O/U Shotgun for the occasional hunter/shooter

M

mayosligo

New member
I have done a great deal of research looking at previous post regarding O/U shotguns. It seems to me that the Brownings have a good reputation for the $1500 - $2500 range. However, I am an occasional upland bird hunter (wish I could go more). I will get out once or twice a year. I do not shoot skeet, but would like to get into it and shoot several times a year. Other than that, I am not looking at a great deal of wear and tear. So looking at O/U I see the cheaper, Franchi, Rossi, Mossberg, etc - do I need the more expensive B-guns or is one of these fine for what I have described above. I do realize that you get what you pay for and the B-guns and more expensive O/U are well made, sturdy, and handle well, but would I be making a major mistake purchasing one of the cheaper makes?
 
IMO, yes you are - why? Because you MIGHT get a cheap one that works, then again you might get one that breaks. Most folks who shoot clays start out shooting a little and wind up shooting a lot. The cheaper guns really aren't made for that type of use. Another thing to keep in mind is that IF your Browning or Beretta needs service - any gunsmith worth his salt will be able to fix it, get the parts, etc.....they also hold their resale value well if you decide to sell it later for whatever reason
 
SKB would be recommendation, a 26" 20 gauge 505 makes a great upland gun. Also consider a nice Franchi or Winchester Select/101.


I personally avoid shotguns made in Turkey, Brazil and Russia.


Life's too short to shoot crappy guns. :D
 
Buy a Browning if you can afford it! It will hold its resale value where the cheaper ones won't. The trigger will be much better. Some of the cheaper guns do not shoot to the same point of impact with both barrels. Brownings wear in not out. Check with your local gunclubs for a used one. Make sure the lever that opens the gun is a little right of center. This helps insure the gun is still tight,as it moves left with wear.
 
I would go with a light to moderately used Browning or Beretta over a new gun from any of the makers you listed. It's hard to beat quality and Browning and Beretta both have a proven track record for reliability.

Other choices to consider are SKB and Ruger. Both make very good O/U's.
 
Add me to the group recommending a lightly used Browning or Beretta O/U. I agree with the quote from Brownells catalog: "It is unwise to pay too much but it's worse to pay too little." When you buy cheap merchandise, you get poor quality, poor service from the item, and dissatisfaction for your financial expenditure. When you buy quality merchandise, you get a quality built item, reliable service, and more pleasure/satisfaction from use of the item and the expenditure of your hard earned money.
 
Another recommendation for the Browning. There are many other O/U shotguns on the market, but a Browning will give you great satisfaction for many years. If you were to decide to sell it, you could probably recover your money as well, something that is not always possible with a cheap shotgun. Other options, as pointed out above, would be a Beretta, Franchi, CZ, Winchester Select, or SKB, any one of which are good shotguns.
 
Can't go wrong with a Browning Lightning - good, solid, last forever, and will do clays games as well as it hits upland game.
 
Another vote for either the Browning or Beretta / and personally I like the Browning better.

Browning makes about 26 different models of the Citori / and drop at comb and heel are different on many of them. The gun I find the most versatile - is a parallel comb, with an adj comb insert, so the XS Skeet or XS Special. My personal choice is for a 30" barrel on an O/U ( so its the same overall length as a pump or semi-auto with a 28" barrel ). 30" barrels still swing real smooth / nice and quick for upland birds...

Citori Lighting is a good solid gun / if it fits you - or you may have to put a pad on the comb.

As you look at Browning and Beretta - you will find the stock dimensions vary a lot / if the Beretta fits you - the Browning will not. Good luck - and have fun with your search.
 
You received lots of good info above.

OK, I will cut across the grain. You mention Franchi. I own one Franchi Renaissance. Reliable gun, but lightweight. I can recommend it bassed on an upland cary gun. There is the standard Franchi R gun (with the funky pad) and the "classic", with the traditional butt pad. The funky padded one is similar to the pad on a Browning Cynergy.

The gun fits similarly to a Beretta 68X series gun. This makes sense because this is the first Franchi gun that Beretta had a lot of influence on after combining companies. Thus, there is a lot of technology transfer, I am sure.

OK now on to another, and more important point. Big Jim alludes to fit and it either being a Citori fit or a 68X fit. Agreed.

I am working on a theory (backed up by a soon to be shared white paper, hey I'm an engineer) that there are (generally) two reciever heights that affect gun feel and comfort.

Many, many times, threads on this board (if they are referring to hunting/competition guns, which is rare, granted) it comes donw to a Cirtori vx. 86X discussion. And, it should.

The Citori reciever (and thus height) is massive. The Beretta/Franchi/Cynergy reciever, less so, it is lower.

A more thorough discussion will be left for another thread soon.

Bottom line you will very quickly like one over the other.

Lesson (after all that): try before you buy, if you can.
 
I have had two O/U and can say I couldn't hit anything with them. I traded my trap O/U for a 870TC my scores took a big jump. Bought a Winchester 101 and got rid of that and went back to my 1100 and started to hit things again so you might want to try one before you buy:)
 
That's why its about " Fit " Russ ......if it doesn't hit where you look / it'll be real hard to hit anything..

All of which can be fixed / not all O/U's are the same - there are different amounts of drop at comb and at heel - and it matters. You have to take a gun to the pattern board / and have it "fit" ....or its just a waste.

Then there is the overall length, the weight, the length of pull .....that all affect your techinque ( is the grip area too small, is the gun too light, is it too long ...) ....and what to do if its not right. Its not just about buying a new gun / its about knowing what "fits" you - and what doesn't.
 
I really wanted an OU, but couldn't afford a B-Gun. I ended up buying a Lanber (made in Spain) from CDNN for around $400 about 4 years ago and it's been an absolute workhorse.

I have a friend with a Weatherby Orion and it's a very nice OU for the money.

I still crave a nice Browning Citori, but the Lanber has been great.
 
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