Mattarelli Traps
A perfect example of a masterpiece where form and function meet
Design
The objective was to build a machine strong, yet simple enough that everybody could understand the function just by looking at it. It's form speaks for itself, it’s simply the best machine on the market.
History
Ennio Mattarelli discovered early in his life that shooting was fun. He enjoyed great success with his Belgian Browning, then met a couple of gunsmiths by the name of Fabri and Perazzi. All three collaborated on designing a shotgun for him to shoot in the 1960 Olympics games in Japan where Mattarelli won a gold medal. The three of them, with the addition of a fourth partner, the moneyman, went into business manufacturing shotguns. The name of this company is now known as Perazzi. Several years later, Fabri sold his Perazzi shares and left to pursue his own design visions. He started manufacturing a shotgun now known as Fabri. Fabri and his son now enjoy the great reputation of being one of the finest premium shotgun makers in the world. A few years after Fabri left Perazzi, Mattarelli also sold his Perazzi shares to pursue his interest in rifle design and safari hunting. He designed a hunting rifle then sold the manufacturing rights to Sauer, a premium rifle company. Sauer immediately started making the rifle, which was marketed as the Sauer 200. This rifle was modified where one could easily interchange different caliber barrels without losing accuracy. It is now known as the Sauer 202.
About twelve years ago, Mattarelli decided to start building bunker traps. Coming from a gun background it was only natural that he design his trap using a leaf spring as opposed to a coil spring. Leaf springs had been used in the guns for hundreds of years, dating back all the way to flint lock guns. The power curve of a leaf spring has the added advantage of releasing energy gently at the start, then accelerates to terminal velocity through the stroke, much like a perfect golf swing. The result is less broken targets. A World War II Willis Jeep leaf spring happened to be lying around, so the first Mattarelli trap was designed around a Jeep spring.