As usual I was meandering through the local gun/pawn shops when I decided to stop in to a pawn shop I had passed many times but had never stopped in to. Last week I decided it was time since I pretty well had the other shops inventory committed to memory.
At any rate, I went in and looked around a wee bit and finally managed to make my way to the guns. They had a lot of guns! I had been wondering where they all were and now I know! As I looked across the shelves I spotted a couple of O/Us and I knew for a fact that one was a Browning Citori which I had been wanting. When the owner handed it to me and I threw it up to my shoulder she lined right up without any adjustment at all! I repeated that several more times and each time it just fit!
I looked the gun over and the very first thing I saw was the serial number ending in 57 which for Browning means it was made in 1975. Continuing I noted some very light handling marks in the wood but the metal was darned near perfect with no rust! The action was tight like it was still new and the barrels were as shiny as a new penny. At that point I figured out why it looked so new and the action was so tight! The barrels were 30” with full/full chokes! It was likely bought as a waterfowl gun but didn’t see much action at all outside of maybe some target practice!
The gun was a very recent trade and as such there was a waiting period for it to clear its background check to verify it wasn’t stolen or used in some crime, etc. I asked how much and was told $700 out the door! I asked what the big surprise was and he responded that he got into it pretty cheap and was going to give someone a heck of a deal. I thought about it for a couple of minutes and decided that the chokes and barrel length wasn’t right and I wanted screw-in chokes, shorter barrel and so on. I’ll pass.
Later that night I was discussing it with a friend of mine who told me that for about $100/barrel or I could get Briley thin wall tubes threaded in or, for even less I could get the tubes opened to I/C and modified (I have to admit, lately I have come to the conclusion that the screw in chokes have been my problem (sort of) rather than the solution! I have been under the expert tutelage of an AA and B shooter at the trap range and they have brought me back to the basics of good, solid shot gunning techniques and gun fit/placement. I’d taken my trap average from around 15 to 20 in just a couple of months.) and that if I didn’t go back and get it I was an idiot. I’m no idiot!
I went back the next day and put $100 down on it until I could pick it up Monday and Monday I paid the balance! I took it to the range today and managed a 22, 22, 23, 24 (91) at the singles trap line. That represents a personal best with an unfamiliar gun that has two full chokes! Man, what a great shooting experience that was!
At any rate, I went in and looked around a wee bit and finally managed to make my way to the guns. They had a lot of guns! I had been wondering where they all were and now I know! As I looked across the shelves I spotted a couple of O/Us and I knew for a fact that one was a Browning Citori which I had been wanting. When the owner handed it to me and I threw it up to my shoulder she lined right up without any adjustment at all! I repeated that several more times and each time it just fit!
I looked the gun over and the very first thing I saw was the serial number ending in 57 which for Browning means it was made in 1975. Continuing I noted some very light handling marks in the wood but the metal was darned near perfect with no rust! The action was tight like it was still new and the barrels were as shiny as a new penny. At that point I figured out why it looked so new and the action was so tight! The barrels were 30” with full/full chokes! It was likely bought as a waterfowl gun but didn’t see much action at all outside of maybe some target practice!
The gun was a very recent trade and as such there was a waiting period for it to clear its background check to verify it wasn’t stolen or used in some crime, etc. I asked how much and was told $700 out the door! I asked what the big surprise was and he responded that he got into it pretty cheap and was going to give someone a heck of a deal. I thought about it for a couple of minutes and decided that the chokes and barrel length wasn’t right and I wanted screw-in chokes, shorter barrel and so on. I’ll pass.
Later that night I was discussing it with a friend of mine who told me that for about $100/barrel or I could get Briley thin wall tubes threaded in or, for even less I could get the tubes opened to I/C and modified (I have to admit, lately I have come to the conclusion that the screw in chokes have been my problem (sort of) rather than the solution! I have been under the expert tutelage of an AA and B shooter at the trap range and they have brought me back to the basics of good, solid shot gunning techniques and gun fit/placement. I’d taken my trap average from around 15 to 20 in just a couple of months.) and that if I didn’t go back and get it I was an idiot. I’m no idiot!
I went back the next day and put $100 down on it until I could pick it up Monday and Monday I paid the balance! I took it to the range today and managed a 22, 22, 23, 24 (91) at the singles trap line. That represents a personal best with an unfamiliar gun that has two full chokes! Man, what a great shooting experience that was!
