Milkmaster
Member
One of my goals during this week's vacation was to find a gun store somewhere within a reasonable drive that carried all three of these fine shotguns. Up to now I had been able to hold each on its own but never compare them side by side. Yesterday I found just such a gun store within an hour of my home and made the trek there on my motorcycle in the feash 70 degree air. If you aren't bored already with my story, let's get down to what I saw and liked...
I explained what I wanted to the salesperson and he laid out the following in front of me. All had 28" barrels.
Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon
Browning Cynergy
Browning Citori 525
Things I noticed....
Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon - Seems like the first thing I always notice about the 68* Beretta guns is the slender neck on the stock and how it is very comfortable on my hands. This model had the glossy finish. What is NOT to like? The only complaint one might have is the sparse recoil pad on the Beretta. A light shotgun WILL have recoil and having a good pad is an imperative to me.
Browning Cynergy - I was told that the Cynergy is Browning's answer to the Beretta 68* guns, and I could feel and see the similarities for sure. This was the first time I had ever held the Cynergy, and I was impressed a little. It was hard to tell, but I believe it might have been a few more ounces in weight than the Beretta gun beside it. However, I was suprised to find out the Browning was a bit less muzzle heavy than the Beretta.
Browning Citori - This was another first for me in that I had not held a newer what I would call full size Browning O/U in years. Seems like I always remembered Brownings being the huge heavy guns in my youth like the A5. In this case I remained newly impressed with their recent guns. The Citori is thicker and heavier than the Cynergy, but not drastically larger like I had expected. I don't know that the additional weight is a bad thing, since clay shooting is what I like to do these days. I'd figured to add a little weight to the other lighter guns if I bought them. The Citori was not as much like holding a 4x4 as I had been told and expected. In fact, the Citori was the only one of the three laying on the table that the rib beads lined up perfectly without me adjusting my head. A great deal of the time fit is the best starting place.
I remain at odds with the choices. I am replacing a Classic Tap 1100 that fit me from the first time I shot it. I am just tired of as much cleaning as a gas gun requires and want a simple O/U for my remaining years. It may play out that the coice will be made for me in the find of a good used one of the three for a good price. The saga continues
I explained what I wanted to the salesperson and he laid out the following in front of me. All had 28" barrels.
Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon
Browning Cynergy
Browning Citori 525
Things I noticed....
Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon - Seems like the first thing I always notice about the 68* Beretta guns is the slender neck on the stock and how it is very comfortable on my hands. This model had the glossy finish. What is NOT to like? The only complaint one might have is the sparse recoil pad on the Beretta. A light shotgun WILL have recoil and having a good pad is an imperative to me.
Browning Cynergy - I was told that the Cynergy is Browning's answer to the Beretta 68* guns, and I could feel and see the similarities for sure. This was the first time I had ever held the Cynergy, and I was impressed a little. It was hard to tell, but I believe it might have been a few more ounces in weight than the Beretta gun beside it. However, I was suprised to find out the Browning was a bit less muzzle heavy than the Beretta.
Browning Citori - This was another first for me in that I had not held a newer what I would call full size Browning O/U in years. Seems like I always remembered Brownings being the huge heavy guns in my youth like the A5. In this case I remained newly impressed with their recent guns. The Citori is thicker and heavier than the Cynergy, but not drastically larger like I had expected. I don't know that the additional weight is a bad thing, since clay shooting is what I like to do these days. I'd figured to add a little weight to the other lighter guns if I bought them. The Citori was not as much like holding a 4x4 as I had been told and expected. In fact, the Citori was the only one of the three laying on the table that the rib beads lined up perfectly without me adjusting my head. A great deal of the time fit is the best starting place.
I remain at odds with the choices. I am replacing a Classic Tap 1100 that fit me from the first time I shot it. I am just tired of as much cleaning as a gas gun requires and want a simple O/U for my remaining years. It may play out that the coice will be made for me in the find of a good used one of the three for a good price. The saga continues
