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< 16ga. Guns ~ Citori Gran Lightning |
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Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2017 8:46 am
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Joined: 16 Feb 2007
Posts: 181
Location: Great White North
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With all the talk the last year or so about the new A5 Sweet, it was easy to get caught up in it. I grabbed one for myself, and what a nice gun it was. But personally, I just didn't get that excited shooting it. But every time I picked up my Citori 16, ohhhh what a feeling! So I parted ways with the A5 and decided to search for another Citori addition. Just recently I was fortunate enough to aquire a mint condition Gran Lightning 16. Not a ton of these out there, and much harder to find here in Canada. To say I'm happy with these guns is an understatement, as the fit and feel for me is perfect, and I don't think there's a gun I've shot better. Now the only thing left to do is find a nice White Lightning :)
[URL=http://s730.photobucket.com/user/JSsoloman1972/media/4d546bb1-64f3-41a8-b89f-91273505d10a_zpsw1aagiqh.jpg.html]
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[URL=http://s730.photobucket.com/user/JSsoloman1972/media/IMG_2131_zpsixijbijv.jpg.html]
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_________________ Browning Gold 20/26
Browning Gold 20/28
Browning A5 SS Lightning |
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Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2017 8:51 am
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Member
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 749
Location: Kelso, Tennessee
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wow nice wood. I'd keep those two from being in the same picture. Makes the other feel like a redheaded rented mule. |
_________________ i reckon so. I guess we all died a little in that damn war. |
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Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2017 11:26 am
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Joined: 05 Feb 2015
Posts: 267
Location: New Braunfels TX
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Beautiful shotgun, now if Browning will make a 16 ga Citori 725 I will be one fat happy Texan |
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Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2017 5:39 pm
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Joined: 16 Sep 2006
Posts: 334
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Don't overlook a Browning 525 16ga if you can find one. I think they handle a lot better than the Citoris, but each to his own. |
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Posted:
Wed Jun 21, 2017 6:40 pm
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Joined: 01 Oct 2007
Posts: 965
Location: Minnesota
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That's a beauty
Months ago there was a couple gran lightning's in 16 ga on this forum that were highly engraved. If you really want to get super fancy ($$$) that would be worth exploring. |
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Posted:
Thu Jun 22, 2017 12:02 pm
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Joined: 16 Feb 2007
Posts: 181
Location: Great White North
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RLR390 wrote: |
Don't overlook a Browning 525 16ga if you can find one. I think they handle a lot better than the Citoris, but each to his own.
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I'd be very surprised if any of those made it into Canada, have never seen nor heard of one up here. |
_________________ Browning Gold 20/26
Browning Gold 20/28
Browning A5 SS Lightning |
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Posted:
Thu Jun 22, 2017 12:05 pm
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Joined: 16 Feb 2007
Posts: 181
Location: Great White North
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df wrote: |
That's a beauty
Months ago there was a couple gran lightning's in 16 ga on this forum that were highly engraved. If you really want to get super fancy ($$$) that would be worth exploring.
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I saw those, absolutely gorgeous! If I remember correctly the price of 1 of them converted roughly to about $8500CAN before taxes, duties, and import fees. A tad beyond my means unfortunately. |
_________________ Browning Gold 20/26
Browning Gold 20/28
Browning A5 SS Lightning |
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Posted:
Sat Jun 24, 2017 9:07 am
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Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 88
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I bought a Gran Lightning 16 gauge about a decade ago from Cabela's...like it a lot. The pistol grip cracked, and I had it repaired successfully...I didn't realize that highly figured wood that doesn't run in a consistent pattern has a tendency to crack...I don't shoot mine a lot, I caught the S X S bug shortly thereafter!!!!!! |
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Posted:
Sat Jul 01, 2017 5:48 pm
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Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 6535
Location: massachusetts
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artesian01 wrote: |
I bought a Gran Lightning 16 gauge about a decade ago from Cabela's...like it a lot. The pistol grip cracked, and I had it repaired successfully...I didn't realize that highly figured wood that doesn't run in a consistent pattern has a tendency to crack...I don't shoot mine a lot, I caught the S X S bug shortly thereafter!!!!!!
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I had the same sad experience with a 20 gauge Citori Grand Lightning back about 20 years ago. The wood was staggeringly lovely, but the fancy figure ran smack through the wrist. After shooting a couple of skeet rounds w/ my lovely gun, the wrist let go and my poor little heart broke too.
