Thoughts on Browning Over/Under Shotguns?

Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

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As many of you know Holliston Firearms is going out of business and they are clearing out all of their inventory. Mark, the owner, has a very nice selection of Over/Under shotguns for sale that I've been eying for years.

With his going out of business sale price and a $100 Browning rebate going on I'll picking up a very nice Citori CX Over/Under 12ga w/ 30" bbls, 3 extended chokes, double bead site, raised rib and top grade wood when he opens later this week.

Pretty excited about it as they seem to have pretty good reviews. Anyone have experience with Browning Over/Unders and if so, anything I should be aware of before buying?

Thanks
 
I know plenty of bird hunters and clay shooters with citori shotguns. None of them have ever said a negative thing about them.
 
The only thing that kept me from buying a Browning is the price. Many of the people I shoot trap with have Brownings and they all claim that Browning is the best shotgun made for trap and skeet. I certainly don't see why anyone would be unhappy with one.
Can you get as good a gun for less $? Well, that is certainly a never ending argument.
 
Miroku's quality over the years is really commendable. They quietly pump out citoris, 725s, etc. every year for decades that hold up so well. Buying a browning or beretta is always a safe bet value wise for volume shooting. 30" is good because everything less than 30" even for skeet is now 'too short', and I agree, and like 30" plus for skeet and sporting. Post pics.

And what else did he have there for O/Us? Thanks.
 
I got to shoot one of the Citori 725s. It was a very nice shooting gun. I have as well been eying one of the Brownings Mark has but even with him going out of business I still don't have the money for it :( I was hoping for next year around this time.
 
Great guns, I have 4 of them. Browning and Beretta are the best shotguns in the $2500-$3500 range.

have the firing springs and pins replaced after 100K rounds which is a lifetime to most if not all shooters.
 
I have several mostly competition guns very nice guns overall. I have only handled other makers never shot anything but a Browning O/U so I couldn't give a comparison.
 
If you like the feel of the gun, Browning/Miroku is the equal of any of world-class production shotguns (Browning, Beretta, Benelli). Of the three, Browning is the heaviest, Beretta in the middle, and the Benelli 828U is the lightest. Nothing wrong with heavy - I have a friend who traded his Benelli into my shop for a Citori. He just liked the way the Browning seemed to help his follow-through better. That 30" sporting clays gun is a real beauty. I sold a bunch of them this year.
 
I picked up a 725 Sporting Adjustable from Mark just under 2yrs ago and have been very happy with the purchase. I had a used Beretta SP1 that didn’t fit me well but was also a great gun. The Brownings fit my body type well. I use mine for skeet and sporting. It’s noticeably heavier than the SP1 but swings very nicely on the skeet field.

Expect the action to be TIGHT for the first couple hundred rounds then then only tight ;-)

ETA: the mechanical trigger system on the 725 is nice, can still fire the second barrel in the event that the first shell doesn’t light for some reason.
 
I bought a used browning citori gold trap model back in 2005, when cleaning out the nice Americase i found the previous owners contact info.... He made a deal with me. If I wear it out he will buy it back.
i also have a browning gold semi auto "ladies" sporting clays. Great guns.
 
BostonBullit said:
I picked up a 725 Sporting Adjustable from Mark just under 2yrs ago and have been very happy with the purchase. I had a used Beretta SP1 that didn’t fit me well but was also a great gun. The Brownings fit my body type well. I use mine for skeet and sporting. It’s noticeably heavier than the SP1 but swings very nicely on the skeet field.

Expect the action to be TIGHT for the first couple hundred rounds then then only tight ;-)

ETA: the mechanical trigger system on the 725 is nice, can still fire the second barrel in the event that the first shell doesn’t light for some reason.
Click to expand...

The CX has interial driven triggers, but you can thumb the safety to cock the trigger, different from the 725
 
I grew up on my fathers Browning Citori O/U 12g from at least 25+years ago. That shotgun is a thing of beauty and still runs like a dream. It was my go to duck/goose gun growing up. If it fits go for it.
 
I've been shooting a Citori Upland Spacial for a few years now and I like it a lot. It's a 24" barrel so it's frowned upon at the trap range though, even with extended chokes.
 
I've got a 30" Citori CX I bought from Mark almost 2 years ago. I've put around 10,000 rounds through it, and I love it.

The forend screws do tend to loosen up with use and have to be torqued back down. I've also recently started having trouble with the bottom firing pin not resetting right, but I took the stock off and did some cleaning and no trouble so far after 50 rounds. I did have to put a pitch spacer on the stock to get rid of some cheek slap, but that's just me.

If it fits, go for it. It's a nice crossover gun. I use mine for trap, skeet, and sporting clays, and it does the job just fine for all of them.
 
