Citori or Franchi?

[chuckdc]

All other things being equal (i.e. how it fits me) I'd take the Citori over a Franchi, and I'm a Franchi owner. The main reasons are that the Citori will hold its value, and a Franchi will not, plus the Citori (if you're a volume shooter) will last longer/hold up better.

I didnt pay a whole lot for my Franchi, and it's an "old friend" with a LOT of time in my hands. If you want a light gun for carrying a LOT, Franchi is really good at making lightweight guns. I've used mine for just what you are talking about, preserve pheasant and chukar (mostly gunning for AKC hunt tests and such) plus I've killed some doves, quail and even a handful or so of ducks (NOT recommended.. duck loads HURT in a 6lb 12 gauge!)

Getting repairs done will be somewhat easier for the Citori, if it ever breaks. Now that Franchi is part of Beretta Group, getting parts is going to be a lot less problematic, though Beretta has had a spotty rep in terms of customer service on occasion.

[chuckdc]

Curious on why you would want an O/U for a hunting gun?

Well, if you're out walking around in brush and so on, break-action guns don't sling the empties all over the landscape so that you have to find them and pick them up. They are also easier to render safe for crossing ditches, fence lines, etc. If you're walking around, you can carry one "broken" and everyone around you knows that the gun is safe, yet it takes very darn little time to snap it shut and be ready to go.

If you also gun for sporting dog events, many of the venues require a break-action gun as part of the safety rules. That limits you to either a side-by (read as EXPENSIVE for a good one) or an O/U gun. It's generally easier to find a decent O/U for a reasonable price. In that same vein, some people shoot an O/U gun better than a side-by. For a thousand bucks, you can pick up a nice used Citori, or a new Franchi, or (depending on sales and things) a Winchester 101/Supreme. A few hundred more gets you into a Beretta Silver gun, or a new Citori. Getting a nice SxS starts at 1500 and goes up quickly from there. With the way prices are going, good auto guns are getting up near the $1K mark and over.

[Thefeeder]

Curious on why you would want an O/U for a hunting gun?

Compact
Balanced, better swinging , easy to mount
Easier to get back on target with o/u design after first shot
Two different chokes
You don't tend to waste the first shot or throw a third shot hail mary

And the stuff mentioned already


Also for the OP.....Browning

[-hanko]

Curious on why you would want an O/U for a hunting gun?

Serious??

Shorter / lighter than auto or slide gun with similar barrel lengths.

FAR easier to make safe when necessary.

I can carry shot in one barrel for birds and a slug in the other barrel for deer, both barrels chocked correctly, and I can select either barrel to fire.

Nothing, to me, swings and follows through like an o/u.

Mine are Beretta SP's in 12 and 20ga...they turned 20 years old in July. Both have shot a ton of birds and the 20 gets a meat deer a year. Both are still tight and work perfectly.

Hope that answers your question.

[hattles]

Primarily to be used for club pheasants and chukar.

Citori 20 gauge 26" barrels o/u fixed chokes, 90-95% condition $1k
or
Franchi Instinct 20 gauge 26" barrels I/u screw in chokes 99% condition $1k

Not a primary shotgun, but wouldn't mind having another 20g o/u. Which would you buy?

Thanks

You may want to read this review.
Review: Franchi Instinct L 12 Gauge O/U

http://randywakeman.com/ReviewFranchiInstinctL12GaugeOU.htm

What shotguns are commonly available on the used market that are worth having and might be a really good value?
Here are a few suggestions:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/searching_used_shotgun.htm

BROWNING CITORI O/U - Miroku made, steel receiver Browning Citori’s are very, very consistent. They have shown uniform build quality for years by now, and generally have spot-on barrel regulation. (An area in which many cheap doubles fail.) Though they get renamed and repackaged every year (325, 425, 525, etc.) the same basic action hasn’t change since the B-25 that launched the modern “Aristocrat of Shotguns.” They are hard to wear out, they are plentiful and they are good. For a used O/U, that’s a very good choice with many different configurations and grades available over the years.

[Hoshnasi]

Primarily to be used for club pheasants and chukar.

Citori 20 gauge 26" barrels o/u fixed chokes, 90-95% condition $1k
or
Franchi Instinct 20 gauge 26" barrels I/u screw in chokes 99% condition $1k

Not a primary shotgun, but wouldn't mind having another 20g o/u. Which would you buy?

Thanks

I prefer guns with screw in chokes. More options.

Curious on why you would want an O/U for a hunting gun?

OP is not a Pleb... lol, j/k

[hattles]

axhoaxho: If the Citori you see has fixed-choke barrels, I would definitely recommend it.

