily adjusted forcast, comb height, drop and comb off-set. This was another area I did notadjust. I left the comb at the fully low-ered position. Adjustments to the comb(.75" from highest to lowest) could bemade with the supplied 3mm Allenwrench.

The comb had within it hardwarethat adjusted for the shooter’s person-al preferences. The settings could beretained by means of set screws thatautomatically recall your personal set-ting each time you remove the combfor an adjustment. I simply loosenedthe set screws that held the comb ontothe stock, removed the comb andadjusted as needed. Then I adjustedthe memory set screw on the undersideof the comb for the same setting. Nomore worrying about having the right-thickness washers or losing shims likewith other systems! This system wasvery simple — one of those “Whydoesn’t everybody do it like that?”kind of designs.

The rear of the stock was fitted witha soft, rubber, ventilated recoil pad.Quite soft and rounded on the edges, itdid an excellent job of softening therecoil blows to my shoulder. Everyonewho shot the prototype spoke highly ofits pleasant recoil sensation. Wes letme know there may be (just maybe) theoption of an adjustable butt plate in thefuture. He did not say it was a certain-ty but hinted it might happen. Staytuned for further updates.

Also slated for the future is theoption of a weight/recoil-reduction/balancing system that would reside inthe buttstock. Wes explained, “Theplans for this system would eventually

give the shooter a quick interchange-able system of three different

weights, allowing the shooter tonot only add weight in the stockbut balance adjustability, as wellas a recoil reduction.” According

to Wes, the early production mod-els would probably have an inser-

tion hole pre-drilled into the body ofthe stock so the system, once available,could be retrofitted. This mechanismwould most likely not be standard butoffered as an option on the Summit,Maxum and Magnus Trap Guns.

Now would probably be as good aplace as any to mention DTS. I’msorry; I mean “Dynamic TuningSystem.” That’s what Guerini calls theoverall adaptability of their series oftrap guns to the shooter’s individualstyle and needs. The adjustable combsystem is one of the components in theDTS. The adjustable rib on theSummit’s Maxis barrel is the majorcomponent. With almost every othergun on the market, the shooter usuallyends up making some compromise tohis or her shooting style, which gener-ally results in a negative effect onscores. The DTS is designed to allowthe rib to be adjusted from a 60/40point-of-impact (POI) to a whopping120% high. This is all accomplishedby the simple turning of an adjustmentwheel at the front of the rib. Once theproper POI has been attained (adjust-ment reference notches are on the sideof the muzzle post), you will simplylock the rib into position with the setscrew housed in the front face of therib post. Additionally, the midsectionof the rib maintains a bushingdesigned to eliminate nuisances likevibration and noise.

The rib of my Summit was con-structed of alloyed aluminum, verystylish and quite unique. Measuring

12mm at the rear step and 10.8mm atthe muzzle, with full-length, glare-reducing grooves, most shooters whosaw the Summit said things like“Whoa! What a rib!” or “Man, that’s arib!” The machining of the rib postsespecially intrigued me. I was, at first,totally convinced the rib was com-prised of two materials — polymer forthe posts and aluminum for the top andbottom ribs. I assumed the posts hadbeen dovetailed or glued to the top andbottom ribs, but when I questionedWes about it, he assured me the ribwas one-piece and machined entirelyof aluminum. I had to see this for

myself. Not that I didn’t believe Wesknew what he was talking about;curiosity just got the best of me. Iremoved the rib from the barrel and,sure enough, the rib was one-piece andall-aluminum. The posts were so well-rounded and polished, I just knew theywere polymer. I was wrong. This rib isa thing of beauty! Beads on my ribwere a Bradley-style front and 2mmbrass midbead.

“Maxis” is the name of the collectivebore size, forcing-cone length andchoke system the Summit retains. Thebore of the Summit barrel is listed at.735 (my test prototype measured just ahair under at .734). Visual inspectionand measuring of the forcing conesconfirmed the advertised length of 5".Long forcing cones are an aid in over-all reduction of felt recoil. Guerinicalls their forcing-cone design“DuoCon.” The bore is chrome-linedfor the utmost in corrosion resistance.

