Recreational Shotgun Choice - Citori White Satin EDIT: Maybe 725 Sporting?

[Deemask732]

First let me say thank you to all of you experienced clay shooters and the information you've shared on this forum. I've been lurking for some time and trying to soak up opinions and information so I can make a quality shotgun purchase.



I've searched this forum as well as others and understand similar questions have been asked many times before...

I originally started to shoot clays with my father's Mossberg 500a with a fixed IC choke. About 11 years ago I convinced my fiancé that if she got an engagement ring, I should be allowed to get an engagement gun and purchased a CZ Ringneck SxS. It's a pretty gun, but I feel like I am at a disadvantage and miss more often than I should. Going back in time I wish I would have purchased something else, but the longer your in the shooting sports, the more you learn.

I am interested in picking up a decent o/u for recreational clay shooting. The majority of my targets will be either hand thrown or by a portable machine with friends in the field. Occasionally we go to our local sporting clays course. I don't have the patience to be a hunter..............

I looked into several semi autos (A300, Affinity 3, SX4, Montefeltro) and found that the SX4 fit me best. I don't care for the light weight and it feels a bit cheap in my hand. Also can't quite get over that part of me really would like an O/U.

The Browning Citori White Satin 12 gauge seems like it would get me into a Citori action for a relatively low price.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/browning-citori-white-satin-over-under-shotgun

Understanding that fit is the most important factor, do you think this gun would handicap me in anyway for my intended purpose? I don't see competitions in my future, but I do think that a quality shotgun would enhance my enjoyment. It seems like the consensus is to go for longer barrels, but I'd like to keep cost down and could always get a bit longer with extended chokes. I find purchasing a used gun locally to be a bit overwhelming not having a ton of experience with options.

Also, does anyone have experience with Browning's perforated recoil pads? It looks like the vast majority of their offerings have a solid pad. This one is more similar to the 500A I started out on.

Thanks for your opinions

 

[mdwest]

they are very hard to find in the US.. from what I can tell they havent been imported by anyone in the last few years.. but the Webley & Scott 900 series of O/U are wonderful options for various clays sports and are actually really reasonably priced..

Super reliable.. well balanced.. point very naturally for me.. etc.. newer 912's (12 ga) use the benelli/berretta mobil choke system, so lots of options on competition chokes (I prefer briley.. but there are plenty of other great options out there).. the 920's (20 ga) use Huglu chokes.. (again, I prefer briley.. but several other makers out there support the system)..

They come with very nice english styled leather/wood cases, which really doesnt matter from a competition stand point.. but is a cool touch as well..

For recoil pads.. on clays guns there is no other option for me than kickeez.. Ive shot several different pachmyers, limbsavers, etc.. and kickeez wins over and over again.. when I've asked a handful of pro clay shooters that Ive met (Dan Carlise, etc..) and when Ive asked the two different smiths that I have let do work on my clays guns.. they all say the same thing... go with kickeez and be done with it...

Ask 10 different people about barrel length and you'll get at least 5 different answers.. A lot depends on what sport are you talking about, how you shoot, what are the conditions you are shooting in, etc..etc.. if you want to get super technical and super competitive... most people I talk to (I am one of about 20 active coaches on a HS clays team that has about 80 student athletes.. have fairly regular opportunities to talk to coaches from other teams, talk to pros and private instructors, etc) would agree.. very few shooters (to include very good/accomplished shooters) will see very little difference in performance whether they are shooting 28", 30", 32" etc across all possible situations.. whatever gun they are used to and are comfortable with, that is fitted to them properly etc is the right answer... while one gun might swing a little more smoothly, another might offer a couple of more yards with a tighter pattern, etc.. they all have advantages and disadvantages that will play to the strengths/weaknesses of different shooters and different courses (the perfect gun for a 40 yard high angle sporting clays shot is not the same gun that would be perfect for taking a shot on the low house at station 8 in skeet ).. but since most shooters arent going to own numerous clays guns.. and most would benefit from knowing 1 gun exceptionally well vs knowing 4 guns "ok"... figure out what is most right for you to start.. and make it work for whatever you are doing at the time (if you have a 28" gun and running 1 oz 7.5 loads and are taking that 40 yard sporting clays shot you might choose a different choke for example than the guy shooting a 32" gun who has also been shooting 1 1/8 oz 8's all day)..

