I hate my O/U

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BozemanMT

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A year ago i bought a really nice brand new Browning Citori Over/Under Sporting Clays Model, mid rib, etc. now this is a fine gun by anyone's standards, well put together, never fails to go bang and I've put 4,000 or so rounds through it and it was a fine gun.
Then, my wife bought me a side by side. (CZ Ringneck). And it fit me so well, and I had so much fun shooting it. Even though I went backwards for a while and i had to recover for a 1000 rounds to get to where I was with the Citori. But I never picked up the Citori again. I put easily 3500 or so rounds through that SxS in 3 months.
And then
it broke. :(
I had to send the SxS back. And I had to shoot that O/U again while I'm waiting for it to come back from the factory.
I hate that Citori :cuss:
Hate it, hate it, hate it. :cuss:
The first day I actually shot it ok, but since then, I literally cannot hit anything. :banghead: Nothing. I actually walked off the trap line tonight after missing 10 straight from 16 yards. Why bother? Wasn't worth the ammo.
I refuse to even clean it. The wife is cleaning it right now because she won't let me put it away dirty.
Wanted to trade, 1 Citori O/U for a SxS or a pocket full of change.
bah
 
That's odd, I love all my guns.

I love to take out my A5, my Superposed... Maybe my 870TB and more often my BT-99. Nothing will supplant my XT Trap but I enjoy shooting them all. :)
 
Brian,
Why don't you simply modify the stock of your O/U to match the S/S stock dimensions? I had problems hitting with my Grade VI Citori Lightning 20 gauge until I removed more than 1/4 inch from the top of comb and completely refinished the stock. Now my Citori hits where I look. My shooting percentage on doves jumped significantly.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB
 
Take a deep breath and get to a pattern board. Chances are pretty good that the gun fit is off (or at least different from the CZ) and it's not hitting where you expect.

I have a lot of shotguns, and most shoot to a slightly different POI from one another. However, the ones I use most often for targets or birds have been tweaked to hit where I want.

Like LHB1, my Browning 425 didn't fit right until I shaved some off the top of the comb, had the LOP adjusted and changed the pitch. Now it's just right.

IMHO, O/U shotguns are THE style of gun for which good fit is most critical.
 
I think the CZ's are decent shotguns but unfortunately I just don't think they're built well enough for high volume shooting. I bought a CZ 720 automatic for the hell of it since the price was right. It broke in the first half a box, (I knew what the problem was but it needed to be fixed by the factory). I got it back a week later and it broke in the first half a box again. Sent it back again and they replaced it with a whole new gun which was obviously a newer revision that the previous model because a couple of components were made different. I ended up taking that gun to Argentina and put 1500 rounds through it before the extractor shelled out. I still like the little gun, but it has definitely been relegated to the fooling around role that I originally bought it for.
 
Since you have become used to the barrels beside each other,
maybe you could try shooting the Citori "gangsta style"? :what:
Smae sight picture down the tubes,but the stock may be a bit uncomfortable.....

On a more serious note,
the stock may fit better on the CZ,and having the Citori altered to match may help a lot.
Otherwise ,you may have been a sxs man all along,and just have to face it! :D
 
with the volume your shooting you need a better SXS. try a BSS or better yet a model21 .
They should hold up, and they're heavy enough to soak up the recoil.
 
On a more serious note, the stock may fit better on the CZ,and having the Citori altered to match may help a lot.
Click to expand...
Yeah, those of us that have been faithfully following the saga of CZ remember that the CZ was a 700.00 gun with a 400.00 stock bending job.

As the guru pointed out in your thread about your visit to Jim Jamison, gunfit isn't the biggest thing, it's darn near the only thing.

Mayhaps the Citori just needs to be "Jamison-ized". I'd offer to trade you a 1948 L.C. Smith for the Citori, but I'd bet a donut it wouldn't help until you fixed the massive drop they put on stocks back then. You may have developed an addiction to fitted stocks. I've heard it can happen.

Let us know how CZ does with the warrantee. Good luck with the O/U.
 
Instead of fitting the Citori head down to the gunshop and find another O/U that feels good. Trade the Citori in on it, and be happy.

Life is too short to have a gun that you don't like regardless of why you don't like it.
 
Without trying to be too much of a smart guy, you've never been able to shoot that Citori as it was meant to be shot. It doesn't fit. What you have done is adapted yourself to the gun. That's pretty common among trap or skeet shooters who shoot the gun is premounted.

Without knowing what you had done to the CZ I would bet that the problem with your Citori is cast. These guns usually come dead straight and I suspect adding a little cast to your o/u might make a difference but only a little time at the patterning board will tell for sure.

Paul
 
thanks for the replies.
I'm still mad at it even after a good night's sleep.
and i know it's really not the gun (the gun works fine, it's me)
but i still don't like it.
it's getting traded for something. too long for the wife and I"m just bitter at this point.
Model 21? ha, who has that kind of money. :)
 
Without knowing what you had done to the CZ I would bet that the problem with your Citori is cast.
Click to expand...
Those more knowledgeable than myself advise me that the reason the Angels began singing when I tried (then quickly bought) my 687 last year was a significant cast-off. It is very obvious with the gun held vertically. I wasn't aware of it when I bought it although I was very aware that previously unseen angels had suddenly found their voices.

