When I needed a shotgun to take to the Turkey Shoot every Saturday this Fall, I started looking at 50 to 70 year-old Belgian made Browning Superposed guns. After several days of reviewing specs and prices, I realized that I was too set in my ways. I decided to take a whole new approach.
Getting out of my comfort zone, I tried something new and different. All my life, I’ve considered the Belgian made Brownings to be superior to the Japanese made shotguns. Why did I hold that opinion? Well, it wasn’t because I had actually compared the two. Made in Japan had never graced the barrel of a gun in my collection — that is, until now.
After making the change in direction from old to new, my attention turned to the Citori and all that it has to offer. Of all the available models, the Gran Lightning appealed to me the most. The Citori is manufactured for Browning by the Miroku Corporation in Nangoku, Japan. In the 1950s and 60s, Made in Japan was synonymous with “inferior product,” and any exports from there carried a stigma. Many of the WWII generation had deep-rooted negative feelings toward Japan as a result of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This attitude was passed to my generation.
Once I came to terms with a Japanese manufactured gun...
I needed to choose the options I wanted, then search for availability and pricing. My specs were 12 gauge, 3” chambers, 28” barrels with Midas grade Invector-Plus choke tubes with black band — no gold or silver tubes.
The configuration I sought was available from a dealer in New Hampshire. The wood was satin finish instead of the gloss or oil finish that I would have preferred. The total cost, including the transfer fee on my end, would be $3,800. After compromising on virtually every other option, why not compromise on the wood as well?
My new shotgun would be everything I never wanted:
Made in Japan
Choke tubes
Gold embossed receiver
Satin finished wood
After reading about the technological advances that have gone into the design of the new guns, it made me feel like it would be foolish to buy a 50 or 75 year-old gun to take to the competition. As I write this, I’m looking across the room at the gun, standing in my Run Around Susan Gun Rack. This gun is beautiful and my photos don’t do it justice.
Leg-O-Mutton Style Case Hard Shell — This case was made out of Buffalo Hide by Roosevelt & Drake. I bought this case new sometime between 2000 and 2006. I’m pretty sure the company stopped making these soon thereafter.
Browning was the first firearms company to offer factory back-boring to shotguns for reduced recoil and improved patterns. Back-boring increases the inside bore diameter to its ideal, maximum allowable specification. This reduces friction between the shot cup and the barrel, allowing the energy developed by the powder to propel the shot pellets to a higher velocity.
Browning Citori Gran Lightning with period-style hard case.
Reducing friction from the forcing cone on the shot column also results in fewer deformed pellets for more uniform patterns and keeps more pellets in the center of the pattern. Back-bored barrels work hand-in-hand with the Browning Invector-Plus interchangeable choke system. Better patterns and increased shot velocity help you hit what you’re shooting at.
Does Back-Boring Really Work?
I shall soon see. A larger bore diameter reduces friction of the shot charge against the barrel wall. Instead of trying to overcome friction, powder gases expend more energy on the wad base, resulting in an increase in shot velocity. Because there is less constriction or pressure from the barrel walls on a shot charge, there are fewer deformed shot pellets. A greater number of ballistically superior round pellets in a shot charge gives you exceptionally uniform patterns — delivering more shot pellets in the effective part of your pattern.
Cleaning a New Gun for the First Time
When you buy a new gun, read the owner manual before firing. If the gun shipped with a coating of rust protectant, it is important to thoroughly clean the gun, removing the product applied at the factory. For grease, I use Birchwood Casey RIG Universal Grease. For the barrels, I use a high-quality Boresnake, as I had already sprayed both barrels with Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber.
This new Browning was so tight when I first assembled it, I had to try to close the latch on the forearm about fifteen times before finally getting it to close. After greasing the gun, it was much better.
Cleaning a brand new gun is different from routine maintenance.
The owner manual states that the gun is shipped with an application of rust protectant that should be removed before firing. I disassembled the shotgun and took the parts outside, sprayed them thoroughly, and wiped the parts down before bringing them back into the house.
The more I handle this Citori, the more I like it. I am counting down the hours to take it to the range.
Two second place finishes in six rounds...
My time at the competition was cut short this weekend because the granddaughter spent the night with us the night before and she wanted to do something with Papa. There are fifteen shooters per round and the process is very slow, requiring fifteen minutes per round. So I only got to fire the gun six times today.
Six times firing the gun was enough to get the feel of the gun and evaluate how it performed. I began by using the top barrel with the Full Choke Tube. Although there weren’t as many pellets on the sheet as I expected, the gun put six in the target on the first go. I suspected the gun was shooting high.
On My Next Trip to the Range
I will have the Full Choke Tube in the bottom barrel. Had I thought to take the choke tube wrench with me to the range, I would have moved the Full Choke Tube to the bottom barrel between rounds. When the Range Inspector checked my chokes before the shoot began, to my surprise, he commented that my choke was more open than the standard Full Choke. I’m looking into this to learn why that would be.
Turkey shoot target used while evaluating the Citori at 30 yards.
I Once Had a BT-99 Trap Gun That Fired High at 30 Yards
Before my next firing, I plan to learn more about these tubes and see if I can get the exact measurements of the tubes online. There is an Extra-Full Tube, but if the measurements are too small, I won’t be able to use it in the competition. After firing three rounds with the top barrel, I moved to the lower barrel. The first target showed more pellets on the page, but only one on the black line.
Bottom Barrel, Modified Choke, 30 Yards
Lowering my aim, still using the lower barrel, I put even more shot on the page with a better result. My plan is to switch the order of the chokes as previously mentioned, investigate the tube measurements and get more time with the gun next time. For the moment, my opinion on back-boring is up in the air.
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About Greg Cook
Greg Cook writes about firearms collecting, personal history, and the stories behind interesting guns. His Army MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer, and that practical background still shapes his collector articles.