As far as competitions in your future are concerned... why not? You dont have to go with the intent of winning... If the clubs near you are well established its likely going to be a little while before you'd have a chance at pulling out a medal when everyone else on the line has shot 5000+ shells a year for the last 5 years straight and are pulling their custom fitted kreighoffs out of their trucks... BUT... competitions are a great way to get to know people that really know a lot about the sport that can help you develop.. and as a rule most people I have met in the sport are super supportive and go out of their way to help new shooters.. entry fees for most tournaments are pretty cheap.. and even if all you did was sit and observe others you could learn A LOT in a very short period of time just by seeing what seasoned shooters are doing (find a guy shooting consistent 95's or better at trap... and figure out what he is doing.. what does his stance look like? how is he mounting the gun? how is his gun configured? etc... same thing on skeet.. find a guy that is shooting in the 90s consistently and figure out what he is doing to make that happen...

My daughter (HS shooter) has learned FAR more just by hanging out with more experienced, older members of her team and shooting with them than I think any coach has been able to teach her..

 

[chashardy]

The Citori shotgun is a good shotgun for the money. It's basically a Moroku (sp?) made in Japan and sold under the Browning/Citori brand in the U.S.
Personally, I'm a Beretta guy. I think the Silver Pigeon sporting model is comparable in price to the Citori. It has multi-chokes, interchangeable recoil pads to adjust LOP, etc. etc.
You are correct that fitting is the most important thing. Be sure to handle any shotgun you are considering and get someone knowledgeable to advise you on whether the shotgun fits you.

 

[buffybr]

My first shotgun was a Miroku 12 ga O/U that I ordered the day I left Vietnam in 1970. After I got home, I joined a gun club with a Trap range so I could learn to shoot flying targets. That gun had fixed Modified and Full choked barrels and it dropped many ducks and grouse for me, along with getting me started in League and registered Trap shooting.

Then in the mid '80s we put in a Skeet field at our gun club and the chokes of my Miroku were too tight fot Skeet so I bought a Citori with screw-in chokes and later a set of full length 20, 28, and .410 tubes so I could shoot the small gauge Skeet events. At the peak of my Skeet competition days, that gun put me in Class AA or A in all Skeet events, including Doubles.

I have shot over 200,000 shells through that gun with only a few minor problems, like replacing the hammer springs.

 

[Firebird]

I own a citori in 16 gauge and have enjoyed it for over a decade.
I will never own another beretta-I’ve broken stocks on every one I’ve had and beretta is an expensive mess at getting them replaced.
I bought my daughter a 20 gauge Franchi and both of us love that gun. The only issue we’ve had and it has affected both of us is the barrel selector. If it is not definitively on top or bottom it will not fire and it seems to easily move to the middle without notice.
I intend to another Franchi this fall, a 16 gauge again and a step up from the one we have now.
I would not hesitate to buy another citori, mine is well made and despite that I hunt hard for many bird species and break clays on a regular basis, it has always performed as well as I do.

 

[chashardy]

I own a citori in 16 gauge and have enjoyed it for over a decade.
I will never own another beretta-I’ve broken stocks on every one I’ve had and beretta is an expensive mess at getting them replaced.
I bought my daughter a 20 gauge Franchi and both of us love that gun. The only issue we’ve had and it has affected both of us is the barrel selector. If it is not definitively on top or bottom it will not fire and it seems to easily move to the middle without notice.
I intend to another Franchi this fall, a 16 gauge again and a step up from the one we have now.
I would not hesitate to buy another citori, mine is well made and despite that I hunt hard for many bird species and break clays on a regular basis, it has always performed as well as I do.

I've got six different Beretta shotguns, 20g, 12g. game and sporting clays o/u and one semi-auto. All excellent guns and no issues with any of them. I've put more than 5000 rounds through my DT11 in the last year and it just keeps smashing clays like crazy and closing like a bank vault. To each his own.

 

[BeeMaa]

@Deemask732 - Gun fit is king, get that right and the shooting will come much easier.

