Description
Every ounce a shotgun carries is an ounce a hunter carries, and after five miles of grouse cover that arithmetic stops being abstract. The Browning Citori 825 Feather 12ga 28in exists for exactly that reason, trading a steel receiver for aluminum alloy to shed close to three quarters of a pound without giving up the barrels, the trigger or the walnut.
An Alloy Receiver That Saves Real Weight
The alloy receiver is the whole point of this model. Browning machines it from a lightweight high strength aluminum alloy and then inserts a steel breech face and a steel hinge pin, so the parts that take the pounding are still steel while the bulk of the frame is not.
Six pounds seven ounces is genuinely light for a 12 gauge over under. It is the difference between a gun you carry willingly through a long day of walking and one that starts riding on the shoulder by mid afternoon, and it is why alloy framed guns have a devoted following among upland hunters.
The trade is honest and worth understanding. A lighter gun kicks more with the same load and swings a little faster than some shooters want on long crossers. For walking birds flushed at close range that is the right compromise, and for pass shooting geese it is not.
Field Hardware And Steel Shot Capability
Chrome plated chambers and Vector Pro forcing cones do real work on a hunting gun. The lengthened cone eases the shot column out of the chamber, which cuts pellet deformation and takes an edge off the recoil a light gun otherwise delivers, and the chrome resists corrosion from damp mornings and late cleaning.
Back bored barrels widen the bore slightly above nominal to reduce friction and pressure as the wad travels. Combined with the chrome chambers this is what allows steel shot, which matters wherever non toxic regulations apply.
Three Invector-DS flush chokes ship with the gun, covering Full, Modified and Improved Cylinder, along with a T wrench. Flush tubes sit inside the muzzle rather than protruding, which is the correct choice on a gun that will be pushed through brush and briars.
Browning Citori 825 Feather 12ga 28in Specifications
- Browning item number 0183583004
- Gauge 12 with a 3 inch chamber
- Barrel length 28 inches, gloss blued and back bored
- Overall length 45 and three quarter inches
- Weight 6 pounds 7 ounces
- Receiver aluminum alloy with a steel breech face and steel hinge pin
- Forcing cones Vector Pro lengthened
- Rib ventilated, one quarter inch
- Sights ivory bead front
- Trigger Fire Lite 2 mechanical, gold plated alloy
- Chokes three Invector-DS flush tubes, Full, Modified and Improved Cylinder, with a T wrench
- Stock Grade II and III black walnut with a gloss oil finish
- Inflex II recoil pad, large size
- Length of pull 14 and one quarter inches
- Drop at comb 1 and 5 eighths inches
- Drop at heel 2 and 1 half inches
- Receiver finish silver nitride
- Trigger guard steel, silver nitride, with a gold Buck Mark
- Chambers chrome plated, rated for steel shot
- Action over under, break open
Weight is the only meaningful difference between this and the steel receivered Field model. Stock dimensions, barrel lengths, choke system, trigger and sights are identical across the two, so a shooter who has handled one knows how the other fits. What changes is felt recoil and how the gun hangs. Hunters who shoot light upland loads rarely notice the extra push, while anyone running heavy 3 inch waterfowl shells through a 6 pound 7 ounce gun certainly will. Choose on how you actually hunt rather than on the spec sheet alone.
Fit and finish on the Browning Citori 825 Feather 12ga 28in match the steel receivered Field model exactly, with the same wood to metal fit and the same lockup, only lighter in the hands.
Why Buyers Choose The Browning Citori 825 Feather 12ga 28in
Upland hunters choose the Browning Citori 825 Feather 12ga 28in because carry weight is the specification that matters most to them. Three quarters of a pound sounds trivial until it has been slung over a shoulder for six hours of walking.
The alloy receiver does not compromise where it counts. A steel breech face and steel hinge pin carry the stress, so the gun retains the Citori reputation for staying tight rather than trading durability for lightness.
Steel shot capability keeps the gun legal and safe wherever non toxic requirements apply, which now extends well beyond waterfowl in many states. Chrome chambers, back bored barrels and Invector-DS chokes handle it without drama.
Grade II and III gloss oil walnut and a silver nitride receiver with a gold Buck Mark put this above a plain working gun in appearance, and a walnut stocked over under holds value far better than a synthetic repeater.
Upkeep on the Browning Citori 825 Feather 12ga 28in is routine, with a hinged action that strips without tools, flush choke tubes that back out with the supplied T wrench, and a walnut stock that responds well to an occasional oil wipe.
Who Should Buy The Browning Citori 825 Feather 12ga 28in
This shotgun suits the walking upland hunter who covers ground and wants the lightest 12 gauge over under Browning builds. It is a strong choice for grouse, woodcock, quail and pheasant over dogs, and for anyone whose shoulders have started complaining about a heavier gun. It is a poor choice for high volume dove shooting or pass shooting waterfowl with heavy loads, where the light weight turns into noticeably sharper recoil, and it is not a clays gun. A hunter who wants one gun for both walking and the blind should look at the steel receivered Field model instead.
Full manufacturer specifications for the Browning Citori 825 Feather 12ga 28in are published by Browning on the official product page. Browse more shotguns and clays gear in our shotguns category.
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