The surface of the Summit’s barrelwas finished with a most attractive, soft-matte, glare-reducing finish. Amonobloc design, the receiver’s upperfalse barrel housed yet another vibra-tion-dampening system. Combined withthe Summit’s natural weight of almost 9pounds, it was obvious Guerini wants itto be very user-friendly.

Although my prototype did not pos-sess one, Wes informed me the topchambers of the production- versionUnsingle guns will also have withinthem a firing-pin cushioning snap-capsystem to prevent harm to the top firingpin. This would also allow relaxationof the top barrel-hammer spring when

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The fluted, semi-beavertail forearm of the Guerini Summit. The modifiedAnson pushrod latching system incorporates a replaceable bushing (seenjust to the rear of the barrel-lug recess) that can tighten the relationship ofthe forearm iron and barrel to the receiver.

preparing to store the gun. The barrelof the Summit, with its unique andvery adjustable rib, should certainlyhelp many shooters reach the nextlevel in their game.

The Maxis Chokes that willcome with the Guerini TrapSeries are designed to work inharmony with the Maxis bore.The Extra-full Maxis suppliedwith my test gun measured3.188" in overall length. Theexternal knurled section meas-ured .811" and was clearly marked“EF” on the knurled portion and“EXTRA FULL” in three places on itscircumference. The sidewall of thechoke was marked “MAXICHOKECAESAR GUERINI EXTRA FULL”on three lines.

Range testing of the Summit at localclubs had many eyebrows rising inenvy. The Summit’s great looks hadshooters nearby wanting to take a shotor two with it. I was more than happyto have others try a few shots inexchange for their comments after-ward. No one had anything even closeto a negative criticism. Most were justunhappy it was not yet available.

Chris Slane, father of Billy Slane,13-year-old California PITA StateSingles Champion, had this to sayafter shooting a round with theSummit Unsingle: “Thank you for thetest round with the Guerini Trap

Gun. It’s a nice-feeling gunand shot very well.

Having struggled all day with a gunI’ve shot for two years and then doingso well with the Summit impressedme. The direct recoil and nonexistentmuzzle rise of the Unsingle makes for

a comfortable shooter. Bring it backsometime so I can play with all theadjustments built into the gun!” Hisson Billy also shot the Summit andwas impressed. His first round waswith the comb in the lowest positionand the rib adjusted to give about a70/30 POI. He lost two on the firstpost and ran the rest. After a shortbreak, I adjusted the comb and rib towhat he thought would be closer tothe same settings on his gun, and helost only one target and absolutelysmoked the others. A huge smile anda long “Sweeeeet!” emitted fromBilly’s lips after his practice roundswith the Summit.

Pattern testing revealed all ofGuerini’s calculations for the

adjustability of the rib and resultingPOIs are virtually spot-on. I performedpattern and POI testing at 35 yards. Mytest ammo consisted of Rio’s excellentpaper Top Trap loads at 3 drams with

11/8 ounces of No. 8s, Federal’s classicGold Medal Paper shells at 23/4 drams11/8 ounces of 8s, and the fine-perform-ing B&P Comp 2000 loads that shootsoft at around 1,300 f.p.s. and send out1 ounce of 71/2s.

Chokes I used were the suppliedchokes Wes had shipped along with thegun. The constrictions in the chokes —off the .734 bore — were as follows:Light Modified, -.014; Modified, -.018; Improved Modified, -.024; andExtra-Full Maxis, -.039. I decided toshoot some preliminary test patternswith the Modified, IM and Extra-Fullto check percentages and sizes.Shooting three shots for each pattern,the sizes and percentages of the pat-terns were true to expectations for eachchoke with all the test ammo.

The Extra-Full is the choke I finallysettled on to perform my POI testing.Adjusting the rib to the lowest settingshould have provided me with thehighest POI. I started shooting forPOI, but I was not coming up withquite the POI I thought I should have.A quick phone call to Wes led to somecorrections. It seems the DTS wasdesigned to perform at optimum levelwith a figure-eight bead picture. Thiswas decided upon after many conver-sations with trapshooters who stated afigure-eight sight picture was the mostdesirable. I was shooting with analmost-flat picture where the beadswere superimposed one into the other;therefore, my lower POI.

