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My shotgun barrel is marked “Rota – L . Sarezzo – VT” on the one side. This means Luciano Rota from Sarezzo, (Brescia)V.T. Italy. The other side of the barrel is marked: Acciaio Breda – B4. This means Breda steel of type B4. Type B4 is Chrome steel. A search for Luciano Rota deliver: R.F.M. di Rota Luciano (factory) via Patrioti, 26 I-25068 Noboli di Sarezzo V.T. (Brescia) ITALY Fax No.: 011-49-30-801152 A Google Earth search find this address still marked “RFM” in Nov 2019. The information on Luciano Rota from the net, said Rota (RFM) started making guns in 1957 in Brescia. From posts on the net I found, Tristar Arms seemed to have imported these Rota over-under guns during 1990s. They dropped the Rota range and is currently importing other shotguns. Here this gun’s history became a little convoluted. By accident I found that an AV Maroccini gun looks the same as my Rota. Well not the same, absolutely identical in every way. I later got a reply from Luciano Rota’s factory, RFM Armi, in Sarezzo. They manufactured this model over-under gun for Maroccini before. During the ‘90s with Maroccini defunct, RFM assembled the left-over guns, so the Maroccini name was not on the gun anymore. He used his name “Rota L” on the gun and not RFM, his Company’s name. I assume not to hurt the RFM name, as they manufactured real high end shotguns for the market. Following the Maroccini lead: A V Maroccini, via Giovanni Pascoli 148, 25063 Gardone VT. Italy. The firm is listed in the 1984 edition of “Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato e Agricoltura, Ditte Operanti con L’Estero” as a manufacturer of hunting and target shotguns (construzione fucili da caccia e tiro). Unfortunately, A V Maroccini apparently ceased operations in or just before the ‘90s. This firm should not be confused with Marocchi Armi also located in Sarezzo, Italy, a few kilometers south of Gardone. My shotgun was initially licensed as a Breda. The name Breda is also found on the Maroccini and Rota gun. The “Acciaio Breda B4” simply means “B4 Breda Steel”. Societa Italiana Costruzione Meccaniche Ernesto Breda was a large steel making concern, having blast furnaces, rolling mills, etc; similar to Vickers or Krupp, They also made heavy artillery, locomotives, heavy machinery and small armes. (Mostly machine guns and a small machine cannon). Their steel was also supplied to other Italian gunmakers for use in barrels, receivers, and parts. Just as Kruppstahl was a German mark of quality steel in gun barrels for the civilian market, “Acciaio Breda” had the same significance in Italian sporting guns. The exact type of steel is B4, - Chrome steel barrels (“canone chrome”) On the internet is speculation that Maroccini gun itself was made by “Fabbrica Nazionale D’Armi SRL” or translated: “National Arms Factory (Private Company)”, a common usage name for a group of gunmakers acting as as a joint venture under a private corporate structure. This Company and AV Maroccini cannot be located at the present time and only the AV Maroccini appeared on the gun. Most shotguns out of Italy, have always been made by small firms or individuals, and the actual gunmaker’s name on the gun can be an assembler, or distributor. In the Industrial Register of Val Trompia, are 106 (2005 count) individual gunmaking concerns, most of them, family- or one-man operations. From 1985 to 1988, the Maroccini model labelled “Sturdy” were imported to the US by FIE in Miami, FL, who went bust in 1990. This A V Maroccini made gun was a basic model. It was a 12 gauge gun with 3” chambers, 28” barrels, choked full and modified with a vent rib. It had dual triggers and an engraved, silver receiver. These were well made guns and earned a good reputation. Then in 1988 Sile started importing the Maroccini gun into the US, and offered four models: Field Master I – 12ga, 26” or 28” barrels, engraved coin finish receiver, single non selective trigger, extractors, choke tubes. Field Master II – Same, except with selectable single trigger. Skeet Model – 26” barrels, fixed skeet/skeet chokes Trap Model - 30” barrels, fixed full/ modified chokes It is rated as good quality guns, and cannot be replaced at their value. Later in the 1990s with Maroccini now defunct, Tristar became the importer for the Maroccini over-under shotgun, now marked "Rota L" still manufactured by Luciano Rota's RFM. My gun is an over and under, double barrel shotgun with ejectors. It has exchangeable chokes and a Scott spindle locks the drop-down barrels. There is a barrel rib and some engraving on a plated receiver. The stock has a pistol grip and the finish was average. My gun’s action is a boxlock, top-lever action, with cross-bolt lock-up. The trigger is selectable for the barrel to discharge first and the same lever operates the safety catch, this makes for an interesting engineering. In the Sile model range, my gun would have been the “Field Master II” the top model. (Ref: Dictionary of Guns and Gunmakers p86 by John Walter, 2010 Standard for firearms Catalog, https://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=72670 , https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=292134 )

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