16ga.com ~ View topic

Member Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 358 Location: Houston

Check out this gun on Cabela's web site. Is it just me, or is that an
extremely poor fit between the buttplate and the stock?

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/community/gun_inventory/inventory/ritchfield/browning/586190_browncitori.jsp?hierarchyId=10472

Member Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 358 Location: Houston

And yet they're calling it NIB.

Wow! And at the front [top] of the receiver to the forend too. That's disappointing.

If you noticed, the listed LOP for this gun is 14" even. That is probably not a typo. Factory spec is 14-1/4" and the factory wood contour is curved like the original plate is. Compare any new small frame Lightning. You'll see the difference right off. This one's stock appears to me like it has been cut off straighter and the plate screwed back on without refitting it, which meens sooner or later, it will crack from the stress of being forced into that straighter shape. So much for " new in box."

Occasionally, the staff in the various gun libraries get a bit full of themselves with their interpretation of new, excellent, very good, etc.. I guess this kinda goes with quite a few "used anything" salesmen. Some of these guys' blood probably runs BS brown. Laughing

However, I do know Cabela's corporate takes a dim view of this kind of "marketing strategy." One of the retail store gun rooms tried to spank me a few years back on a high grade Citori by selling it as NIB. It was used and 10 years old. I returned the favor by having corporate drastically discount the price to a more than fair price for a used gun in its condition and force a refund of a good portion of the purchase price.

It turns out one of the sales staff, a favorite of the GR manager wanted to foist off this gun on some unsuspecting sucker. He hooked the wrong sucker and got gaffed himself. I understand he also was relieved of his position and the manager got the boot soon after for other shady practices. At least cabela's corporate cares about its reputation. that is nice to know.

The little flange at the top of the butplate does not look normal and does look like something might have been done. The fit of the wood around the receiver looks normal. I have a citori lightning feather 16 and the fit around the receiver looks the same but the the fit around the butplate and stock should be perfectly flush.

I paid 1300 for mine last spring and it was in near mint condition NIB. This one has much nicer wood than mine and looks to be the regular lightnig model. The 12ga version of this is about 17-1800 bucks new.

Here's a comparison - click on it:

w'weasel,

Look at the forward, top portion of the receiver where it meets the wood in your provided photo. Note the wood is proud of the metal. Now look at the gun in question; the metal is proud of the wood.

My citori is like the wood in your photo; the wood is proud and radioused(sp?) to the metal...not vice versa. I'm assuming there's mischief afoot(?).

yep, I see that now. You're right.

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

One of my skeet shooters recently purchased a 20 ga Browning XS--it wouldn't reset the trigger----I pulled the stock off and was shocked/surprised to see the amount of heavy grease/metal filings in the action Embarassed

After flushing the junk out and a relubing it never missed a beat---Shouldn't they do this at the factory?????OR JUST CHARGE US LESS????? Wink

I think we were told by various sources earlier this summer that these guns were going to be delayed and were not supposed to be delivered until late in the year or even next year. Then, all of a sudden, they started hitting the market.

I now think from all the small foibles I've seen with this batch, that Bill Hicks shoved a hot poker up Miroku's and Browning's corporate butt by demanding they stick to the contract delivery dates or face the possibility of a cancelled order or get whacked with a penalty.

I'm betting Browning America figured the QC problems and the risk it presented was probably accepted as better than the risk of losing the order because of delays. Since Browning has a good warranty service program in place, this scenario is probably the likeliest one.

This is not the first time these circumstances have come up. The Japanese are very astute, pragmatic, and sharp businessmen but a bit unscroupulous. They will try to play hardball anytime they think it is in their best interests. Miroku probably saw an advantage in delaying the shipment due to the falling value of the US dollar earlier this year. They probably also renegociated some arrangement letting them off the hook for any minor QC issues.

So I'm assuming Browning is full ready to make any QC issues right. If you've bought one of these new guns, and it is not up to snuff, I'd look to Browning to make it right. This may not be the best situation to be in, but it is better than some of the ways other importers of guns have dealt with QC issues.

It also stands as a warning to any of you looking to buy one of these guns. I'd now start demanding a 5 day look period with the right to return the gun if it does not make the grade. Why buy into a headache if you can avoid it. Let Bill Hicks get the bad ones fixed first before shipping them to their dealers. I'm cetrtain they must be aware of the problems plaguing this shipment.

I emailed Cabela's to see if they were interested in maybe selling that 16ga Citori that we discussed in this earlier thread and maybe getting it for my dad for Christmas. I asked all the usual specific questions about the gun.

Here was the disappointing response I got...