I am a fixed-choke fan (less front heavy, easier to clean, more simplicity, etc.) Those Browning fixed-choke barrels were patterned beautifully from the factory, like an art.

less front heavy, easier to clean, more simplicity, etc.? Hogwash on the "front heavy"!

more simplicity? You're probably right for those that are mentally challenged by a screw in choke.

easier to clean? I suppose to some it's a bit of an inconvenience to clean the barrels without the chokes installed. I prefer to clean mine with the chokes in it which I find is pretty easy to do. I will, however, remove the chokes occasionally for a good cleaning...once or twice a year.

just funnin'

[Newshooter]

You can always have a set of fixed choked barrels threaded for screw-in chokes if you really feel the need to change chokes.

[JagerDog]

You can always have a set of fixed choked barrels threaded for screw-in chokes if you really feel the need to change chokes.

I've had a few done. It's $500 though from briley and anything other than briley is likely to detract rather than add market value. Fixed choked guns need to be heavily discounted from their threaded cousins.

[axhoaxho]

less front heavy, easier to clean, more simplicity, etc.? Hogwash on the "front heavy"!

more simplicity? You're probably right for those that are mentally challenged by a screw in choke.

easier to clean? I suppose to some it's a bit of an inconvenience to clean the barrels without the chokes installed. I prefer to clean mine with the chokes in it which I find is pretty easy to do. I will, however, remove the chokes occasionally for a good cleaning...once or twice a year.

just funnin'

You obviously know better than me why Browning offered a fixed-choke Citori.

Please educate Me.

[powderedtoastman]

You obviously know better than me why Browning offered a fixed-choke Citori.

Please educate Me.

Way back in the dark ages, before screw in chokes came along, there were fixed chokes. Only.

[anti]

Browning Citori for sure! I have the skeet model and it's a great, well-balanced gun. I've never owned a Franchi myself but I am looking for a 28 gauge for upland.

TruEdge - I used to shoot autoloaders and pumps exclusively but I've seen the light and only buy break-action shotguns for trap, skeet, and hunting. BT-99 for trap singles and handicap and a Citori XS for trap doubles and skeet. Still need to pick up an actual trap doubles gun but the XS works for now. A good quality break-action mounts, points, and swings much smoother, IMO. Not to mention they're extremely easy and quick to clean. A detail cleaning is a different story; if you get puzzled after pulling off the stock then search around online for a tutorial on how your gun works inside the receiver. There are many parts in a break-action that should not be tampered with if you don't know what you're doing.

[axhoaxho]

Way back in the dark ages, before screw in chokes came along, there were fixed chokes. Only.

Choke has been invented and used more than a hundred some years ago, and Citori was a pretty new gun introduced just around 1970's.

I might be one of the few dinosaurs who remember the specified market of modern fixed-choke O/U. If you guys are not just " funnin' ", I would be happy to share.

[axhoaxho]

You can always have a set of fixed choked barrels threaded for screw-in chokes if you really feel the need to change chokes.

For higher-end shotguns like nice O/U's... instead of threading the barrel, another old school way is to use different loads to make effect of different chokes.

Try different loads, pattern them, and make notes. Then when needed, change the load accordingly.

[JagerDog]

Choke has been invented and used more than a hundred some years ago, and Citori was a pretty new gun introduced just around 1970's.

I might be one of the few dinosaurs who remember the specified market of modern fixed-choke O/U. If you guys are not just " funnin' ", I would be happy to share.

The Citori is just a more manufacturable Superposed. The Superposed created the market for a "working man's" O/U, but was a bit too labor intensive to keep up with more recent offerings...hence the Citori.

Certainly nothing wrong with fixed chokes as long as they're choked for your application. Screw-in chokes just made the individual shotgun much more versatile. IMHO one of the greatest shotgun innovations in the last 100 years. Prior to screw-in chokes (~1980) one purchased multiple barrels for a do-it-all shotgun. Not terribly expensive to do on autos/pumps, but pretty costly on double guns.

A lot of old fixed choked guns are choked tighter than what is now considered proper. Shells have changed a lot and the 1-piece wad/shotcup tightened up patterns immensely, dictating less degree of choke for the same application. Much of the non-tox shot tightened them up even more.

One circa 1960 Beretta I have (BL-2) was designated mod/full. In reality it was full/Xfull. At 25 yards the 2nd barrel would turn a pheasant into a dishtowel with modern ammo. A trip to Briley turned it into an excellent field gun. Another, a Beretta 20g SxS (Silver Hawk) was designated FxF. Rather useless in today's world. A trip to Briley brought it out of the safe and backinto the field. A great way to revive an older gun. But it isn't cheap, especially on doubles. On a Citori, which is available with screw-in chokes for a modest premium, the factory screw-in choked gun is just a better deal for most buyers.