The Cosmi semi-automatic shotgun is unlike any other, it is the only type of this design being manufactured in the world; it is a semi-automatic shotgun that opens like a side-by-side shotgun.
Cosmi was founded by Rodolfo Cosmi, a craftsman in a small village in Montefeltro, Italy. In 1895 he decided to build himself a “decent shotgun” from the parts of a worn out shotgun and the shaft of an umbrella when he could not afford to buy a gun for himself. As the word spread about Rodolfo’s craftsmanship he received orders to make guns for others (including the King of Italy) and eventually he received a patent for his unique design.
The Cosmi semi-auto shotgun is completely handmade in-house and takes 400 hours of work to build. The shotguns are composed of an interlocking system that joins together over 100 mechanical components (no screws are needed to hold these parts together); each part is individually machined from solid stock.
The pivoting opening allows numerous technical, as well as aesthetic, advantages, including placing the tubular magazine in the stock. This contributes to the weight balance of the gun giving a feeling not only of lightness, but also of great stability. Using the stock as a magazine allows the Cosmi gun to have a potential maximum capacity of 8 shots (although this can be restricted to the shooter’s preferences).
All Cosmi barrels are made using the traditional method of drilling them from a solid piece of metal. You can choose between 2 different type of steel: Bohler Antinit or the new Maraging steel. Both of these metals have been selected for their outstanding strength and elasticity. You can specify the barrel length, fixed or removable chokes, and whether you want a rib or ribless design.
To load the gun you can either: put a cartridge in the chamber when the bolt is locked back and the ejection port is open and then push the bolt release button, or, if the bolt is closed you break the gun open (like a traditional side-by-side), lift back the lever mounted on the underside of the bolt and pull the bolt to the rear exposing the chamber. To load the magazine you need to break open the gun, push and hold down the bolt-release button and then feed the cartridges into the tubular magazine in the stock.
There are four models of the Cosmi Semi-automatic shotgun that you can pick from: Steel, the standard model; Titanium, this model is 700 grams lighter than its steel counterpart; Superleggero Titanio (SLT), made from titanium this is the top of the range; or the Special Editions, this includes the Gold Special Edition where all the mechanical parts are coated in 24kt gold, and the Ceramic model, where the parts are coated in a ceramic finish. Cosmi semi-autos are available in 12, 16m 20, 28 and .410 bores.
