Over and under comparison (Browning v. Ruger)

[JohnL2]

I have been comparing the specs. of the Browning Cynergy and the Ruger Red Label O/U shotguns.
They are obviously both solid choices. I was wondering if anyone can offer an objective critique of each if they have any experience with them.
Basically, I just want to know if it is worth shelling out about 1000 dollars more for the Cynergy.
I have the 20 gauge with the 30" barrel in mind. I don't feel like getting knocked silly at the range with a 12 gauge when a 20 will do the job just fine. Would also be used for upland game. Resale value would also be a factor.

[earlthegoat2]

The Cynergy is definitely the better gun. The Ruger though well made feels very bad in the hand and when you shoot it. It is not a pretty gun either but that was never the intent. If you really are worried about the extra 1000 then get the Ruger, Its not like its going to fall apart on you. Both of them will hold proportional resale values. In the end it comes down to personal preference.

[PA4476]

I have owned both, and there is NO compairison. It's like compairing a new Chevy Z71(Browning) to a 69 Ford Pinto(Ruger). If the money was the deciding factor, I would get something else besides an o/u. The 20 ga Ruger will slap you in the face and kick you harder than a 12 ga Cynergy. And as for the Cynergy, the second happiest day with it was the day I bought it. The HAPPIEST day was the day I sold it. And I am a huge Browning fan, I own 3 Citoris, an Ultra Sporter 12 ga, A 425 sporting 20 ga and an old GTI 12 ga. Trust me, get a 525 Browning and leave the Cynergy alone. Browning tried to make a race car out of a shotgun and the Cynergy is what they came up with. When (not if ) but when you want to sell the cynergy, you will loose a butt load of money. The 525 will hold it's value.

[mswestfall]

If you are only going to go for one shotgun I would recommend that you purchase a 12 gauge; rather than a 20 gauge. You can shoot a 7/8 oz. load in a 12 gauge if you want less recoil.

There is no quarter given in any game that I've played for 20 gauge shooters in a (except skeet) 12 game sport.

[earlthegoat2]

If its just for fun go with the 20. I prefer them over 12 for everything including skeet and since i dont shoot skeet seriously everything is OK

[SwampWolf]

In the long (or short!) run, this doesn't mean anything, just one beholder's eye, but I positively hate the looks of the Cynergy. I so much prefer the looks of more traditional shotguns, like the Citori, the Superposed and, yes, the Red Label. But I hear the Cynergy is popular with a host of target shooters and holds up well. If it fits you and you don't mind the looks, I think the Browning is a better finished gun. Your call if you think it's finished a thousand dollars better...

[oneounceload]

You can get a really nice, lightly-used Belgian Superposed for less than either of those two

[ArmedBear]

In a Ruger or a Browning Citori/Superposed, I would not get a 12.

Both guns are overweight in 12, and the Brownings are really bulky in 12.

There are plenty of great-handling 12's out there. Just not these.

Between Ruger and Browning, I'd pick Ruger's geometry and Browning's durability. But as I said, except for a Browning for American Trap only, I wouldn't get either gun in 12 Gauge.

Now in 20, the Ruger gets lighter and the Citori gets much better geometry. In 28, the Ruger becomes a truly great gun (the Brownings get heavier in 28; the Rugers are scaled to the gauge and get a lot lighter and better balanced.)

I much prefer the Cynergy to the Citori as a shooter. I can't emphasize that enough. However, I don't know anything about the Cynergy's durability and longevity. The Cynergy may be a race car, but the Citori is built like a truck, lasts like a truck, and handles like one, too. The 525 and 625 series handle like trucks that have been race-modified to the best of someone's ability, but still like trucks. The Citori's legendary durability doesn't come without any downside.

For a range-only gun, the Citoris do quite well, especially for high-gun sports.

However, I'd look beyond Ruger and Browning before buying either one, especially in 12.

Beretta, SKB, Guerini et al. deserve a swing before dropping the cash.:)

[oneounceload]

The Belgian Superposeds that I have seen/handled/shot are a few years old and all were right around 7# - not too heavy at all; and nicely balanced to boot....

[berettashotgun]

Beretta 686 White Onyx.

[ArmedBear]

I haven't shot a new Superposed, only vintage guns. I thought they are all Belgian.

Any that I've tried in 12 are at least as heavy as a Citori is now, i.e. at least a pound heavier than what you describe. 20's, well, that's a different story...:)

Note that a used 20 Gauge Superposed is worth more than a 12.

[JohnL2]

Thank you all. I will do a little more research. I've been taken by looks before; and I will take my time with this. It should be a "this is the one" moment.

[ArmedBear]

Never look at a shotgun until you've held it with your eyes SHUT!:)

True beauty lies within.

