Used guns – the Marocchi Evo Black

Why a used Marocchi Evo Black is a good buy

The Marocchi Evo Black is a gun intended to appeal to the clay shooting market and available in both trap and sporting formats. The Trap gun is available with 30in barrels and has a beavertail fore-end, and there is also a somewhat less common version with 29½in barrels fitted with fixed chokes. The Sporter is distinguished by a Schnabel fore-end, a greater variety of barrel lengths ranging between 28in and 32in, and a slightly thinner rubber butt pad than the 20mm one on the Trap gun.

Marocchi Evo Black

There are two cosmetic finishes, nickel or black as pictured, and the sideplates are decorated simply with a minimal blue inlay to achieve a modern appearance. A useful feature, available as an optional extra when ordering from the factory, is the adjustable comb; simple adjustment with the supplied hex key allows it to be raised or lowered to suit the shooter, and, if desired, pitch can be altered as well.

The engineering reflects a meticulous attention to detail

Marocchi Evo Black build quality

The build quality of Marocchi guns has always been first class and the Marocchi Evo Black is no exception, with clean wood-to-metal joins and smoothly finished metalwork. Internally the engineering reflects a meticulous attention to detail, with none of the shortcuts that you might expect to discover in guns of a similar price, and includes the fast ejection system featured in the action.

Much of the manufacturing process is completed by hand. The action works on an inertia system that uses recoil to reset the firing mechanism. The chrome-lined and ventilated monobloc barrels have long forcing cones, the tapered area between the chamber and the bore. This allows for a smoother transition as the shot charge leaves the former, resulting in a lower perceived recoil, reduced deformation of the pellets and more consistent shot patterns. They are topped with a wider than usual rib of 10mm, which many shooters prefer, finding that it helps them to line up more instinctively to achieve the perfect sight picture. With the exception of the fixed chokes in one specific trap model, guns are supplied with a set of five Marocchi Maxi interchangeable extended chokes in the usual range. The gold trigger-blade can be adjusted to any of three preset positions to ensure a comfortable fit.

The Evo has clean wood to metal joins and smoothly finished metalwork

Looks good, mounts easily

The Evo is a sweet-handling gun that looks good, mounts easily, handles naturally and is kind on the shoulder, even with heavier loads. It is one of those guns that just defies you to shoot badly with it. With the adjustable comb, it is ideal for setting up a shooting newcomer to develop both confidence and ability. Many more experienced Shots will also find the facility very appealing but even without one this is one of those shotguns that simply seems to fit most shooters without trying.

The Evo looks good, mounts easily and handles naturally

Within the price bracket, Marocchi shotguns stand out well among their competitors and represent excellent value for money. Any Evo on the used gun racks will not be an old gun and would represent a good investment for the single-gun clay shooter, as well as a reliable backup gun to have in the cabinet. The sporting versions would also do sterling service in the pigeon hide. You’ll also have the benefit of the comprehensive backup service that Marocchi prides itself upon, keeping spare parts for even its earlier models available, something that not all gunmakers can lay claim to.