If you walked into a major sporting-clays match and asked shooters what defines a modern competition gun, you’d hear the same reply over and over: over-under, 32-inch barrels, raised rib, adjustable everything. The side-by-side? That venerable old double gun, all sepia-toned nostalgia and pheasant-field charm, is usually nowhere near the conversation.
Fabarm wants to change that. No—Fabarm wants to flip the table, redraw the blueprint and remind the shooting world that the side-by-side still has unexplored territory. Their vessel for this mission is the new Infinite RS, a purpose-built 12-gauge competition shotgun with a $6,175 MSRP. It’s not a nostalgic throwback—it’s a startlingly modern, precision-engineered answer to a question few manufacturers have dared to ask: What would a 21st-century target side-by-side actually look like?
A Side-By-Side Built For The Arena, Not The Attic
Fabarm’s engineers didn’t start by modifying an existing field gun. They began with a blank sheet, designing a shotgun specifically for double-gun events and other competition categories that have long lacked modern, purpose-built side-by-side shotguns.
The Infinite RS is built around a robust four-lug locking system, following the same philosophy as Fabarm’s Autumn series. This action is deliberately overbuilt—“competition-proofed” in every sense—and manufactured on state-of-the-art CNC machinery to ensure tight tolerances and long-term consistency. You can feel this lineage the moment the shotgun opens and closes. There’s a bank-vault decisiveness to the motion that signals its purpose before a single shell is chambered.
But durability is only one pillar of the design. Fabarm clearly wanted to reshape the way a side-by-side feels in the hands. To keep the gun lively despite its 8-lb., 4-oz. weight, they added a detachable aluminum rib borrowed from the Allsport over-under platform. The rib sits 11 mm above the barrels and tapers from 10 mm to 8 mm toward the muzzle, forming a single sight plane reminiscent of an over-under rather than the flat expanse of traditional doubles. The effect is transformative.
And that’s not hyperbole: this rib is the Infinite RS’s magic trick, the feature that lets your brain forget the centuries-old dogma of side-by-side shooting.
Rewriting the Sight Picture
Traditional side-by-sides come with two unavoidable realities: a low rib that forces your head down, and two full barrels occupying your peripheral vision. The Infinite RS rejects both. Its Quick Release Rib (QRR) lifts your head naturally, gives you the familiar over-under sight picture and unifies the barrels behind a clean visual line. The 50/50 point-of-impact rib included on the inaugural model makes the gun feel instantly intuitive, like picking up your favorite clays gun rather than an heirloom from your grandfather’s safe.
The first few mounts are almost disorienting. It’s like meeting someone who looks exactly like an old friend but talks like a modern AI assistant. You know what it should feel like, but somehow it feels better. And because the rib is aluminum alloy, it shaves mass from the top of the barrels, tightening the gun’s balance point right at the hinge pins. That translates to smoother handling and reduced fatigue during long tournaments, where even a few ounces in the wrong place can affect your score.
Competition DNA, Not Just Competition Marketing
Fabarm didn’t stop at clever ergonomics. The Infinite RS is packed with competition-focused engineering from end to end, giving it the kind of feature set normally associated with top-tier over-unders rather than traditional doubles.
The Tribore HP barrels use a tapered internal profile designed to soften recoil and improve shot consistency—barrel refinement usually reserved for high-end sporting guns, yet applied here to a platform that historically hasn’t received the same performance attention. Fabarm’s EXIS HP chokes extend that philosophy, with five competition-ready options covering everything from tight, center-punch trap targets to wide, sweeping sporting-clays presentations.
The adjustable trigger system is equally thoughtful. Tuned for sporting disciplines, the blade can be moved forward or rearward to fine-tune reach and length of pull, breaking at about 3½ pounds from the box.
The competition stock design is another standout. The Monte Carlo profile includes an adjustable comb and a palm-swell pistol grip, both unusual on a side-by-side. The grip geometry keeps the wrist straighter and more controlled, paying dividends on fast crossers and rapid follow-up shots.
Even the recoil pad is designed with adjustability in mind. The 22 mm micro-cell pad can be swapped without gunsmithing, allowing shooters to customize fit and recoil management. Taken together, these features make the Infinite RS not just a side-by-side adapted for competition, but a true competition shotgun that happens to use the side-by-side form.
Aesthetically, the Infinite RS walks a tightrope between classic and contemporary. The semi-deluxe Turkish walnut stock has an oil finish that feels luxurious without drifting into ostentation. The matte-black receiver is broken only by the subtle Infinite RS livery in light-blue and white enamel—a minimalist pop of color that reads more Italian motorcycle than English game gun.
It’s understated in a way that feels confident. Rather than screaming for attention, the gun simply radiates purpose.
On the Range: A Familiar Stranger
If Fabarm set out to build a side-by-side that shoots like a sporting over-under, they’ve largely succeeded. Shouldering the Infinite RS feels oddly déjà-vu-like for anyone accustomed to raised-rib guns. Your eye lands exactly where you expect, and the barrels pivot as if from inside your hands rather than from the muzzles—a subtle but transformative difference.
For this evaluation, I brought the Infinite RS to my local sporting clays field on two separate occasions. I tested it with Federal’s new Master Class No. 7.5, 1-1/8 oz. (1,235 f.p.s.) load, alongside Winchester AA No. 7, 1 oz. (1,290 f.p.s.) and AA Diamond Grade No. 7.5, 1 oz. (1,250 f.p.s.) shotshells. In total, roughly 600 rounds were fired during testing.
Despite its 32-inch length, the Infinite RS doesn’t feel front-heavy. The rib and barrel tapering keep the balance centered, allowing you to drive the gun with confident momentum but without any hint of sluggishness. Shooters who usually find 32-inch side-by-sides unwieldy may be surprised by how effortlessly this one moves. A 30-inch version should be available by the time you read this, but the 32-inch model may convert many skeptics before the shorter barrels even arrive.
Recoil is impressively well-managed. The gun’s mass and stock geometry soak up energy without making the swing feel heavy or deliberate. Rapid follow-up shots come surprisingly naturally—another long-standing side-by-side myth quietly dismantled.
The Infinite RS doesn’t aim to replace your over-and-under; instead, it fills a unique niche:
- For competitors in double-gun events, it may quickly become the new standard.
- For over-under shooters seeking a second competition gun with a distinct personality, it’s refreshingly different.
- For side-by-side enthusiasts who demand a platform engineered for heavy target volume, it’s arguably the best modern option.
Fabarm’s Boldest Swing Pays Off
The Infinite RS Sporting doesn’t simply revive the side-by-side for the modern competition landscape—it reimagines what the platform can be. Fabarm has fused engineering rigor, ergonomic sophistication and a bit of rebellious charm into a shotgun that stands completely alone in today’s market.
Is it a significant investment? Absolutely. Is it worth handling one at a demo event before you decide? Without question—because the moment you mount it and see that clean sight plane floating above the twin barrels, you’ll immediately grasp what Fabarm set out to build, and why the Infinite RS could spark a small revolution.
A side-by-side, yes—but one re-engineered for the 21st century. And maybe, just maybe, it will make even the most devoted over-and-under shooter raise an eyebrow and whisper, “Okay … that’s pretty cool.”
MSRP: $6,175. Learn more about the Fabarm Infinite RS Sporting at fabarmusa.com.
