The story
In 1967, Mario Abbiatico and Remo Salvinelli became part of the famous Gardone Val Trompia gun tradition when they founded FAMARS. Both the Salvinelli and the Abbiatico families had a history in the craft going back several generations. Remo’s father, Felice Salvinelli, was an engraver in Brescia, where he first met Mario’s father, Giuseppe Abbiatico, who was an actioner.
Initially, the company focused on small-bore shotguns ranging in quality and decoration. American businessman Joe Bojalad, a gun connoisseur and collector influenced the two founders to specialize in the fine gun category. In 1967, Bojalad was referred to FAMARS by another Italian gun manufacturer named Beretta. His request was an over/under shotgun with interchangeable barrels, adorned with engraving art. Upon receiving his first FAMARS gun, Bojalad was so impressed that he placed several more orders and became a lifelong client of Abbiatico and Salvinelli. In 1975 Mario and Remo, considering the advice of Bojalad, made the decision to focus solely on bespoke guns. Each gun produced thereafter was a bespoke gun bearing the name ‘Abbiatico & Salvinelli’ and a unique serial number.
The move to specialize in bespoke shotguns stimulated much innovation within the FAMARS factory in the following years. Inspired by Mario’s fascination with hammerguns, the Castore was created — the first-ever self-cocking hammer gun with a single trigger and automatic ejectors. The success and popularity of the Castore model prompted several other arms manufacturers to attempt imitations. In the late 1970s, shortly after the development of the Castore, FAMARS released the Quattrocanne, an original four-barrel model that fires with a single trigger. A limited run of only 30 guns was made, one of which is showcased in the historical Beretta Gallery in Italy, making FAMARS the only outside manufacturer to be shown within the gun gallery.
The next major innovation was the development of the Jorema, a Boss-style over/under shotgun that used a pinless sidelock design patented by Remo Salvinelli. This model drew on input from FAMARS’ long-time client Joe Bojalad. It incorporated several patented features. The Jorema concept would eventually evolve into the company’s flagship model, the Sovereign.
In the early 1980s, Mario and Remo released the Tribute, a side-by-side built with a detachable boxlock. The design was inspired by the Westley Richards side-by-side. This was the final model that Mario Abbiatico designed before he fell sick with cancer in 1984. From the late 1980s into the 2000s (decade), with Cristina Abbiatico now in charge, FAMARS would release several new models, including the most popular Excalibur, the Poseidon, and most recently, the Leonardo.
From Wikipedia’s article on FAMARS, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3