[PA4476]

I shoot over 15,000 targets a year at 12 to 15 different gun clubs. You will see Beretta 686, 682 and Browning 425's, 525's , 25 to one over Browning Cynergys. And no less than 75 to 1 over Ruger's. In fact, I can't remember the last time I saw a Ruger on a sporting clays field. Bobby Fowler from Texas won the national Champs several years shooting a Citori, and you don't win in that level shooting a "truck".

Bottom line, shop around, and if you want a 20, "get a 20 ga" don't get what everybody else thinks "they" have to have. In skeet and sporting clays, they DO shoot 20 ga competition. So if you get to the point you want to compete, you still can with a 20. It's just not as popular. And my wife shoots a 20 ga Remington 11-87 and she beats a lot of men with their 12's every time we go shoot. Remember, it's not the arrow, It's the Indian

[ArmedBear]

A Citori 12 comes into its own with 30" barrels, where the weight on the muzzle end starts to balance out the weight of the enormous receiver.

Nice for Sporting Clays, useless for the field -- not that I have anything against 30" or 32" barrels in the field. But these specific guns are bulky, heavy things. There are many better choices for the field (Ruger isn't one).

WRT competition, Perazzi's competition guns are not lithe, either. Nor are other brands that are in the tiers above Browning in price. Specialized competition guns that get hauled around on a cart can be quite different from general-purpose or field guns. Just like a match rifle can be too heavy, too bulky, and downright unwieldy for hunting, so can a competition shotgun.

I read "would also be used for upland game" in the post. I don't picture Bobby Fowler's competition Browning. Do you?

For a field 20 gauge, it's pretty hard to beat an SKB in 20. The same gun will work great for skeet. For Sporting Clays, I wouldn't start with a 20. Hitting some targets is hard enough with a bigger payload.

I like Berettas, but I understand that those who like Citoris can't stand Berettas.

I just think the OP should swing the things before buying one. A Browning feels a LOT different from its competitors, love it or hate it.

[oneounceload]

AB - yep Superposed ARE all Belgian - the older ones I handled/shot were between 7 and 7.5 #....a great weight, IMO, for a 12 gauge field gun....not wanting to shoot that for a sporting clays marathon - give me a 8-9# for that - but they're still great field guns and right now, can be had for a small sum compared to new guns

[jmr40]

To be honest I have very little first hand experience so I am basically repeating what I have read. It seems the Ruger is a pretty good gun for the money as a hunting gun. I have read they do not hold up as well when used in competition.

My brother had a Ruger for a couple of years and I liked it. We both shot it pretty well but he sold it after a while. Not really sure why he decided to get rid of it.

[Hawk]

I've been asked by several to serve as an example of how not to buy an over / under. I've no experience with the Ruger but can offer a few tangential notes that could only come from one who has "accidentally" bought an O/U.

First, download a copy of CDNN's catalog. Given a cavalier attitude toward sight unseen purchases, the Browning / Ruger price differential may well evaporate depending on model.

Browning "sporting" O/Us have holes in the barrel. By that I mean holes other than ones needed at the front and back. Lots of them. Copious quantities of holes. I've gradually warmed up to them as I own one such in 20 Ga. (see above re: accidental purchases) and I'm forced to conclude that it's karmic payback for all the ugly things I said about porting. Since I've grown to like the thing overall I'm compelled to not gripe about porting evermore. It's killing me.

The Browning is straight, the Beretta is cast-off. Wait. You didn't ask about Beretta. Anyway, if you like one you probably won't like the other unless you gain or lose a LOT of weight. I did.

The Browning synthetic stock adjustability is actually pretty good. It can mimic the Beretta and take some of the chance out of buying something you haven't cozied up to, though it would still be recommended. It's a PITA to adjust so you won't be tempted to tinker overmuch with the thing.

I share Armedbear's appraisal of the Citori. Between the two of us, I'd trust him more but we agree on that thing for reasons which remain unclear.

Did I mention the Beretta doesn't have the holes? I like that. If you like holes, you won't be impressed. Also, for some reason, Browning ran out of chrome just downstream of the chamber - Beretta didn't. I don't know about Ruger vis-a-vis chrome. Chrome lined barrels are habit forming. Be warned.

Trying out a shotgun "blind" is supposed to be OK and I can see the logic on an academic level but it remains unclear why, when I did it, a Beretta SP3 felt so much better than it's cousins. Fortunately when I did it the SP3 didn't command much of a premium. That remains a mystery - the catalog says they all have the same dimensions.

Unlike some "sporting" O/Us, the Cynergy 20Ga comports itself well in the field. At least I liked it.

I like the looks of the Cynergy much better than the Citori but I also prefer the Beretta 682 and wish I had "blind folded" that one. I also prefer S&W's new cylinder stop and that's near blasphemy in the forum immediately below this one.

Hope this helps.
But I'm pretty sure it didn't - the CDNN catalog is still good though.