New (to me) Browning Citori

S

Shoes

New member
I just picked up a Browning Citori after a 35 year wait due to cash and family issues.

It is an older gun but absolutly flawless, except one small ding on the bottom rear of the stock. It is so stiff to open that I was concerned something was bent, so I took it to a gunsmith. He said it has so few rounds through it it is virtually a brand new gun. :D

I paid $573.15 for a field grade gun...... :D:D:D:D

Question: Does anyone know how one would find more about the date of manufacture, and anything else about it's pedigree????

Thanks in advance for your help..... Shoes

BTW - If I figure out how to post photos I'd be glad to...

EDIT: I just found the info on the Browning website. I was manufactured in 1991, Grade 1 , Hunting, 12ga., 3". I wonder if I did ok or got stung on the price??????
 
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You might try Browning themselves. They made (and currently make) a LOT of models that only had slight variations between them. Does it say a model number or name on the barrel?The basic Browning (Japanese made) is the Citori - but if you look at the current Browning site, you'll see many modles.

Congrats on a good gun - with a little care and respect, your kids will be handing it down to their kids.....

My main Browning target gun has over 100,000 rounds through it in the 15 or so years I have had it - needed some new springs about 90,000.
 
Congratulations ....and I hope you have lots of great days with it...

The serial number and the model will tell us when it was made / and I have a date listing somewhere that I can scrounge up ( its a 2 letter code in the serial number , that is the date key ....). Found it / its on the Browning site - and here is the designation on the Citori's since 1973 I think ...

http://www.browning.com/customerservice/dategun/detail.asp?id=32
 
I think you did well on price regardless .....does it have the Invector chokes or the Invecotor Plus chokes ?
 
EDIT: I just found the info on the Browning website. I was manufactured in 1991, Grade 1 , Hunting, 12ga., 3". I wonder if I did ok or got stung on the price??????
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Sounds like a good deal. Most folks with hunting guns rarely come close to shooting them in the volumes that target guys do - sounds like it is in near-new condition
 
I had a citori 425... I hate I sold that gun,,, then they stopped making it..

ugh..

I miss it,, it was a 425 sporting, 32 inch barrels, ported, hi-viz,
 
You probably already know / but the 625 is out there ---and the stock specs on it are about the same as the 425 / and 525 ...
 
yeah, but the price has doubled!!!

I bought my 425 for about 1600 bucks,,, and the new stuff is about 3 grand!

Too rich for my blood these days
 
Thanks for all your comments....

This gun has no chock tubes in it's 30" barrels. At 6'5" the 30 inch barrels are just what I need.

I am heading to Logan Utha on Thursday for a get-a-way with my wife. When I return it's off to the locacl gun club for some clays and really get to know "her". I wonder if my wife will go along??? :D

BTW - One fellow at work told me the gun could be worth as much as $1500.00 in the shape it's in. But, I don't know...

Your thoughts.... Shoes
 
If it is threaded for choke tubes and does not have any, you will need to install some BEFORE shooting the gun. Depending on which choke tube it takes (Invector versus Invector plus), they can usually be found at your basic big-box sporting goods stores like Cabela's, Gander, etc
 
I checked again. It is not threaded for tubes. But it is marked for O = Mod / U = IC.

Also, I was told that steel shot will work for this gun because it IS NOT full choke. They said that it would ACT as if it is full/modified choke with steel shot??????? I don't know.

Shoes
 
You have a fixed choke gun, meaning you can easily change them. M will work like F for most waterfowl scenarios; otherwise, it sounds like a nice upland gun. I would get some of the various loads you intend to use and go to your local gun club (the trap/skeet kind), and use a pattern board to see how well the chokes pattern and WHERE they pattern in relation to POA.

Good luck!
 
I wonder about the date of mfg you said / 1991 --- I bought a new Browning Lightning in 1988 - and it had screw in chokes - so I'm confused on what you might have ?? Check the serial number again ...

Value on a fixed choke Browning Citori field gun - in my area is between $ 500 - $ 750 - depending on condition. If it had Invector screw in chokes -
$ 750 - $ 1,000.

But I don't think Browning made anything after 1987 or so without screw in chokes - unless its not a standard field gun / but you said it was a grade 1 ...

30" barrels were not common on Browning field O/U's made in the late 80's and early 90's either ...
 
Might it not be a Citori? Could it even remotely be an older Belgian grade 1? (Doubtful, but as Jim pointed out, Browning has been selling choke-tube guns for quite some time).

Are you SURE it isn't threaded? The threads are NOT at the muzzle. Yet you stated they were marked M/IC.

I'm thinking the date was misread
 
Belgian grade 1 - with 30" barrels would be odd too -- wouldn't it ..?? ( aren't they commonly 24" or 26" usually )...
 
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Sure - he said it was a fixed choke clems .... but the info isn't adding up ??

Hoping he comes back and checks in ....
 
Belgian grade 1 - with 30" barrels would be odd too -- wouldn't it ..?? ( aren't they commonly 24" or 26" usually )...
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The ones I have seen were 26-1/2 were IC/M and 28 were M/F - like you said Jim, something isn't adding up with the fixed chokes and the date
 
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