You can't go wrong with any of the big 3 shotgun makers starting with a 'B'. The Browning Citori is an excellent choice.
 
Another thumbs up for the Citori [thumbsup]

I bought mine new in 1986 from Lew Hortons in Framingham for $700.
It's a skeet model with the wide forend and 26" barrels.
It was made before interchangeable chokes became the norm so the fixed chokes are bored skeet/skeet.
I bought it for skeet anyway so it suits me just fine.
The only modification I made was to cut the stock down 1" and refit the buttpad, and I can't stress enough how much of a difference this made for me. I've had it for 32 trouble-free years and it shoots as good as it did when new. I must have put a few thousand pounds of lead down the barrels (no joke), 1 ounce at a time.
Browning quality is superb, and the Miroku made guns have proven to be world class.
Also, unlike many other manufacturers looking for ways to reduce cost, Miroku has never cut any corners, their quality has remained consistently excellent through the decades. In fact, they may even be better nowadays due to modern advancements in metallurgy.
 
Browning are excellent shotguns. Did you handle the 725? When I was looking at the CX I handled it and the 725 and found the 725 felt and fit me a little better than the CX although the CX is very nice.
 
Another thumbs up for Browning Citori. Just started shooting trap and did a fair amount of research before buying a trap gun. Wanted a high quality O/U and, as a new trap shooter, didn't think it made sense to get a super premium gun. Narrowed my choices down to a Browning Citori and a Berreta Silver Pigeon. Found a used Citori in excellent shape for a decent price and bought it. Although my only comparison are two semi-auto shotguns I've shot a couple of times, I love the Browning.

BTW- there are a couple of models of the Citori. One is designed specifically for trap, so POI (center of spread) is a little higher. The other model is more an all around gun. So I would figure out what you want to do with the shotgun and make sure you get the correct model.

Also, mine has an adjustable comb, which I also like since it enables you to get a better fit.
 
I have shot trap with a crossover for about 3 years now. I like it, its is a good all around gun, not like I shoot anything else with it though. Definitely try a few models to see how they fit you, even at a discount they are not a gun to buy on a lark without knowing if it will work for your build. Though it should hold value decently well, so if you end up moving onto somethingelse you wouldn't take that much of a loss if you are getting the rebate and a going out of business price.
 
amm5061 said:
I've got a 30" Citori CX I bought from Mark almost 2 years ago. I've put around 10,000 rounds through it, and I love it.

The forend screws do tend to loosen up with use and have to be torqued back down. I've also recently started having trouble with the bottom firing pin not resetting right, but I took the stock off and did some cleaning and no trouble so far after 50 rounds. I did have to put a pitch spacer on the stock to get rid of some cheek slap, but that's just me.

If it fits, go for it. It's a nice crossover gun. I use mine for trap, skeet, and sporting clays, and it does the job just fine for all of them.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've had that one and I sold it to buy a 20 Gauge CXS, which I love, and at the time had a 10% rebate. I probably have 2K rounds thru that with a few 25's in there. I would never hesitate to buy a Citori. Quality guns....solid and take tons of trouble free rounds.

Beretta Silver Pigeon is along the same line as well, can't go wrong there either.

725 is maybe a little step up in balance point and feel and maybe wood quality. I don't shoot enough or serious to pay the extra. The CX/ CXS line is fine for me......

I also hunt with my uncles old Citori a lot. His was one of the first made.....not sure what year that was, but as soon as they came out he bought one.
 
rep308 said:
Great guns, I have 4 of them. Browning and Beretta are the best shotguns in the $2500-$3500 range.

have the firing springs and pins replaced after 100K rounds which is a lifetime to most if not all shooters.
Click to expand...

In general, the CX/CXS line is a well sub 2K gun. I bought my CXS for less than 1500 and got a rebate of 10% back two weeks later. So the real cost was around $1300 give or take.
 
Last year Browning ran a $200 rebate during four days of Black Friday- picked up a CXT through gunbroker and I'm loving it!
I'm in my first league this fall and the gun is great!!
 
I've got a Browning XT and it's a good gun. As long as the model you're getting fits you well you will be pleased.
 
Only shot one once. Was up with a vendor on a pheasant shoot at Addeville. The other guy that was with us had a Citori in 12. He hit his "limit" and my wife was using my gun so he gave me his. It pointed great. Extension of my body. Seconds later, a bird flushed right to left. I swung through the bird and led him so naturally, pulled the trigger and 100% of the pellets hit the head.

"Have you done this before?"

"Nope. First time."

"GOOD SHOT!" LOL

One shot is all I got. But it pointed well. As good or better than my wife's 1187 20ga. (Another, I could point that blindfolded and know where it is aiming gun.)

I don't shoot them often enough to justify the price, even with a discount and a $100 rebate. :(. If you pull the trigger, go shoot the hell out of that thing.
 

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