16ga.com ~ View topic

I stopped in a gun store that I frequent often this past weekend. They had a Browning Citori 16 ga. with 30 inch barrels.I know a lot of you are Browning guys so I investigated on your behalf. according to the store owner, the gun belonged to someone at his club, so he knew the history. The gun was oeiginally a 20 ga, sent brand new to Briley for new barrels improved/modified. the gun then went out for a new english style stock. The original goes with the gun. The weight felt like 6 3/4 lb. balancing a bit forward. I did not place it on his scale. Asking price was $1995.00 I'm not sure if this price is good or not. With normal 28" barrels, I'd expect a price of $12-1500.00.I don't know what Briley and extra wood add to a price.

The seller is Niles at safari Outfitters in Millbrook, N.Y.
1.845.677.5444 www.safarioutfittersltd.com
I have no financial interest in this gun or the seller.

There was also a 6 1/2 lb. 29 1/2" 16 ga. (1926) Grade VIIIE Sauer. Oops, that one is already gone. But it looks real good sitting in my safe.
There's one more 6 lb. 16 ga. but I'm still debating and inspecting bare spots in my safe so I'll say no more.

Good luck'

Peter Weber

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

didn't see it has it possibly sold already???

If you're looking at his website, don't. He doesn't list his entire inventory. This is something I don't understand about these people. Even if you don't include a photo, list what you've got. Not everyone is interested in the $89000.00 2 gun sets.

The 16 ga. Sauer which I purchased wasn't on the website.

If you send him an e-mail I'm sure he'll take a series of photos and send them to you.

I doubt the 20 to 16 ga. line of thought. The 20 ga frame is very similar, but too narrow both internally and externally to accept a 16 ga. O/U barrel block. It almost has to have been a 16 ga frame originally. If Briley bored out the 20 ga barrels and chambers to 16, I would avoid this gun. It is probably not really structurally sound anymore. I do not see this happening though. I think Briley's personnel would recognize this factor and refuse to do the work.

Perhaps it started as a 525 sporter 16 with 30 inch barrels and had the stock swapped out. This is far more likely. What does the finish on the frame look like? This might be an important clue to how this gun came to be. Getting the serial number and tracing the gun's production history would nail it down for sure. I'd do this before even considering buying this gun just to be safe.

I know squat about Brownings. The receiver is blued (a little worn at the bottom edges). I believe the seller when he says the barrels were built from scratch from Briley. I also believe a firm with Briley's reputation would have made this gun better not worse by anything they did.

Would pics help? Ask the seller. He's pretty good, as well as fair. (at least to me, and I'm not even sure he likes me).

On thing I always try to remember... He's in business to sell, sell, sell!
I'm just a hobby-ist. Sometimes I shop for knowlege about my hobby. Sometimes I spend money.

Any way, call him and ask questions.

Good luck,

Peter Weber

Joined: 25 Jun 2006 Posts: 79 Location: SE Pa

PGG,
Tell me about the Sauer. Any pics? I like pre-war Sauers. Had a 20 with 29" bbls a while back, but sold it to a collector.

Send me a pm. I have no clue how to post pics on this sight.

Thanks for the info. I have no interest in this gun. I only posted it because there are so many Browning people on the forum. And, it seems clear to me that you Browning people really know your stuff.

kev, stay focused on the fox, I left you a VM .
PGG nice buy.

PGG if your going to pass on the 16 pm me with details. I got room in the safe, I just checked

Call Niles next week. The gun was still sitting there when I "checked his inventory" today. I told him I put up a post about the gun, and he said since he wasn't advertising the gun on his site he was surprised that a lot of people were calling about it from around the country.

Someone else put up a post on the Parker site and he sold 2 Parkers over the phone this morning while I was there.

Member Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 1257 Location: Nebraska

Didn't feel it needed its own thread, so hope you don't mind my adding on here.....the Scheel's in Omaha has a 28" Lightning Feather 16 in their rack marked down to $1400 from $1600. There's a thin forearm scratch about 1.5" long on the right top side just below the barrel stampings; it goes well into the finish and doesn't look like it'll buff out. There's also a pair of light taps in the metal of the receiver, right side top side, that look like the little dinks you make with a spring-loaded tool to index a spot to drill in metal. Light enough, but there nonetheless. Could be the reason they've marked the gun down some, but I didn't ask about the gun. Just handled it to examine it.