used Browning Citori 525 Sporting for $1500... good deal for a beginner?

[Chris17404]

Hi all,

Another gun I am looking at purchasing for clay targets is a used Browning Citori 525 Sporting for $1500. I'm not sure how old it is. I just handled it today at a local gun shop. I plan on doing some more investigation on it soon.

Anyway, it's a 12 Ga. with 28" vent rib ported bbl, extended choke tubes, nice palm swell. It seemed to fit me nicely. The fit and finish was very nice.

On the surface, does this seem like a good deal? I am also considering a practically new Beretta AL391 Sporting model for $900 at the same place.

I am a new clay shooter, and addicted to skeet. What do you guys think of my gun choices, and which would you prefer and why?

Up till now, I've been using my 870P that doesn't fit me well at all. Plus the heavy trigger and pump action is getting a little old. I can't seem to break the score of 18. I think one of these guns above will help a lot.

Chris

 

[TrapperReady]

Either gun would work fine. Neither seems like a screaming deal or a rip-off price.

See which one fits you better and feels the best. Frankly, if you are a relatively new shotgunner, the 391 is probably the better choice. It shoots softly, is reliable and the fit is easily adjusted. O/U guns are typically more difficult to fit and fit is also more critical.

FWIW, my two main clays guns are a Browning 425 O/U and a Beretta 391 Urika Sporting. I bought the 391 because I was frustrated at how bad a beating I was taking from the Browning (even after spending an additional few hundred to have it fit to me). I finally got the Browning to fit me, but it took a while and wasn't a fun process.

I now shoot the Browning a little better, but if I shot the 391 exclusively, I doubt there would be a difference.

 

[atblis]

That's probably not a good price on the 391

Though I highly recommend the AL391. I am an officer on a collegiate shooting team, and we probably have at least a dozen of those. They have been quite reliable, and can take a pretty good pounding with minimal maintenence. They shoot very nicely. Beretta did a good job with the stock dimensions (at least for me). There are a few different stocks (sporting, trap, parallel comb, etc).

I shoot a very nice SKB for trap, but I am considering getting a 391 Sporting for Skeet/SC.

The Brownings are very nice as well. If I had more money, I'd be buying an XS Skeet.