At the 35-yard distance, the Extra-Full Maxis Choke resulted in a consis-tent pattern of approximately 18" withall the test ammo. The center of thePOI measured, in all cases, to an aver-age of 11" above the point of aim. Thereason I say an “average” of 11" is Ishot all tests off-hand and can attributesome deviation of the POI to that.

When I adjusted the rib to the high-est setting to give the lowest POI, thetest shots confirmed a 60/40 POI. Allpatterns were centered an average of11/2" above the point of aim. I was con-vinced the Guerini design for theiradjustable rib and DTS worked well.

As with just about anything, theproduct is only as good as the servicethat backs it up. Caesar Guerini shot-guns have a limited lifetime warranty,as well as their Pitstop Program. ThePitstop Program basically says, as aCaesar Guerini shotgun owner, youcan return the gun to Guerini once ayear for a totally free service and

The adjustable combon the Guerini SummitUnsingle Trap Gun is seenhere in the fully lowered position.The soft, ventilated recoil pad canalso be seen, as well as the simpleand tasteful 26-lines-per-inchcheckering on the excellent oil-finished walnut stock.

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The rib of the SummitUnsingle shown adjusted

to the fully up position.This provides the shooter

the flattest point-of-impact.Depending upon your sightplane, this position should

give a 60/40 POI. The adjust-ment wheel, reference

notches, set-screwrecess and front

bead are visible inthis photo.

tune-up (up to three times). Broken orbadly worn parts are not part of thisprogram. Turn-around time will befive to seven business days, and theonly charge to you is shipping. This isa tangible sign of Guerini’s dedica-tion to their customers. It’s their wayof telling you service does not endwhen the sale is concluded. Theirservice is designed to help you pro-tect your valuable investment andassure its performance.

As stated earlier, the Summit,Maxum and Magnus Trap Guns willbe offered as combo units, also. Thecombo configurations will include30"/32", 30"/34" and 32"/34". I wassurprised to hear from Wes a 30"/34"combo configuration would beoffered, but he assured me he hadheard from many Guerini dealers thatthat configuration needed to be offeredto American trapshooters. Again,Guerini listened.

Accessories for the Guerini Trapmodel will include three Allen-stylewrenches — 5mm, 3mm and 1.5mm(the 5mm removes the stock, the3mm removes the comb, and the1.5mm adjusts the take-up on the trig-ger) — three Maxis Choke tubes —

Modified, IM and Full — in a choke-tube case, owner’s manual and fittedGuerini hard-plastic case with combi-nation locks.

I have included a sidebar that liststhe standard dimensions of the stock.

Oh, there are two things I almost forgotto mention. Wes let it be known left-hand stocks should be available by thelatter part of 2007. Good news for allyou lefties out there! Second, theSummit will also be offered in an over& under version. Unsingle guns ofeither 32" or 34" will carry an MSRPof $4,495, as will the 30" and 32" over& unders. The combos, in either30"/32", 30"/34" or 32"/34", will havean MSRP of $6,325. Sounds to me likemore than a great deal on a trap gun ofthe Summit’s quality!

By the time you read this review, theCaesar Guerini Summit Unsingle andits siblings, the Maxum and Magnus,should be on the way or already at yourGuerini dealer. With superb looks,graceful lines, soft recoil, scads ofadjustability, features and benefits thatwould make any Dale Carnegie SalesAcademy graduate froth at the mouthand backed by the foremost warranty/service program in the country, don’tyou think it’s time to stop in at yourlocal Caesar Guerini dealer and checkout the Summit Unsingle or Combo?Visit www.gueriniusa.com to see thenew trap line. See you on theline…with your new Guerini! SS

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CAESAR GUERINISUMMIT TRAP

All measurements are based on averageand subject to change.

Breech to Comb 7.5"

Cast at Heel .19"

Cast at Toe .35"

Comb Adjustability .75"

Drop at Comb .65"-1.4"

Drop at Heel 2.25"

Drop at Monte Carlo .65"-1.4"

Length-of-Pull 14.8"

Pitch 5°

Reach 4.1"**Measured from center of trigger adjustment

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