After owning several O/U's I figured the gun fit thing out and spent several hours at a shop with an extensive collection of shotgun brands. Browning, Beretta, Benelli, Blaser, Guerini, Perazzi and Krieghoff were all on tap and in multiple configurations.

Deciding factor was fit above all else. Since then the clays have been paying the price for making this decision. Engraving, wood grade and chokes can be changed. Buying a shotgun that doesn't fit will make breaking clays more difficult. (Ask me how I know)

If you are an experienced shooter with a consistent mount and really know what you are looking for when it comes to feel, I'd highly recommend finding a place that will allow you to see as much as you can. Another option is to go to one of the bigger shows ( like DSC or SCI) to get a feel for what each has to offer. I know show season has come to a close and waiting a year isn't always the easiest...but it could be the best way to get the shotgun that really fits you.

 

[sureshot375]

Beretta 686 silver pigeon is the best value in o/u in my opinion. I much prefer how they feel and shoot over a citori.

28 or 30 inch barrels will give you a great all around shotgun.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

Thirteen years ago I treated myself to a Fathers Day gift and purchased a Browning Special (white) Steel Citori from BassPro, on sale mind you. That helped in the decision to buy. It has 28" barrels and is chambered in 12 gauge 2 3/4", 3" and 3 1/2" so it is good for all types of wing shooting although the 3 1/2" les you know it's there. It has taken hungarian partridges, sharp tails, pheasants, ducks and geese, not to mention hundreds, maybe thousands of sporting clays. My son, a lefty, uses it exclusively for migratory birds and it fits him and myself well. Never a single issue with it. If it fits you, go for it. Diamonds vs shotguns? I think you got the better deal.

 

[Bonk]

I'm the last guy you should take advice from regarding a clays shotgun but I'm going to chime in anyway. I rarely shoot clays but I've shot all three disciplines. I suck at all three equally. I am good at buying guns though and I've been through a few consumer level shotguns and I have experience with Beretta and Browning. My Berettas were 686 Silver Pigeons in 12ga and 20ga. Both were 30" barrels IIRC. My Browning is a 725 Sporting (unported) with a 32" barrel. All three were very nice shotguns and I'm glad I had the opportunity to own all three. The differences are minor IMO. I like the look and wood of the Berettas better but the Browning feels like a much more dedicated clays shotgun and I prefer mechanical triggers over inertia triggers. The truth is I don't shoot clays enough to justify a dedicated clays shotgun and frankly I'm just as good with my CZ 1012 or my 870 as I am with an O/U.

I still own the Browning 725 and based on my very limited experience and knowledge if I had to buy all over again I'd buy a dedicated hunting O/U shotgun with 28" barrels and use that for everything. The Browning 725 Field (or something similar) is probably what I'd buy so I think the White Satin would be an excellent choice. Good luck with your decision.

For some reason I'm a much better bird shooter than I am a clays shooter. I've always been reasonably successful hunting dove, ducks and geese even though I suck at busting clays. YMMV.

 

[Dawg2019]

I’m a beretta guy as well 686 is hard to beat. If recoil is an issue, you can install a mercury recoil reducer into the stock.

 

[BeeMaa]

Thirteen years ago I treated myself to a Fathers Day gift and purchased a Browning Special (white) Steel Citori from BassPro, on sale mind you. That helped in the decision to buy. It has 28" barrels and is chambered in 12 gauge 2 3/4", 3" and 3 1/2" so it is good for all types of wing shooting although the 3 1/2" les you know it's there. It has taken hungarian partridges, sharp tails, pheasants, ducks and geese, not to mention hundreds, maybe thousands of sporting clays. My son, a lefty, uses it exclusively for migratory birds and it fits him and myself well. Never a single issue with it. If it fits you, go for it. Diamonds vs shotguns? I think you got the better deal.

I've heard about Browning Citori being chambered in 3.5" but have yet to see one in person. I had a Cynergy O/U chambered in 3.5" but sold it to another member here because it just didn't fit me well. Would you mind sharing a picture?

BTW - I agree with the many above that a Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon is hard to beat and is likely to outlast you...as long as it fits properly.