THE GRIZZLY By Tim Allen

Pulling into my driveway I was rather excited to get inside and check out the new Grizzly I had just picked up from Neil Hayes.
Being new to reviews I was consciously trying to think of standardized useful ways I could present a shotgun to the reader as I opened the case. The case itself is rugged, with the firearm and components secured in a molded plastic bottom and held firm with a foam lined lid which is locked down with four catches.
Like a true Kiwi bloke I tossed the manual aside and went straight for the gun, pulling the plastic wrap off like a kid at Christmas. This shotgun was different than others I used with the upper half of the receiver attached to the barrel; I was keen to get it together.
A minute later I was reaching for the
manual. I found the process of putting the Grizzly together well illustrated and all the Grizzly pieces were soon as one. I gave the manual a tick of approval. There is a “knack” of putting together and taking apart, but this is quickly mastered.
Having a 3 ½ inch chamber I was expecting to find the Grizzly to be noticeably heavy.
At 3300 grams it was quite manageable. Having a standard 28 inch barrel the overall gun length is slightly longer than my 3 inch chambered auto which is to be expected, but didn’t affect the balance for me.Putting gun to shoulder felt natural, as did slipping the safety off in the one motion.

Closer inspection revealed an oversized safety button which was well located behind the trigger. There are few things more disturbing than hearing a safety being taken off while birds are flying around a blind. To me the “Safety” should be operated / removed as the shotgun is being mounted to your shoulder immediately prior to firing. The Grizzly’s safety has been superbly designed to idiot proof this action as a natural smooth and comfortable operation.The Grizzly comes with five chokes, has a synthetic stock and fore-end with a matt black finish on receiver and barrel. It is
Inertia operated. The finish quality on individual parts is very good.
The magazine capacity was a bit light for my liking. Holding one in the chamber and two 3 ½ inch rounds in the magazine - this has likely been designed for the American waterfowl market. A call to Neil Hayes and I soon had an extension in my hands for a goose hunt. Now I had a gun with immense fire power for fielding geese. It would now hold five 3 ½ inch shells plus one in the breach (5 +1) and seven + one 2 ¾ inch shells!!

15 Yard test

Seldom mentioned - the single most important piece of information obtained by firing a shotgun at paper is your point of aim. If a shotgun doesn’t hit where you are looking or aiming you will struggle to perform with it. I shot at a piece of card from 15 yards with a full choke using a 28gram load of 7’s. Once with the shotgun already mounted. This should show me the gun shoots to the point of aim, and the second shot fired snapping the shotgun to shoulder and firing while only focusing on the target, this should tell me if the gun fits me.
As you can see the Grizzly fires to the point of aim very suitably and I was quite happy with the result from the snap shot. The
Grizzly comes with a drop kit should any
adjustments need to be made.

Stripping and Cleaning

Despite some manufacturer claims - shotguns require regular cleaning, particularly auto loaders. Cleaning will not only help to ensure a working firearm but allow you to inspect parts and obtain professional help before your firearm lets you down in the field. Aside from the safety and reliability gains to be had by cleaning there should perhaps be an aspect of pride and asset protection to cleaning.
With the Grizzly I was able to strip down and put back together in one minute and thirty three seconds after familiarizing myself with it.

Aided by the simplistic design of Inertia
actions that has afforded those in the “know” reliable, trouble free performance. An added bonus with the Grizzly is that the top of the receiver is attached to the barrel giving easier access to some of those places few tend to clean. Add a few minutes to clean the bore and wipe over external metal parts with an oily rag and there really is no reason we can’t place our Grizzly back in the cupboard clean after any amount of use.

In the field

Being a 3 ½ inch chamber I wasn’t surprised that the Grizzly didn’t cycle the soft shooting 28gram loads straight out of the box, but would expect that to improve with some amount of use (wearing in). However this isn’t a shotgun I would buy to shoot clays down at the local gun club.
The Grizzly was taken on a pheasant hunt which was never going to offer this gun the action it deserves, however it performed well cycling the 32 gram Nobel Special Game field loads on the three occasions asked of it. Once to dispatch a feral cat with a going away snap shot, the second at a cock pheasant that was folded up by my mate just as I touched the trigger, the third opportunity saw me knock down a melanistic rooster.

The next time I had the Grizzly in the field I was chasing geese. I had some 3 ½ inch shells and must admit to some trepidation as I had been told firing a 3 ½ inch gun would be similar to pulling on a horse’s tail and suffering the resulting kick. Inertia actions have a reputation of heavier recoil than gas operated guns so it’s fair to say I was quite surprised to be firing massive 64gram (2 ¼ ounce)
Remington Loads and not be significantly aware of it. The Grizzly performed well during the course of the day claiming its share of birds amongst the other guns.

Summary

For me the Grizzly with the extension is a great way to get some extra fire power in a quality action for situations such as fielding geese where up to 8 shots can be a huge advantage to putting geese on the deck. I see three shots on decoying birds on big water as no disadvantage.
The Grizzly is easily cleaned and maintained thanks to its action type and design. I very much liked the oversized safety along with the way the gun looked and felt.

Retailing at around $2500 (+$200 for extension) the Grizzly is around $1000 cheaper than comparable products.

Note:- Also back on the market in New Zealand is the Breda Astro which is a 3inch chambered Wood Blued inertia operated shotgun. Both shotguns are definitely worth taking a look at.