Hello, Brand new member and I wanted to pose a question of which shotgun to buy:

The choices:
Browning Citori Lightning 12 Ga - 26" or 28"
Browning Citori White Lightning 12 Ga - 26" or 28"
Beretta Onyx Pro 12 Ga - 26" or 28"

Although the Onyx Pro is a little more money it has some features I like: Hard Case, Hand Chokes, Changable Pad. It is also a bit lighter. Not really sold on the synthetic stock.

The Browning just seems a bit more classic.

Anyone have opinions on barrel lengths? I mostly Dove hunt in south Texas.

Thanks.

Welcome to the forum.

Shotguns are about fit and the one that feels best coming up to the shoulder is probably the one you'll shoot best, all things being equal.

Your best chance is probably if you can find someone who owns any of these and can let you shoot a round of targets.

Just as an example, the only Citori I ever shot was a fine gun, but the comb was too high and it beat up my cheek pretty good.

If you have screw in chokes I don't think the barrel length will matter much, personal opinion.

Good luck!

Hello, Brand new member and I wanted to pose a question of which shotgun to buy:

The choices:
Browning Citori Lightning 12 Ga - 26" or 28"
Browning Citori White Lightning 12 Ga - 26" or 28"
Beretta Onyx Pro 12 Ga - 26" or 28"

Although the Onyx Pro is a little more money it has some features I like: Hard Case, Hand Chokes, Changable Pad. It is also a bit lighter. Not really sold on the synthetic stock.

The Browning just seems a bit more classic.

Anyone have opinions on barrel lengths? I mostly Dove hunt in south Texas.

Thanks.

Hi Bovenzi,

I have refinished a few Browings and their finish just does not hold up. The Citori is an OK gun but the action is too tall for my liking. The Beretta has a much smaller action and I like the feel of it better. I would not buy the Onyx Pro unless you have seen the stock up close and personal. I think a better choice would be the standard Oryx.

If you primary target is doves then the 28" tubes would be my choice. If you are going to hunt Quail then I would want the 26. For dove a 20ga with 28" barrels would be hard to beat.

Frank

I agree. Both the Beretta and Browning are good shotguns, Get the one that fits best. Competition shotgun shooters have been going to longer barrels over the past decade. I use 30" O/U for skeet, 32" O/U (Browning) for doubles trap, and a 34" single barrel (Browning) for trap singles and handicap. When I use an O/U for hunting, it is a 30", (I use a 26" SxS for ruffed grouse and woodcock in the thickets back east).

A longer barrels helps point (not aim) more precisely for the longer shots, but the shorter barrels are faster for close shots. The 28" is a reasonable compromise for use in various situations, but if most of your hunting is in open areas, I would recommend looking at a 30" barrel - I used a Remington autoloader for doves when I lived in Texas 30 years ago. The length of the action on an autoloader or pump provides a longer sight plane with a shorter barrel so longer barrels are less necessary on these guns than on an O/U. (My turkey/duck autoloader wears a 26" barrel.)

Welcome to the forum Bovenzi. Boy all are nice guns, but I agree about the compactness of the Beretta. Years ago I had a Beretta BL-C2 and it was one of the finest shotguns I've ever owned. I like Browning shotguns, but the Beretta fit and felt better.

This is a lot of money for any of these and I'd sure go with the advice to try them all before buying. Check out your local skeet or sporting clays clubs.

I have owned and shot both when I was competitively shooting trap and skeet, prefered the Beretta for trap and my Browning for the skeet field. I shot a 12 ga and a 20 with tubes to shoot all 4 gauges. I thought the Browning were better at direction changing for doubles, just seemed to swing easier. It is a shame you didn't attend the Grand as you probably could have shot both on the practice field. You might just talk to folks at your local club and see if you can try someones. I would advice against buying either from online however. It seems to me at least that every stock is a tad different and I need to shoulder a shotgun to make sure it fits me correctly.

These days I just shoot for fun...I use a White Onyx 20 ga, a Valmet in 12ga and my Winchester SXS in 16 for skeet and normally my Rem 1100 for trap. I am currently looking for a nice SXS 28 ga as well.

It depends on what you prefer, fits well and can afford. I would certainly shop the used gun racks. There are a lot of real bargains waiting to be found. I bought a mint used Browning Citori 12 gauge for $550.00. Take care...
Oberndorf