Browning Citori 725 Field

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

Editor's pick: the American O/U that's the closest thing to a cult gun in modern manufacturing.

Why we picked this

Picking between a Beretta 686 and a Browning Citori is mostly a question of which set of hands the gun is going into. The 686 is Italian-elegant; the Citori is American-stout. They're both right answers — and the 725 is the modernization that made Browning's century-old design genuinely competitive on handling, not just nostalgia. Lower receiver profile, mechanical triggers, Inflex II recoil pad. Browning made a Citori that competes with the best European O/Us on every dimension that matters, and they did it without losing the Browning swing that the brand's loyalists have been chasing for forty years.

Quick specs
Category Shotguns
Brand Browning
Action Over/under, mechanical triggers
Gauge options 12, 20, 28, .410
Barrel lengths 26", 28", 30", 32"
Chokes Invector-DS (5-tube set typical)
Approx. weight 7 lbs 4 oz (12ga 28")
Stock Grade III/IV walnut, gloss finish
Price around $2,600 ($$$$$)
Use case Hunters who prefer Browning's heavier swing
Editor's verdict The American O/U benchmark — different from a 686, equally lifetime-grade.

The full review

The 725 series is the upgrade that put Browning back into honest comparison with Beretta on the working-gun side. The receiver got lower (about 1/4" lower than the previous Citori line), which sharpens your sight picture and makes the gun feel quicker to mount than the older Citoris. The mechanical triggers are a real change — fast, crisp, and they reset between shots even on a misfire (inertia-driven triggers won't). For upland hunting where you might fire one barrel and want to switch chokes mentally for the second, mechanical is the right call.

The Inflex II recoil pad is a small detail that matters. Browning designed it to direct recoil down and away from your face, not just absorb it. With the heavier weight of a 12-gauge Citori (about 7 lbs 4 oz), you don't need the recoil dampening as urgently as you would on a lighter gun, but it makes 100-round clays sessions much more pleasant — and that's where shooters actually train.

The Grade III/IV walnut stocks have figure that the base Beretta lineup doesn't match. The gloss finish is divisive — some hunters love the formal look, others prefer Beretta's oil finish for working-gun honesty. It's preference, not quality.

The Invector-DS choke system is more aggressive than Beretta's OptimaChoke — the constrictions step harder, which makes patterning slightly less forgiving but rewards a hunter who shoots one specific load consistently. Run #5 lead through an IM choke and the Citori delivers a tight, dense pattern at 35 yards.

The Citori 725 weighs about half a pound more than the equivalent 686. That weight is the swing — Browning's signature feel that loyalists pay for. After mile six in chukar country, you feel it. After bird ten on a fast quail covey, the heavier swing is still tracking when a lighter gun has stopped. There's no objectively better choice — only the gun that suits how you shoot.

What we love

  • Mechanical triggers — fast reset, no inertia weirdness on second-barrel misfires.
  • Lower receiver profile — feels quicker to mount than older Citoris.
  • Inflex II recoil pad — directs recoil down and away from the face.
  • Browning's swing weight — divisive, but loyalists know exactly what they want.
  • Made by Miroku in Japan — same factory that makes Browning's Cynergy and Winchester O/Us. Quality is Beretta-comparable.

What to know before you buy

  • It's about 8 oz heavier than a 686 — for some hunters that's the swing they want, for others it's the deal-breaker. Pick up both before buying.
  • Gloss-finish walnut shows scratches — if you're a tin-cloth-cover-and-thorn-bushes hunter, the 686's matte oil finish may suit you better.
  • Invector-DS chokes are not cross-compatible with the older Invector-Plus system. Plan choke purchases accordingly.
  • The Sporting variant is heavier still (~8 lbs) — make sure you're picking the Field, not the clays gun, unless you want a clays-and-occasional-upland setup.

Where to buy

Note: firearm purchases require a transfer through a licensed FFL dealer. Online retailers ship the firearm to your local FFL; you complete the background check and pickup there.

CaliforniaUpland.com earns affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases at participating retailers (Sportsman's Warehouse, MidwayUSA, Bass Pro Shops, Bud's Gun Shop). Brand-direct and dealer-locator links are provided as a service and do not pay commission.

See also

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Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I
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