Browning CS was kind enough to replace the stock under warranty, but the wood they replaced mine with was plain old Grade I orange crate w/o any feathering or some nice contrasting color in it anywhere. I called them on it. They told me tough turkey. Seems that Browning CS considers the Grand Lightning to be a Grade I gun with fancy wood and w/ no guarantees the figure of the replacement stock wood will be comparable if it needs to be replaced under warranty.
So what the hell was I paying the extra money for in the first place. Needless to say, I was soured on Grand Lightnings from then on.
Since then, I went to buying Grade III models if I wanted an upgrade. The cost between the two grades is (or was) close enough not to bicker over. I also get the better engraved french grey receiver and fore end iron for about the same money. i like that.
I've also learned to be careful enough to choose well figured stock wood with strong, relatively straight grained wood running through the wrist. Problem solved.
Anyone is entitled to spend their money on whatever makes their little hearts go pitty pat, but so am I, and so I do to be sure.
Even so, the wood on buckmark's Grand Lightning is every bit as lovely as the wood on my long gone 20 gauge model. I also hope he never suffers a broken stock wrist on his gun. I sincerely hope he gets to enjoy it for many years w/o any problems whatsoever. 16GG.
PS, the wood on the Grade I is not too shabby either. I've seen worse--a lot worse. Some of it ended up on my long gone 20 gauge. |
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Posted:
Sat Jul 01, 2017 5:59 pm
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Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 6535
Location: massachusetts
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RLR390 wrote: |
Don't overlook a Browning 525 16ga if you can find one. I think they handle a lot better than the Citoris, but each to his own.
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I don't think Browning has had any made yet. Please enlighten me if I'm wrong. But we can hope they will. |
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Posted:
Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:12 am
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Member
Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Posts: 1395
Location: Tappahannock, Virginia
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I have a 16ga 525 sitting in the safe as I type this. Perhaps you're thinking they have not made a 725 16ga as of yet. |
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Posted:
Sun Jul 02, 2017 5:58 am
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Joined: 16 Feb 2007
Posts: 181
Location: Great White North
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im actually contemplating selling one of them, just can't decide which. The Gran is pretty to look at, but the GrI is actually very nice in person as well. The caramel colour is really nice with some dark grain, the pics don't do it justice. Plus it's a first year gun, long tang, and just feels solid. Don't have any memories attached to the Gran so there's no sentimental value yet, plus I'd get more $ to put towards a clay gun. Buts it so purty! Decisions, decisions... |
_________________ Browning Gold 20/26
Browning Gold 20/28
Browning A5 SS Lightning |
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Posted:
Sun Jul 02, 2017 6:21 am
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Member
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1257
Location: Nebraska
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That pretty much tallies in favor of the Gr1, with the sentimental value closing it were the decision mine to make. Only Citori I had was a Gr3 (seems they're given Gran grade wood or vice/versa) and beautiful as it was the rest didn't add up. |
_________________ Bore, n. Shotgun enthusiast's synonym for "gauge" ; everybody else's synonym for "shotgun enthusiast." - Ed Zern |
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Posted:
Mon Jul 03, 2017 10:31 am
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Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 6535
Location: massachusetts
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16'er wrote: |
I have a 16ga 525 sitting in the safe as I type this. Perhaps you're thinking they have not made a 725 16ga as of yet.
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Yup. Another perfectly good senior moment shot to hell. |
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Posted:
Mon Jul 03, 2017 10:33 am
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Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 6535
Location: massachusetts
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buckmark wrote: |
im actually contemplating selling one of them, just can't decide which. The Gran is pretty to look at, but the GrI is actually very nice in person as well. The caramel colour is really nice with some dark grain, the pics don't do it justice. Plus it's a first year gun, long tang, and just feels solid. Don't have any memories attached to the Gran so there's no sentimental value yet, plus I'd get more $ to put towards a clay gun. Buts it so purty! Decisions, decisions...
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Why not keep them both. You can shoot the Grade I and wave the Grand under your buddies noses for fun.
Also, you might want to have the wrist on your Grand discretely reinforced along the inside of the inletting w/ some steel or aluminum rods. Having the rods set lengthwise into the wrist w/ epoxy on both sides should prevent any separation problems from happening. The reinforcement will not be detectable. That's a win win IMO.
I wish I'd thought of this for my 20 ga. Grand. Would have saved me a lot of heartache. Oh well-- "If youth knew. If age could". |
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