Browning or Beretta?

Mild Bill said:
Birdshooter,

I guess I run in the same thought process as you.

I get along way better with browning over unders. I like my 525 sporting clays gun.

Tried a beretta 682 gold e sporting clays gun.... it was not a pleasant outcome. It is for sale.

For autoloaders I get along better with berettas than I do brownings. I like my 391.

pumps, I am an 870 person.
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Bill,
What didn't work for you with the 682 Gold E?

I had a 32" Sporting model and shot my best clays score at 92. I never came close with another gun.

For pumps, I'm either shooting my Win M42 or my Win M12 20 ga
 
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It is too light for me to have a nice smooth swing with.

I get along sooo much better with my browning 525

so it is for sale.
 
Lot's of good responses here. I have been loyal Browning Citori fan for a long time, and find that most Citori's fit me well and swing correctly. This includes most of the Citori Lightning and Lightning Feather models. The Gran Lightning 16 GA is the favorite. I initially liked the looks of the 625 and bought one, but didn't have it long. It seemed a bit heavy/clumsy in the field. I also bought the 1st 725 I had the fortune to handle, and it felt better than the 625 by far. However, for bird hunting, it's still a bit heavy (for me), but is my main clays gun due to saving hulls for reloading. Regarding quality/worsmanship, I do think the Beretta O/U's are built better. If I had it to do over again (and didn't already own two Citori's and a 725), I probably would have started with Beretta's.

For autoloaders, it is the opposite. The Maxus feels natural in the fit/swing, whereas the Beretta's feel like a club.......
 
CRP said:
Regarding quality/worsmanship, I do think the Beretta O/U's are built better.
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It depends on the price point really. IMO the Beretta 686/687 Silver pigeon and SV10 line no better in Quality/workmanship than the Citoril line. I'll go so far as to say the 725 Sporting is a superior gun in every way to the 686 and easily on par with the Beretta Prevail Sporting which are similar in price point. IMO Not until you get to the higher end price point of the Beretta's (DT11, SO etc.. are you getting a superior gun with regards to craftsmanship.


CRP said:
For autoloaders, it is the opposite. The Maxus feels natural in the fit/swing, whereas the Beretta's feel like a club.......
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Which Beretta autoloader feels like a club? :confused:
 
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potatodigger1 said:
Shoot the one that you can shoot the best! Several people I know like one better than the other, in other words, if a browning fits you a beretta might not and vice versa. My son had a beretta o/u that he just could not get the hang of, now he shoots an 870 with trap furniture. Try before you buy if at all possible.
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This. I've owned them both and ended up with a couple of Franchi guns (which fit me better.) Aspire and Instinct L.
 
birdshooter said:
I'll go so far as to say the 725 Sporting is a superior gun in every way to the 686 and easily on par with the Beretta Prevail Sporting which are similar in price point:
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I have to say I LOVE my Prevail with 32" barrels for playing clays games. Just picked up a 725 with 32" barrels today. Have heard so much good about them I couldn't pass up the smoking deal I came across on a used one. Can't wait to get them both out together and see what I think. If I end up liking it better than the Beretta than it must be one hell of a gun!!!
 
flc said:
This. I've owned them both and ended up with a couple of Franchi guns (which fit me better.) Aspire and Instinct L.
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I have been looking at the Franchi Instinct Line and not sure which I should get between the L and SL models.
 
725, to answer your question, the Beretta 391's all felt like a club. My best hunting buddy has one, and doesn't even use it anymorre. I picked up one of the new A400 XPlor Unico guns, and it had the opposite effect, like swinging a swizzle stick.....too light.

Regarding the durability of Browning vs. Beretta O/U's, go to any serious clays shoot and compare the amount of Beretta's to Browning. More Beretta's by far. Not even close. As for wood-to-metal fit, and quality of the wood, again, the Browning disappoints.
 
I'm partial to Beretta because they seem to fit me better, but both the Brownings and Berettas are equal in terms of durability and quality. Pick the one that feels best to you and don't look back. Bickering over these two is silly. They are both first rate products.
 
CRP said:
725, to answer your question, the Beretta 391's all felt like a club. My best hunting buddy has one, and doesn't even use it anymorre. I picked up one of the new A400 XPlor Unico guns, and it had the opposite effect, like swinging a swizzle stick.....too light.

Regarding the durability of Browning vs. Beretta O/U's, go to any serious clays shoot and compare the amount of Beretta's to Browning. More Beretta's by far. Not even close. As for wood-to-metal fit, and quality of the wood, again, the Browning disappoints.
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I respectfully disagree with almost everything you just stated. In 20+ years of competitive Sporting, I've seen more than my share of Citori's at local club shoots. Where your going to see more Berettas are with the top shooters ala higher end (price point) guns. The 682 & and now DT10/DT11, the latter especially with the top guns. But Browning doesn't have a gun in that specific market niche. Like comparing apples to oranges. I guarantee you a Silver pigeon 686 is a long way from a DT11 in every aspect. So if your going compare Browning to Beretta at least compare in similar price points.

I agree with Rooster, this is mostly about personal preference anyway. Chevy vs Ford....

P.S. Just so you know, I am not really biased, I have both Beretta's and Browning's. :thumbsup:
 
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Disagree all you want 725. I'm stating opinions as are you. I only stated what works for me. Without opinions, you can just shut this site down. OR, maybe your opinions are the only ones that count.

As for "local club shoots", I see Rem 870/1100's as well as Stoeger's and Tri-Stars, but shooting a few occasional club shoots is far from shooting 1000's of rounds per year on the trap/clays professional circuit. Regarding "real" durability, the guys I know that shoot doves in Argentina every year claim that Benelli's are the only guns that don't break down after shooting all day for several days.

I'll kindly exit out now, as like other forums, opinions are asked for but not really wanted.......
 
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