Considering an over/under...

S

skidmarkwv

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Last summer I began shooting sporting clays and have came to enjoy it greatly. Anyhow, I am considering the purchase of an over/under. There are two models that have caught my eye and my intrest based both on features and ultimately my budget. I am considering a Winchester Select Energy Trap with 30 in. barrels. I haven't been able to find much information on this gun, nor do I know anyone that actually owns one. I can special order the gun through wal-mart for around $1,600 (can't remember the exact cost). The other shotgun I am considering is a Citori 525 Sporting . This gun I priced at the Cabelas store for roughly $2,400. I am currently only interested in a 12 ga. If the Browning worth the extra money? Can anyone provide any information on either of these firearms?
 
Have no experience with the Winchester O/U but currently have two Citori Lightning O/U's with Invector chokes: a 12 ga Grade III and a 20 ga Grade VI. These guns are about 12 years old and still as tight as new. Before these guns, I owned a pair of Field Citori's (Grade I) with built-in chokes for 10-15 years. They were likewise still tight and shot perfectly when I replaced them with the higher grade models with interchangeable chokes.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB
 
Citori's are a known quality firearm with a long successfull track record of reliability. Generally they are considered the best value for the money.

I know nothing of the Winchester. Winchester has had a spotty record with imported O/U's over the years. Some models were great, at least one model was recalled and replaced with Brownings!!!
 
Buy the Browning...

I owned a Citori years ago, am sorry I sold it. That gun had a fit and finish like no other gun I've ever owned. Years of shooting trap and seeing big dollar guns, I still think Citori's are a great buy. Well worth the money. They feel right, are beautiful, well made, work great, good balance. The just sound good when you close them and sound even better when you fire them. You WON'T be disappointed.
 
Brownings are very good.

You might find a good used Browning 425 for about a $800-$1,000 less than a new 525.

Also, the Beretta 686 series are good guns at very reasonable prices.
 
>>Also, the Beretta 686 series are good guns at very reasonable prices.<<

I'll second that. I have a Beretta 686 White Onyx "Spoting", and it's one of the best buys out there for under $2 G's.
 
I'm a fan of twin triggers for hunting purposes. It has recently come to my attention that CZ makes an O/U with twin triggers. At a reasonable price (sub-$1k). Probably my next purchase.

For Sporting Clays, the twin triggers are not that much advantage, if any. But if you ever plan to use that gun for upland game, give twin triggers some thought.
 
I'd recommend you look at the Select Energy, but in a Sporting Clays format.
I have the trap version and have been very happy with it, but if you are going to shoot a variety of clay sports, the Sporting Clays version will be a better choice.
For what it is worth, the Select Energy is manufacturred at the FN plant in Belgium, same place some Brownings are/were manufactured before having them made in Japan, has interchangeable chokes with the Browning, and is serviced at Browning and Browning factory rerpair centers.
I have only had my Select Energy a few months, but it seems to be doing just fine.
 
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