Browning Citori

[Shootermick]

Can anyone tell me anything about the Browning Citori Hunter? It’s in plenty of shops and I’ve seen it advertised for anywhere between about $1600-$1900. I haven’t handled one but they have them in stock at my local and I’ll probably be there on the weekend so I might have a squiz. Not an overly dear 12 ga. I’ve got a decent under and over already, but I’m thinking about getting away from the camo wrap shotty I’ve got, although it does do a good job in terms of wear and hides a few scratches well. Good in damp conditions too, surface rust is not an issue obviously. Main uses for a new 12 ga would be mainly a few backyard clays, probably not much hunting with it.

[mchughcb]

They are good value for money. I've used on a few times on clays.

[Diamond Jim]

I have an older Browning shotgun - like 70 years older. Mine's made in Belgium but I understand the Citori is made in Japan. Anything with the Browning stamp on it has my confidence. They have a good reputation and would do the job you want it for.

[Bugman]

Had a shoot with one a couple of weeks back. A mate bought it. Nice, quite well balanced shotty.......but I will stick with my Miroku. It is just a matter of choice, I guess.

[Shootermick]

Had a shoot with one a couple of weeks back. A mate bought it. Nice, quite well balanced shotty.......but I will stick with my Miroku. It is just a matter of choice, I guess.

What model Miroku? 70?

[mchughcb]

I just bought a new mk70 feels bulkier than my silver pigeon but it shoots ok.

[Bugman]

Had a shoot with one a couple of weeks back. A mate bought it. Nice, quite well balanced shotty.......but I will stick with my Miroku. It is just a matter of choice, I guess.

What model Miroku? 70?

Mk 70 sporter with 28 inch barrels. Just double checked, it is a Game Grade 5, and the guy I bought it off, said that he had to order it as a "special Order"
so I guess it was not a standard issue sitting on the shelf.

[Shootermick]

Had a look at the Citori Hunter today and it didn’t meet my expectations. Absolutely no doubt that it is a good shotgun, but it didn’t shoulder too well for me, I’d rather a wide rib and it had no recoil pad, just not what I’m after. Picked up a Webley and Scott, model 1000 I think, it felt ok. Looked at a couple of Miroku models, nice guns, hard to fault them in the shop. But my pick from this mornings trip to the shop was the Bettinsoli Evo Black. Shouldered well, eye went to the wide rib and hi vis front sight nicely, and it seemed a pretty good gun all round. I’ve always liked my Bettinsoli X Trail camo, and I might just trade it up to the Evo Black. I’m in no hurry though, I’ll see what else I can find around the shops before I make a decision.

[mchughcb]

The Evo black is nice and I really do like the big high vis on the front of the Bettinsoli.

Its always a tough call but you really need to find something that fits you and the only way to find out is to test a few out with the clothing that you think you will wear when you use it. There are some nice almost new silver pigeon sporters getting around for under $2K as well. Any of them will hold their value if you decide to move them on.

[Harronek]

Personally I’d stick with either the Beretta or the Miroku , they are the Toyota and Nissan of the Shotgun world .
They work , they are very reliable, they hold their value, they have spare parts available if something does go wrong, and there are enough different models in their range to suit just about everyone.

PS - Hi-vis front beads are the devils work , when Shotgun shooting the last thing you should be looking at is the rib or the front bead .

[mchughcb]

Today I was hunting with the browning cynergy and my miroku MK70. They are different, the browning is worth more, not quite as bulky, has a higher rib and a wider trigger. I guess its just what suits you, but hard to beat the Miroku in terms of bang for dollar.

[Shootermick]

I agree with you blokes about brands, I’d be buying new and would probably lean towards the Miroku or Browning over Beretta as they are a bit cheaper, depending on the model obviously. A Mk 70 sporter would do me fine.

[ArmouredSprue]

Hi all,
I have a Citori for almost 10 years now. Use for both duck shooting and clay targets.
I really like it a lot, well balanced and with enough weight to help with the recoil. As mentioned before they are produced in Japan in the same place the Miroku are made, but with a cheaper price tag. It bothered me it comes with only 3 chokes instead of 5 with the Miroku. Overall very reliable and robust Gun. I haven’t done any service to mine and it is still tight.