Browning Citori

[JWG1969]

Hello all,

I would like to get the opinion of some of the members on this site that are much more knowledgeable than me about shotguns in general and Browning Citori's to be specific.

A friend of mine is offering to sell me a Browning Citori White Lightning and I was wondering if you could tell me if this is something I should jump at or pass on. Here are the details of the offer


Browning Citori White Lightning. No dings or rust on the barrels. No gouges or scratches on the wood that I noticed but the stock and fore end have been refinished.
26" Barrels
5 screw in style choke tubes with the choke wrench
Hard style case with a fleece or velvet lining that is in excellent shape. I don’t believe the covering on the case is leather. (Someone told me the leather covered case’s have a belt and buckle system that wraps around the case, this one does not have that.)
He is asking $1200.00. Good deal or not? Please let me know what you think. Thanks JG

 

[Rob0321]

What are your expectations for it? Specifically, what is your shotgun sport/game?

 

[JWG1969]

Gun willed be used for upland bird (mostly pheasant) hunting and the occasional trap round to get ready for the upland season.

 

[loose noose]

JWG, I would offer him $1000.00 for it, and let him bicker it up to $1050, max. My concern would be, the stock being refinished. Sounds like if the action is solid, and you plan on using it for pheasant or upland game it should be a fine arm to use.

 

[cfullgraf]

Hard style case with a fleece or velvet lining that is in excellent shape. I don’t believe the covering on the case is leather. (Someone told me the leather covered case’s have a belt and buckle system that wraps around the case, this one does not have that.)

I have two Citoris, a 12 Ga Skeet model and a standard Grade I 20 gauge. Both have served me well. The 12 ga lived through several seasons of competitive skeet and the associated practice without a problem. I do not shoot competitively anymore but drag out the 12 ga for some fun skeet or sporting clays a few times a year.

The hard cases that came with mine look like leather but the covering is probably something synthetic. They do not have a belt and buckle.

 

[oneounceload]

I would want to know why the stock was refinished. Is the fleece-lined case original to the gun? If so, what year was the gun made. How many rounds, is the top lever still well to the right of center?
Most importantly, does it FIT? Have you had the chance to take it to your local trap/skeet/sporting club and shot targets - if yes, did you hit most or miss most? When you shoulder the gun, do you see any of the rib? If yes, the stock will need alterations so you can hit what you are pointing at. Another aspect to consider are the barrels - 26"is very out of fashion now, so if you decide in a little while to sell the gun, that will give you issues; another aspect is the weight - I had a 26" Citori years ago and it was just as heavy as my 32" barrel target gun - 8.25#. That is a LOT to be schlepping in the field all day after birds. If those two aspects do not pose a major concern for you, and the fit is good and the condition is good, then $1000 give or take a little between friends would be fair enough. I know I have been offered more for my target gun than I paid for it 19 years ago, but I couldn't take that amount today and buy a comparable gun. Brownings are good solid and for the most part, dependable guns at that price point. I would rather have a used Browning than a new CZ, Stoeger, Baikal, etc.......

 

[jaguarxk120]

The 2009 Std. Cat. of Firearms sez "Citori White Lightning
Introduced in 1998 this model features a silver nitride scroll engraved receiver. Offered in #' 12 and 3" 20 gauge with choice of 26" or 28" barrels. In 2004 this model is also available in 28 gauge as well as 410 bore. Weight is approximately 8 lbs. for 12 gauge models and 6.8 lbs. for 20 gauge models. Invector-Plus chokes standard. Lightning-style stock .
NIB $1715, Exc $1300, VG $950, Good $700.

Please note that the case was extra to the gun. There are two used Browning case's on ebay now for $160 each.
A new Browning Over/Under Classic case is $325.00 MSRP.

A used Browning Citori will need service at about 200,000 rounds or so.

 

[JWG1969]

To answer some of the questions that have been asked--Not sure if the case is original to the gun. From what I have been told the gun hasn't been shot very much. He has 2-3 others that he uses and he is just trying to clean out his safe a little bit. I have shot the gun and hit maybe 16-18 in 3 rds of trap. I think my scores will go up once I get used to shooting with both eyes open. Im new to shotgun sports and most of my experience is shooting rifles. If I am reading the serial number information correctly the gun was manufactured in 2002.

OneOunce load--No sure what you mean by the lever being right of center. If I remember correctly it is either straight up and down or a little bit to the right. What should I be looking for?

Thanks for the reply's

 

[oneounceload]

The more to the right the top lever is, the less wear it has. if it is straight center, it has seen some use, is still in decent shape but you will need to start paying attention to a few things - like if it suddenly pops open after firing - as that indicates some springs need replacing. if the lever is LEFT of center, it is really worn.

If straight up and down is 6:00, the top lever should be at 4 or 5:00

 

[clang]

I wouldn't pay $1,200 for it. 26" barrels are not what people are looking for anymore and I wouldn't be surprised if your friend is getting rid of this gun for that reason. Barrel length has a significant effect on resale value.

I would not pay more than $800 for the gun and tell him the keep the hard case, and I would only pay that much if I REALLY wanted another short barreled shotgun. Everyone wants 30" barrels nowadays or even longer if they are target shooting. If you look, you can find some real bargains on 26" barrel guns. For example - I bought a 26" Beretta Onyx for $750 last year.