Browning Citori 825 Field 20ga 28in – Superb Walnut Over Under

Description

Twenty gauge has quietly become the default for a great many bird hunters, and not because they cannot handle a 12. The Browning Citori 825 Field 20ga 28in shows why, offering a gun that weighs nearly two pounds less than a heavy 12 gauge, kicks noticeably less and still throws a pattern that kills cleanly at the ranges upland birds are actually shot.

A Scaled Frame Rather Than A Sleeved Twelve

Browning builds the sub gauge 825 on a receiver scaled to the smaller shell rather than dropping 20 gauge barrels onto a 12 gauge frame. That is what brings the weight down to 6 pounds 9 ounces and, just as importantly, what keeps the proportions right in the hands.

Twenty eight inches is the length most hunters settle on. It carries enough weight forward to keep a swing smooth on crossing birds without the muzzle heaviness that makes a long barrel tiring, and on a light gun that balance matters more than it does on a heavier one.

A ventilated top rib and a simple ivory bead are exactly right for a field gun. No fiber optic to distract the eye, no mid bead to fuss over, just a clean reference at the muzzle on a gun that gets mounted as the bird flushes rather than before.

Steel Shot Ready With A Three Inch Chamber

Chrome plated chambers and Vector Pro forcing cones earn their place on a hunting gun. The lengthened cone eases the shot column out of the chamber, cutting pellet deformation and taking an edge off recoil, and together with the Inflex II recoil pad it keeps a light 20 gauge civilised to shoot.

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 requirements apply and increasingly beyond waterfowl.

Three Invector-DS flush chokes ship with the gun, covering Full, Modified and Improved Cylinder. Flush tubes sit inside the muzzle rather than protruding, which is the right choice on a gun that will be pushed through brush, briars and fence wire.

Browning Citori 825 Field 20ga 28in Specifications

• Browning item number 0183466004
• Gauge 20 with a 3 inch chamber
• Barrel length 28 inches, gloss blued and back bored
• Overall length 45 and three quarter inches
• Weight 6 pounds 9 ounces
• Forcing cones Vector Pro lengthened
• Rib ventilated, one quarter inch
• Sights ivory bead front
• Point of impact 50 50
• Trigger Fire Lite 2 mechanical, gold plated alloy
• Chokes three Invector-DS flush tubes, Full, Modified and Improved Cylinder
• Stock Grade II and III black walnut with a gloss oil finish
• Grip pistol grip with a palm swell
• 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 steel, silver nitride with game scene engraving
• Chambers chrome plated, rated for steel shot
• Action over under, break open

The 3 inch chamber is worth noting because it widens what this gun can do. Most 20 gauge upland shooting is done with 2 and three quarter inch loads and there is no reason to reach for anything heavier on quail or woodcock, but the longer chamber means the same gun handles 3 inch turkey and waterfowl loads where regulations and quarry call for them. Recoil with those heavier shells in a 6 pound 9 ounce gun is real, so most owners keep them for the occasions that actually need them rather than for general use.

Fit and finish on the Browning Citori 825 Field 20ga 28in match the 12 gauge Field model, with the same wood to metal fit and the same lockup on a frame scaled to the smaller shell.

Why Buyers Choose The Browning Citori 825 Field 20ga 28in

Hunters choose the Browning Citori 825 Field 20ga 28in because it is a genuine all day carry gun with real walnut and a service record behind the action. Citori lockup has spent decades staying tight under hard use, and the 825 refines it with a full width hinge pin.

The weight is the point. At 6 pounds 9 ounces the gun is light enough to carry through a long day of walking but still substantial enough to swing smoothly, which is a balance a heavier 12 gauge simply cannot offer an upland hunter.

Recoil is mild enough that this makes an excellent gun for a smaller framed shooter or someone bringing a younger hunter along, without being a compromise gun that a experienced shot would feel short changed by.

Game scene engraving on a silver nitride receiver and gloss oil walnut put this well above a plain working gun in appearance, and an over under with genuine walnut holds value far better than a synthetic stocked repeater.

Upkeep on the Browning Citori 825 Field 20ga 28in is routine, with a hinged action that strips without tools, flush choke tubes that back out with the supplied wrench, and a walnut stock that responds well to an occasional oil wipe.

Who Should Buy The Browning Citori 825 Field 20ga 28in

This shotgun suits the upland hunter who wants a light, traditional over under for walking birds over dogs, and it doubles as a capable clays gun for a casual round. The 3 inch chamber and steel shot rating extend it to waterfowl and turkey where needed. It is not a competition gun, since the comb is lower and nothing is adjustable, so a shooter whose main interest is registered trap or sporting clays should look at the Trap or Sporting versions of the same platform. Anyone who does most of their shooting at high volume dove fields may prefer the extra weight of a 12 gauge to soak up the recoil.

Full manufacturer specifications for the Browning Citori 825 Field 20ga 28in are published by Browning on the official product page. Browse more shotguns and clays gear in our shotguns category.