Advice: beretta and browning 12g

J

Jbmoog

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I've been visiting stores and searching the web in order to find the a well-rounded 12 gauge that I can use for bird hunting,skeet, and sporting clays.

I've narrowed in on beretta and browning and am leaning towards browning. I'm thinking of getting a 625 browning field with a 28' barrel. Considered the white lightning and white satin hunter as well.

In terms of beretta maybe the white onyx or silver pigeon...

My budget is approx 2,000. Any advice?
 
You're trying to chose between two of the best available in that $$$$ class - With the Citori the best-selling O/U in the US.

At this point, the choice would be highly subjective, like choosing between GF's or car colors - whichever YOU like best.
After all, it's your money we're spending. ;)

I happen to prefer Beretta's, due to the shallower action (The Citori is deeper, ala Superposed).

I know you want a 12ga, but since I switched to 20ga for all my shooting over a decade ago, I much prefer the scaled-down 20ga Beretta frame.
IDK if the 20ga Citori is on a scaled frame, or not.

.
 
Jbmoog, I am also torn between getting a Citori and a Beretta. Shoot them both before you decide. In fact, shoot as many guns as you can. I have been told that if the Citori fits you, the Beretta will not and vice versa.
 
Browning has 26 models of the Citori ....but in terms of durabilty, type of barrel to receiver connection ...they are all identical ...so Lightning vs white lightning vs 625 field ... all come down to a couple of things ( any and all of the Citori line of guns are capable of giving you 500,000 shell or more life with no issues..)....

length of pull on all the Browning Citori's you're looking at ...are all 14 1/4"...
Drop at comb on all of them is 1 5/8" ...
Drop at heel on all of them is 2 1/2" ...
In a 12ga all of them have 3" chambers...
I think all of them come with 3 chokes...

the differences in list price at $ 2,630 for 625 field ...to lightning at $ 1,990 are all about cosmetics ( grade I's vs grade III's or IV's / engraving on the receiver / finish on receiver / style of ribs / style of forend ...etc)..

There is nothing wrong with any of the Brownings you're considering / and nothing to tell you to pick one over the other ... I own and shoot a variety of Browning O/U's - because they fit me / and most of the Berettas will not fit me ( they're more narrow in the grip area / many are lighter / stock dimensions are different, etc ...) ...but nothing wrong with the Beretta line of guns either. It comes down to what you want / and which line of guns fits you the best. I'd be hard pressed to say, don't pick the Browning...

The Browning I shoot for Skeet, Sporting and upland birds - is the Citori XS Skeet model, with 30" barrels ...it's my O/U to go everywhere and do everything ....but its very different from the models you're considering / it has a parallel comb ( comb is parallel to the rib ) and if you buy it with an adj comb ...then it can be adjusted to fit most shooters. The parallel comb / and the adjustability is why I like it / prefer it. ( for Trap - I go to the XT trap Citori with 32" barrels ) ...
 
When I selected between a Browning and Beretta, I went with a Beretta.
Click to expand...

Why did you chose the Beretta, Zippy, if you don't mind giving us some details such as the models you considered, if it was for skeet, trap or what, and the deciding factors.
 
TKM, I was looking for a gun to replace my R-1100-Trap for ATA events. It was limiting my progress. The specific gun I wanted was a trap combo. Another Perazzi was out of the question, to maintain domestic tranquility, since I'd just bought another back-up P-gun for NSSA events. I got the Beretta over the Browning for the same basic reasons I selected Perazzis for Skeet: swing dynamics and the trigger. Also the Brownings, like my previous Japanese O/Us had cheap-looking high gloss finishes where the Beretta had matte/satin finishes. Glossy finishes may impress your friends shooting M-500s and R-870s; but, lose one comp target, because of glare, and you'll appreciate the subdued finishes.

I wasn't concerned with the actual size of the stock, since it was to be custom fit; but, the Browning stocks were too narrow from the get-go.

IMHO, our buddy, BigJim may be oversimplifying with his, "the differences in list price at $ 2,630 for 625 field ...to lightning at $ 1,990 are all about cosmetics ( grade I's vs grade III's or IV's / engraving on the receiver / finish on receiver / style of ribs / style of forend ...etc).."
Items like rib styles and forend shapes are a lot more than cosmetic since they alter a gun's behavior.
 
Thanks, Zippy. I knew you would carefully evaluate how well the gun met your pretty specific needs. I don't know about the OP, but if he is more like me he still needs to figure out his needs.
 
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Zippy's right / in some search of brevity ...I don't want to underestimate the feel and differences between various forend styles ...semi beavertail vs schnabel vs some of the field gun styles...( personally I really like the semi-beavertail..with the finger grooves on the Browning Citori XS Skeet or XT Trap )...but I didn't want to get the OP in too deep ...
 
Jim, you're right about easily getting the OP in too deep. For the new shooter, or up-grading from a bare bones stick gun, an O/U may offer decisions that he may not have a clue about.

If you've never shot a serious trap gun, you may not realize a higher rib and stock allow quicker target acquisition with raising targets, but may be a detriment with crossing targets. If you'll be shooting mostly trap, your scores may increase; however, a conventional rib may serve you better for a general purpose gun.

Something to keep in mind: The extras, be they functional or cosmetic will add to the cost to the gun. If you're you're going to be paying extra for something make sure you know what it is and that it will improve you shooting, or make you really feel good about the gun. Until you know exactly what you want in a gun, keep it simple. So, if you eventually up grade, your old gun is an easy sale.
 
I was shooting sporting clays on sat - with some of the young guys in my family ( schooling them a little / proving the old stallion still had a little bite ) ...and I picked up one of the older Browning Lightning O/U's ..and the difference of feel in the Browning "lightning style forend" vs the "semi beavertail with finger grooves" that I normally shoot ...even though both guns weighed about the same ...was really telling .../ swing characteristics felt very different ..and it just didn't "feel" right ...

so its not just cosmetics ...but like zippy says ...its pretty subtle .../ but a pretty big deal when you're picking a new gun....
 
I'm not sure why it gets totally overlooked, but if you like the lower profile action of the Beretta's, consider the Cynergy. It is very "Beretta like" in it feel. I am very pleased with mine.
 
Roscoe makes a good point ...on the Browning Cynergy series of guns ....

http://www.browning.com/products/ca...rgy-over-under-shotgun-double-barrel&offset=0

Browning is making about 17 models in their Cynergy line of guns .../ and I am guilty of overlooking them a lot ...( I can't get used to the styling / barrel connection)...

but it is interesting too ...on some comparable models like Cynergy classic trap with adj comb vs Citori XT Trap with adj comb ...while the dimensions are close / they are not identical - and often the Citori version is less ( in Cynergy classic trap its list is $ 4,400 / and the XT is $ 3,400 ) ...

and while I am guilty of overlooking them ...everyone should check the Cynergy line as well as the Citori line when they're looking for new guns. I think at this point / they have certainly held up and proven to be a strong contender.
 
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