The Verney-Carron Impact LA Fusion is not at all like the old American pump-action rifles. Its European heritage is readily apparent from its appearance. The operating mechanism under its forearm is modern, too, and it is the most accurate pump-action rifle I have ever tested.
Verney-Carron is the oldest fabricator of fine French firearms — shotguns and rifles. The business was founded in 1820 and is still a family-owned company. Based in St Etienne, France, the company makes a wide range of high-quality hunting shotguns and rifles, but a pump-action rifle is a departure from its traditional base.
This Fusion is one of several variations on the Impact LA theme. In this caxe, LA stands for linear action, describing the way the pump-action system operates in a straight line.
The Impact Fusion is a striking-looking rifle with its textured silver Ergal alloy receiver and black polymer slide handle which contrasts with the dark brown walnut forearm and butt stock. The right side of the flat-sided receiver has the image of a wild boar in gold bordered by some tasteful scrollwork, and the left side has a roebuck with identical scrollwork.
The receiver is rounded on top and is drilled and tapped for Verney-Carron’s proprietary scope mount. The butt stock and forearm are dark-hued French walnut. The gracefully, gently curved grip is chequered, as is the slide handle which moves effortlessly back and forth in a groove on each side of the forearm. This is an entirely different system from any other pump-action rifle I’ve seen and its great advantage is that the forearm is securely attached to the receiver and barrel while a separate operating handle operates the mechanism.
The propensity for early pump-action rifles to rattle quite audibly while being carried or operated was intolerable, since it was loud enough to spook a game animal. After a number of false starts, Remington de-rattled its Model 7600 but has always had a problem trying to make what amounts to a shotgun stock look like a rifle stock. The forms this has taken range from the clumsy to the outrageous. Some progress, however, has been made with the Model 7600.
Verney-Carron’s beautifully made Fusion was designed for fast target acquisition and the designers had to solve the critical problem of having a comb height that would be right for use with both the iron sights and for scoped use. They did this partly by supplying spacers to fit between receiver and butt that alter the stock’s pitch as well as its cast on/off.
At first glance, with the way this test rifle is set up, the 38mm (1½”) drop at heel appears excessive for a rifle, but it isn’t since the drop at comb is barely 25mm (1”). About 6mm (¼”) of cast-off favours the right-handed shooter. The comb is thick enough to support the shooter’s face and position the aiming eye in line with the irons or a scope. To achieve this balance, the irons are mounted on 2cm (¾”) high ramps. The rear U-notch has a green fibre-optic dot at the bottom and one on each side which are aligned with a ramped red dot at the muzzle. The stock’s configuration then, complements the rifle’s mechanical excellence as well as making the Fusion more appealing to ‘elitist’ shooters on the Continent.
The iron sights are correctly positioned and exceedingly well designed. But best of all, the sights are sufficiently high above the bore to place the comb of the stock in the correct position for use with the iron sights or a low-mounted riflescope.
The advantages of such a high iron sight line have been recognised by experienced Battue riflemen, and Verney-Carron is to be congratulated for incorporating this feature in a handsome, streamlined, accurate, reliable and deadly efficient ‘woods’ rifle.
The Fusion has a strong locking system with six lugs on a rotary bolt head that locks up within a separate block of specially hardened steel attached to the rear end of the barrel. It forms an interlocking compartment which completely encloses the cartridge head. The bolt face has a deep counterbore housing a pair of plunger-type ejectors with the rim broken to accept a rugged steel 31mm (1.218”) claw extractor.
The gracefully tapered barrel is 61cm (24”) long measured from bolt face to the end of a bulbous-looking muzzle brake, but rifled length is closer to 56cm (22”). Its diameter at the front of the locking block is 28.8mm (1.132”), the block has a length of 64mm (2½”) and the chamber mouth is lightly bevelled. The slim barrel is fluted from 25.5cm (9¼”) in front of the receiver to the muzzle, which measures 15mm (.595”) in diameter.
The Fusion has a flat receiver which is very comfortable to the carrying hand. The rifle’s basic weight of 3.1kg (7lb) is minimal for an iron-sighted rifle of such power, and is practically ideal for a rifle that is to be mounted with a scope. The barrel is long enough to ensure satisfactory ballistic performance and yet short enough to satisfy anyone but a short-barrel fanatic. Because of absolutely superb stock design and the muzzle brake, recoil is sufficiently low that the solid, thin recoil pad makes hardly any impression.
A detachable box magazine holds five rounds in a single column. The walls are steel, but the follower and base section are polymer. When inserted normally, the magazine slides into the receiver, locks snugly in place with a loud click and no apparent slack.