Which now has me wondering - it was new and not (so far as I know) special ordered. Wouldn't that make any sporting clay Beretta SP3 unusable by a leftie?

And how come the Browning equivalent wouldn't be similarly cast-off? If the Citori and SP3 are competing in the exact same markets, wouldn't a major difference like one is cast and the other not be a big deal?

Or did everyone but me know that? :eek:
 
Hate & Love

Been shooting for half centry. Own Pumps , singles, doubles, autos. O/Us. When I shoot upland birds and skeet it is the doubles that I go to. Don't exactely understand why ; but they have always performed better for me , fit is important but I'am a left hand shooter and have shoot many different brands and configurations and have never had one that did not perform with some practice. I purchased a 20 guage CZ Bobwhite this spring. I have been impressed with it so far. My experience with doubles is the double trigger models have less malfunctions than single triggers, not limited to just CZ. The older American made doubles, LC Smith, Ithaca,Lefever, Remington ,S Fox ect seemed to have needed repairs also, if round count was higher. Doubles are fairly easy to work on, so finding a good smith isn't hard .Hope they get your's returned soon, and if you have not tried a double with the English or straight stock, please do so . I will not suggest what to do, but as long as I shoot ,I will have a few doubles available to do so with.
Good Luck
 
Addendum

My curiosity got the better of me and I called the shotgun nagus at Ray's (where I bought the SP3). Based on what they stock, the Beretta sporting O/Us are cast-off and to a significantly greater degree than the Brownings.

The Brownings are mostly cast-off but a good deal less than the Berettas, some are dead straight (I didn’t ask Citori vs. Cynergy). He also said Browning appeared more lefty friendly as they stock some cast-on whereas cast-on Berettas were special order.

I'm rather surprised that there would be that much difference in "catalog identical" guns, although I already knew there was a big difference in feel – I guess I just didn’t know why.

Maybe all it'll take is swapping the Citori for a 687 (or whatever else that fits).
 
I always believed that all Browning shotguns are neutral cast.

Maybe they changed with target guns, but I would find it hard to believe a stock Citori is anything but -0- cast .Unless bad QC let a crooked stock in.
 
I'm certainly no expert but Ray's Sporting Goods, Dallas stocks a LOT of target shotguns.

Could be they order them that way. Sure didn't sound like a QC issue. Not when you can specify "-off" or "-on". Also, it wasn't all Browning competition O/Us and, although I didn't ask specifically, I was under the impression all the field models are dead straight.
 
I'm pretty sure it's straight cast. and in case that's confusing, I shoot righty, the wife shoots lefty. heck, even she shoots this way too big O/U better than I do

Exactly what is broken on your CZ?
Click to expand...
this was in a different thread, butthe lug that goes between the barrels that the forearm hooks to? well, that's moving. like a good 1/2 inch. I talked with a gunsmith and he said it's a pretty major job, have to resolder it and then re-regulate it. In fact, even CZ said they are probably just sending a new one. (which sucks cuz the stock won't fit, bah)

A model 21 is only 3 $1000. guns. if you have $1100. into the CZ you would have been a third of the way there.
Click to expand...
GTFOH :eek:
The only 21's I've seen started at $5,000 and went up to $8,000. (although i have seen some real special 21's for more, but you wouldn't shoot those, so why own them?)
 
After reading your post, I formed a Shotgun Testing Center. Send your shotgun to my testing center and we'll be happy to test it. Proper testing could involve a couple of seasons of hunting, so be prepared to not to have it for for a couple of years. We will include a full report on the problems we find with your shotgun when we decide to send it back. If you don't want it back, we'll be happy to scrap it for you. :)
 
Winchester 21. I don't see many for 3K. Here's one for 4:
CSM-Used

I don't see too many on auction sites. Seems when they show up it's like throwing chum in a school of sharks. Prices get pretty crazy pretty quick.

Methinks PJR nailed it, though. Try out a 687 "competition". A dose of cast-off might be just what you're missing about that CZ. If my Beretta is any indication though, your wife won't be able to use it. The one time a southpaw buddy of mine tried it he looked at it like he was holding a nine pound maggot.
 
ok from browing web page: http://www.browning.com/faq/detail.asp?ID=135

Q. Do Browning shotguns have cast-on or cast-off on their stocks?
A. Upon leaving the factory, Browning stocks are straight with no cast-on or cast-off. However, due to the nature of the wood, they will at times slightly curve.

I believe you can still find a field grade 12 gage model 21 with m/f 28"-30" for $3000. it will be older and should be at least 75% blue and finish,if your serious try chadicks they used to be big 21 stockers.

for those who want a true feel the internet gun market check out this link:http://gunshop.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=10;hardset=0;start_point=0;DaysPrune=0 it's dry reading but they keep good track of what does and doesn't sell.
 
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