Browning Lightning?

J

JJR

New member
Hello all,

I just bought myself a new-old shotgun (on a whim) and I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know very much about it. It is a Browning Lightning O/U made in Belgium and chambered for 2-3/4 shells only. It has "Browning Superposed" stamped on the bbl but I'm not sure what that means. Ser# is: 719 S71. I would really like to know the approximate age of this gun and any other interesting details about it. I was told that Browning hasn't made shotguns in Belgium for quite a while.

The safety lever also acts as an O/U selector switch. Am I correct in assuming that the one selected (the letter exposed) is the first bbl to fire? Also, is it safe to dry fire this shotgun? I've fired it a couple of times on some spent shells but I wonder if I should get some snap caps for this.

I was hoping that this would be a good "general purpose" clay pigeon gun. I don't know very much about the different variations of the sport yet, but I understand that you can be very disappointed if you take a skeet gun to a trap shoot and vice-versa. There are no markings to tell how the chokes are set up and they are not changeable.

Lastly, I would like to know (or maybe not) if I made a good deal. I fell in love with it at first sight and I don't make my best decisions that way. I paid $675 for it. It has some nasty scratches in the wood on the lower stock, but it is otherwise near mint. My guess is that it spent many years ignored in the back of a closet, occasionally getting whacked by the vacuum cleaner. The barrels show no signs of wear, and the whole thing locks up tight as a drum. The bluing is flawless and there aren't even any marks inside to suggest that it was even fired. Only the scratches in the wood keep it from being perfect.

Sorry for sounding so clueless about this gun, but any advise or information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
Hi, jjr,

Superposed is just another term for over/under. You are correct on the selector switch. I would use snap caps, although that gun should take dry firing with no problem. As a beginning, it may be possible to have a "general purpose" clay gun, but trap and skeet are different games and more experienced shooters have different guns.

At the time that gun was made, there were no insert choke tubes. The choke should be marked on the barrels (a series of stars), but I don't recall the meanings of the markings. I will try to check and get back to you.

FWIW, I think you did very well. It might be worth your while to find a good woodworker who can restore the stock.

Jim
 
Browning choke markings are as follows:

* designates full choke(F)
*- designates improved modified choke(IM)
** designates modified choke(M)
**- designates improved cylinder choke(IC)
**$ designates skeet(SK)
*** designates cylinder bore(CYL)

Hope this helps!

Steve Mace


------------------
After today, its all historical
 
Congratulations....a real classic (suitable even for hunting -woops, it just slipped out).

Dont worry about those chokes(probably nominally the usual enigmatic "half and full") or the scratches, they add character and you will get to like them if not too unsightly... I suggest you now pattern the gun properly with various shot sizes and weights and get into the sport with it !
[I personally feel screw-in chokes are not essential and yours would not be authentic with an add-on.]

Have fun, perhaps you could sometimes add a quality SxS to your U/O collection ..
 
Thank you gentlemen.

According to the chart, my shotgun has a full choke on top and a modified on bottom. It's probably better suited for hunting than competition but I'll give it a try anyway.

I've thought about having the stock refinished, but I find that I enjoy some things better if I'm not worried about being delicate with them. For that reason I'm kinda drawn to things with a few scratches. If it doesn't work out as a shooter, I'll restore it and have a nice piece for my collection.

Thanks again for the info.
 
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