The magazine protrudes about 4cm (1½”) below the receiver but is far enough to the rear that it doesn’t make it awkward to carry the rifle at the trail. The magazine’s release button is in the lower righthand section of the receiver.
The mechanism, housed in the forearm, is pretty much a standard assembly for pump-action shotguns and rifles. The polymer pump handle is held to the bottom of a block by a pair of screws. The block slides in a longitudinal slot in the bottom of the forearm and is connected to a pair of operating rods which are attached to the bolt carrier. The rods slide back and forth in matching recesses in the receiver sidewalls. A rod in the centre of the block extends forward and is threaded on the end for a nose-cap retainer. The block is free to travel along the rod, which steadies the assemblage and ensures it is centred throughout its travel.
The Verney-Carron system is a good one which ensures that the walnut forearm is tight, since it is rigidly attached to both barrel and receiver, and is not loose to rattle or slop around. The shell-like pump handle sits closely around the forearm and is chequered to allow a secure grip.
The shotgun-type trigger unit is retained in the rear end of the receiver by two pins. Drifting these out allows the assembly to be removed for cleaning. There is a cross-bolt safety button located in the rear of the trigger guard.
A button on the left side of the receiver is the action-bar lock. When the rifle has been fired, or the trigger pulled on an empty chamber, the action-bar lock automatically disengages, permitting operation of the slide assembly.
For testing, the Fusion had a Swarovski 4-12x50mm scope attached using a Picatinny rail and Nikko Stirling quick-release steel rings. Many gun writers have been critical of the kind of accuracy this type of rifle is capable of, but every pump-action I’ve tested showed surprisingly good hunting accuracy of around 1½ inches.
Once I had the Fusion sighted in with 150gn bullets striking point of aim at 100yd, I fired three groups of three shots each with variety of factory ammunition. The aggregate gave an average of 1.08” (equivalent to 30mm at 100m), and very close to 1 MOA, which is better accuracy than what I’ve gained from any pump-action rifle and even some bolt-actions — certainly plenty adequate for the kind of game the .30-06 is suited for.
The rifle shot very consistently, averaging close to MOA with a variety of ammunition, particularly the Sako stuff. The best groups were .545” (15.1mm at 100m) shot with Sako 150gn Gamehead and .799” (22.2mm at 100m) with Remington 180gn and 220gn Core-Lokt ammunition.
Setting up a target at 200yd, I fired two three-shot groups with a reload consisting of the Hornady 165gn GRX and 57gn of AR2209 which measured 2.5” and 3” centre-to-centre of the widest bullet holes. Again, pretty fair accuracy. Better still, all groups were round with nary a flier.
This French-made Impact LA is undoubtably the most accurate pump-action rifle I have tested.
The versatility of the Verney-Carron pump-action in .30-06 shouldn’t be underestimated. It will do virtually anything a bolt-action .30-06 will do in most field situations and will handle bullets weighing from 130 to 200gn, making it an all-purpose rifle suited for all-round use on everything from goats and pigs to the largest deer.
The Fusion shouldn’t handicap the hunter in terms of shooting, range, knockdown efficiency and portability. The .30-06 cartridge is a good one and the hunter won’t have to swear while watching a trophy sambar stag walk away. By the same token, a hunter using the rifle in the outback wouldn’t fail to get off several shots at running pigs because the rifle was too slow to get into action.
For use with iron sights or a scope, the rifle is well stocked, and fast to come up. The pistol grip is good, the forend hand-filling. The trigger breaks at a crisp 1.8kg (4lb), the rifle points like a good shotgun and the action cycles as slick as grease.
Keeping this in mind, I perceive that this pump-gun is an all-purpose rifle — a blend of the right calibre and the right rifle. It should sell well.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Manufacturer: Verney-Carron, France
- Type: Pump-action centrefire
- Calibres (Impact range): 7×64, 7mm Rem Mag, .308, .30-06, (tested), .300 Win Mag
- Barrel: Fluted and threaded; 55cm (22”); 1:10” R/H twist
- Weight: 3.1kg (7lb)
- Overall length: 110cm (43”) including muzzle brake
- Length of pull: 345mm (13½”)
- Safety: Cross-bolt in rear of trigger guard
- Sights: Fibre-optic U-notch rear and red bead front
- Stock: French walnut
- Magazine capacity: 5 rounds in .30-06
- Features: Removable Battue rib
- RRP: $3799
- Contact: Australian Sporting Agencies
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