16ga.com ~ View topic

I've got a new Superlight Feather in 16 ga. coming next month--my first 16 ga. I'm pretty excited about it. But in light of the recent traffic about Citori problems--firing pins and such--I'm wondering if this is the right gun for me. Seems to me:

1. The issue might have something to do with RGLs? What factory rounds are you other guys shooting--who don't have problems (e.g., Win, Fed, Fiochi)?

2. This might be a case of, "A plane crashed today and 100 people were killed. BUT, thousands of other planes flew today and landed safely." In other words, let's hear from all of you Citori 16 ga shooters are are NOT having problems--assuming that you're out there. (:

3. If this problem is widely pervasive, then maybe I should change my order to something else, as long as it is a lightweight 16 ga.

Any thoughts?

Joined: 04 Oct 2006 Posts: 27 Location: Winthrop, Maine

I hear ya. I recently got a 2005 white lightning 16 ga. I have only a few shots so far but I like what I have seen. The gun seems great. Is the problem just the superlight feather?? And like you say is it just a plane crash somewhere in the world?

I've had my white lightning for almost a year and haven't had a problem yet (knock on wood). I've shot a lot of RGL's through it, but hunting has been all Win. SuperX.

It goes BANG everytime I pull the trigger. Just 9 more days until I start putting a dent in the partridge population...it'll get a real test then.

I'd still like to weasel an unfired Sweet 16 from my Godfather as a backup. But, for some reason he just doesn't want to part with it.

Joined: 15 Oct 2004 Posts: 787 Location: Indiana

I've owned Citoris in 12, 16, 20, and 28 and shot the hell out of them too over the last 22 years and have never had the first mechanical problem with any of them...the odds are, your experience will be more like mine than the other way...in my experience, Browning typically doesn't make junk...

Joined: 25 Jun 2005 Posts: 50 Location: CO

I own a Citori Lightning in both 12 (1998) & 16 (2002) and a Superposed in 12 (1961). I have had to replace the bottom firing pin in my 16ga twice already and never in either of the 12ga guns. I have fired maybe 3 boxes of factory ammo through my 16ga; the remaining several thousand are reloads using Ballistic Products pre-primed shells.

I've got a 525 16ga and probably have 1250 rounds through her. I have had ONE FTF with a RGL in the bottom barrel. It was a kinda cool evening, and I took the shell out looked at it, put it back in the lower chamber and it went bang. I don't hunt with the RGL's... But for targets they are cheap..

Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 444 Location: WI

I recently bought a 525 field in 16 gauge, I've only got 600 rounds through it so far, but not one problem.

I have a 16ga and 28ga Citori GrI Lightning and both have between 1000-1500 rounds through them without a single problem Very Happy

. Hope it stays that way. Since reading these posts about FTF's and light firing pin strikes I have checked my primer indentations and they are all good solid strikes, top and bottom barrel, on both guns. Have fired factory rounds from Win, Fed, & Rem but mostly reloads in both guns.

It does seem odd that all of these Citori problems surfaced the past few months Question

.

Dennis

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

I have a 16ga. (of course) Lightning Feather. I have had the same problem once or twice with the Rem. GL's in this gun. I like to reload this gun for clays and hunting and haven't had a problem since. I think the RGL is a stout load for the Feather so I haven't put a lot of those rounds through it. (Sweet 16 gobbles them up and I use the hulls for reloading!)

However, I have had no problem with reloads or other factory rounds so I would look towards the ammo first. Maybe I'm an optomist but I am hoping it's the loads and not the gun! Shocked

Matt

I have a Citori White Lighting, purchased Oct 2004. I've never paid that much for a shot gun before so I figured i would shoot it exclusively to justify spending that much. I've shot it 99% of the time since.

Almost every weekend at skeet sometimes both days, plus every weds. night Apr. thru Oct. 1st at sporting clays.
I feel save in saying that at least 10,000 rounds, only 1 misfire, a deep dish in the hull plus a deep seated primer. You guessed it, a RGL.
Lots of reloads plus a couple flats of Winchesters, the rest have been RGL, some lighter strikes than others on the RGL due to some primers seated deeper than others.
I've been happy with it, no problems

Griff

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

PGG: I think you may be right. However, it seems like most problems seem to crop up with the Rem. GLs. I feel like running out and shooting 200-300 rounds through mine with the GL's but with the Feather, and that load, it would be damn uncomfortable!

Matt

Member Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: NH

I'm not sure about all the other guns that guys are having problems with as far as light hits but mine was not originally just RGLs. In fact, it started with RST 2.5" shells. It was also Fiocchi Golden Pheasant and Remington Express high brass.
But that problem was fixed with an adj to the inertia block blah blah.

I've shot a ton of the RGLs through 3 other guns without issue. One being a Citori steel frame gun I picked up about a month ago. That gun has seen 2500 rds, all of which were RGLs and has not had an issue.
The other 2 were Merkels, a 47E without issues, and a 1620 that had issues right out of the box with EVERY kind of ammo in the left barrel. An adj to the rebounding hammer/firing pin has solved the problems with that barrel. It hasn't had a problem in 1500 rds.

Browning and Merkel both tried blaming the ammo until I mentioned that my misfires were coming with all of the above types of ammo. Then they did something to fix the problem.

Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 154 Location: Denver, Colorado

I am not sure how others feel, but I would consider the gun to be defective/broken if it couldn't reliably fire a particular factory load which other guns could fire with no problems, a defective shell notwithstanding. Especially if it was an expensive gun like a Citori.

JMHO.

--shinbone

Member Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: NH

SB,

I agree to a certain extent. But in my case it wouldn't fire factory ammo reliably but there was a simple explanation and fix. A slight adjustment did the trick.
Nothing unlike buying a new car and something not being quite right on it and you take it in to have a little adjustment done on it. It's then good as new.

Now if the gun continues to misfire after being worked on etc, then I have a problem with that gun.

My $.02