Browning Citori 12-Gauge (1980s)

ShotgunsEditor's Pick

Editor's Personal Pick — This is gear our editor carries afield.

Matt's upland gun: a 1980s Browning Citori 12-gauge that weighs 8 lb 3 oz empty, and what to check before you buy an old one in California.

Why we picked this

Matt Gehrmann's shotgun is a Browning Citori 12-gauge built in the 1980s. It isn't the newest Citori, and it isn't light: empty, it weighs 8 lb 3 oz. It's on this list because it's the gun he carries, and because Citoris have been made since 1973, so older ones turn up on the used market. If you'd rather buy new, Browning's current version is the Citori 725 Field, and the comparison is below.

Quick specs
Category Shotguns
Brand Browning (built by Miroku in Japan)
Model Citori, 12 gauge
Built 1980s (the serial number gives the year; see below)
Barrels 28 inches
Chokes Screw-in Invector tubes
Weight 8 lb 3 oz, empty (Matt's gun, weighed)
Action Over/under, inertia trigger
Carried by Matt Gehrmann
Modern equivalent Citori 725 Field: 7 lb 8 oz in 12 gauge with 28-inch barrels, $2,879.99 list
In California Nonlead shot for all hunting; with Invector tubes, steel is fine short of full and extra-full
Editor's verdict A heavy, honest over/under that's still in the truck forty years on.

The full review

Browning introduced the Citori in 1973 as a more affordable version of the Superposed, the over/under John Moses Browning designed and Browning first sold in 1931. Miroku builds it in Nankoku, Japan, and has ever since. Matt's is one of the 1980s guns: a blued receiver, checkered walnut, and the old brown checkered recoil pad.

Empty, it weighs 8 lb 3 oz. Browning lists today's 725 Field at 7 lb 8 oz with 28-inch barrels, the same length as Matt's, so his gun carries 11 more ounces. You feel that weight on a long climb. It also soaks up recoil over a day of shooting and keeps the swing moving on a crossing bird.

You can date an older Citori yourself. The full serial number is under the top lever, and on Citoris made since 1975 it includes two letters that give the year: Z=1, Y=2, X=3, W=4, V=5, T=6, R=7, P=8, N=9, M=0, so "PV" means 1985, according to Midwest Gun Works. A Citori built from 1978 to 1982 is what parts sellers call a Type 2, and one built in 1983 or later is a Type 3. Know which you have before you order parts.

California has required nonlead shot for all hunting since July 1, 2019 (CDFW), so look at the muzzle before you buy steel for an old Citori. Browning's steel-shot FAQ says guns with Standard Invector, Invector-Plus or DS choke tubes are "fully steel shot compatible with current factory loads," though not with full or extra-full tubes, which "pattern too tightly." Guns outside the groups it lists come under "DO NOT USE ANY STEEL SHOT LOADS," and Browning adds, "if in doubt, please check with us." Matt's barrels take screw-in Invector tubes, so by Browning's list his gun can shoot current factory steel through anything but the full and extra-full tubes. A fixed-choke barrel isn't on the steel list. For that gun, bismuth is the usual answer, because it's soft enough not to damage older barrels, as Field & Stream puts it.

Browning's modern version is the Citori 725, which American Rifleman called "the latest model in the line" in January 2013. It has a lower-profile receiver and Browning's Fire Lite mechanical trigger in place of the inertia trigger earlier Citoris used, so the second barrel fires even if the first shell is a dud (American Rifleman). It takes Invector-DS flush choke tubes and has an Inflex recoil pad. The 725 Field in 12 gauge weighs 7 lb 8 oz with 28-inch barrels and lists at $2,879.99, but Browning now marks its 12-gauge versions "no longer in production"; the 20, 28 and .410 are still listed. For a new 12-gauge, Browning's current choice is the 725 Feather Superlight: an aluminum-alloy receiver, 26-inch barrels, 6 lb 2 oz and $3,249.99.

What we love

  • It's the gun Matt carries: a 1980s Citori, still in the truck.
  • Weight on your side: 8 lb 3 oz soaks up recoil over a full day.
  • A history you can read: two letters in the serial number give the year.
  • Screw-in Invector chokes: on Browning's steel-shot list, short of full and extra-full.
  • Same maker as today's guns: Miroku has built every Citori.

What to know before you buy

  • It's heavy: 8 lb 3 oz empty, about 11 oz more than a 28-inch 725 Field.
  • Check the chokes before you buy steel. Invector tubes like Matt's are on Browning's steel list, though not full or extra-full; fixed chokes aren't, and for those bismuth is the safe default.
  • Inertia trigger: it needs the recoil of the first shot to set the second, so a dud in the first barrel means the second won't fire on the next pull.
  • Know your Type: 1978–82 is a Type 2 and 1983 on is a Type 3, and parts are listed that way.
  • Buying in California: every sale, private party included, goes through a licensed California dealer, with a Firearm Safety Certificate and a 10-day wait.

Where to buy

California: all firearm sales and transfers, private party included, go through a licensed California dealer. You'll need a Firearm Safety Certificate, and there's a 10-day wait before you can pick the gun up (California DOJ).

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See also

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