Citori Help

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muddycreekoutfitters

New member
Guys...just picked up a new Citori 20 gauge w/26" barrel. I'm in Alabama, hoping to get a start on pheasant hunting in the future but expected this forum to be a wealth of information.
This is my first O/U. I've been wanting one for a long time, so really looking forward to doing some upland hunting with it.
I'd like to put a recoil pad of some kind on it and can't really find any info or suggestions. Do they make one that's prefit? If so, what kind? Or is taking it to a smith and having it done a better option?

Thanks.
 
Mine's just a Satin Model. Doesn't have all the tooling on it like the nice ones do. Maybe one day I will get to have one of those. But for the price, kinda hard to pass it up. :cheers:
 
I have shot a 12Ga Citori since I was 12 (almost 30 now), and have never felt the need for a recoil pad. That includes thousands and thousands of rounds at clays. Have you shot yours yet to make sure you need a pad? If you really need one, I suspect you could fine a replacement pad from brownells that wouldn't change the length of the stock much at all.

Ps. You're going to love that gun!
 
Nope, this gun hasn't ever been shot. I have shot one just like it, that had the 28" barrel, (mine has 26"). The reason for looking into it is just the fact that I don't like the plastic butt plate. I'd rather have something rubber, just for a feel. Not necessarily recoil. Plus, I'm hoping I can get my wife into shooting clays a little, and KNOW she would want a butt pad on there if she's going to be shooting it.

Oh, and War Damn Eagle by the way. What were you in Alabama for OAP? That's a great area. Most of my property is between Decatur and Muscle Shoals right on Lake Wilson, some next to Double Head.
 
www.midwestgunworks.com
Search Browning and recoil pads.
Any questions remaining on fit or fitting, ask them...knowledgeable folks.

Recoil pads are incredibly misnamed, other than some of the latest super soft pads.
That said, they can help shooting in several ways beyond apparent or imagined felt recoil reduction.
 
You're right. A few of the latest ones do, but most of the others didn't help too much with the recoil. Like I said, my main reason is just to have something on the butt of the gun other than the piece of plastic. Thanks!!
 
muddycreekoutfitters said:
Nope, this gun hasn't ever been shot. I have shot one just like it, that had the 28" barrel, (mine has 26"). The reason for looking into it is just the fact that I don't like the plastic butt plate. I'd rather have something rubber, just for a feel. Not necessarily recoil. Plus, I'm hoping I can get my wife into shooting clays a little, and KNOW she would want a butt pad on there if she's going to be shooting it.

Oh, and War Damn Eagle by the way. What were you in Alabama for OAP? That's a great area. Most of my property is between Decatur and Muscle Shoals right on Lake Wilson, some next to Double Head.
Click to expand...

i know either auburn or bama i like them both lets just say i was vacationing lol man i love the belles there love the way they talk lol few years ago i watched the bird dog trials when it was at double head
 
Awesome.
That sounds great. That place looks like it's really nice. I've never been there, but want to go by and shoot clays sometime soon and try it out. We have a big farm across the street from there. I need to go check out those trials.
My dad just picked up a pair of German Shorthairs and we're hoping to start doing a lot of quail work and get some restocked around the areas there. I'd love to. Love a good wild quail hunt!
 
Do you know what Length of Pull fits you? I would make sure I knew that before, doing anything. You could use a recoil pad to lengthen the LOP, a gunsmith or gunfitter can help with that.
 
I use Kick EEZ on mine and love 'em. I have a gunsmith put them on and they have pretty sticky finish to them, a little sandpaper to round the edges and take the tackiness out of the finish and they're perfect.
 
I bought my Citori 20 ga. Upland when they didn't have a recoil pad and only had 2 3/4" chambers. I had the chambers lengthened and put the recoil pad on myself. It needed a pad because the loads I used really rapped me. I also shoot ducks so recoil is an old friend but that 20 gave me headaches at times.
As others have said, determine the length of pull to know where the back of the pad should be. Your wife will probably have a different measurement than yours so you've got some deciding to do. I put masking tape on the stock to prevent splintering and made a shallow primary cut to break the surface fibers and then a final cut. There's no rush. Use a sharp back saw (miter saw) or coping saw or whatever is SHARP.
Install the pad and as another noted, if it needs it to mount the gun without it hanging up on your usual hunting clothes, sand the back of the pad a little. Mine had a little hook on the bottom that I ground off and I also ground a little off the side closest to my cheek to allow it to come close. The pad will probably be bigger than the stock so you'll have to grind the pad's outside down to the profile of the stock. I had to. Pick a pad that will allow that to be done instead of one of those fully enclosed pads that have to be used as is. Any pad will be an improvement.
I've also sprayed it with silicone lube at times which sounds odd but make a real difference with my clothes. A gunsmith said he'd do the work for $100. It cost me $25 ( $15 for the Pachmayr pad, $10 for the beer).
 
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Your best bets for a Pre-fit pad are:

Kick-eez model KZ-108 for Citori wood stocks.

Brownells: Stock # 690-000-016WB (made by Pachmayr) http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=...ng|Citori/Product/PRE-FIT-RECOIL-PADS#skugrid

Limbsaver - They have pre-fit models, but don't know exactly what model #.

Now.... even though you may find a pre-fit model to fit Citori's the fit still may be less than perfect (if that is ok with you). To get a perfect custom fit it is best to seek out a gunsmith to have one custom ground to your stock.

*** take note*** Adding a pad will no doubt alter your length of pull depending on the thickness of the pad.
 
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I was imprecise in my description of what the gunsmith was going to do for $100. He was going to grind the rear of the pad that I'd installed for that amount. He checked the fit of the pad I'd installed and found that the bottom of the pad should be reduced. I did that work myself.
Gunsmiths aren't gods. I've seen some really terrible stock work done by some of them. Realistically assess your skill with basic wood working tools, your expectations for the finished product on a gun that, although expensive, isn't a collectors item and will probably be used hard and then decide. It's not like you're going to remove your own appendix.:)
 
The best way to get a pad installed is to go to a gunsmith that does a good job installing them, and get the "grind-to-fit" model. Make sure your LOP is measured by the smith. Otherwise, you might get a LOP too long or short!

I like either the Limbsaver Speed Mount or Pachmayer SC100 Decelerator.
 
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Some things to consider if you decide to put a pad on the gun.
A "made for the gun" pad that will fit the existing wood will result in a longer length of pull because it's thicker than the plastic plate you're replacing. Longer lengths of pull may not be the best for rising birds like upland game.
If you hunt in the winter you'll wear more clothes that will also add to length of pull distance. If most of your hunting is when you wear layers of clothes as opposed to just tee shirts early in the year, consider a shorter length of pull to compensate.
A gunsmith will apply "customary" principles when installing your pad. Here's a link to a story about one guys process of getting a stock that fit him using small adjustments to get what he wanted. It's for a clay gun but the needs are the same.

http://www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com/archive/aug11/story0811.html
 
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