20ga Beretta 686 vs Browning Citori or superposed grouse gun

From your choice’s for upland work I’d go with the Beretta. Lighter sleeker faster handling easier to carry. Don’t get me wrong the Browning Citori is a well made gun just feels more clubby to me for upland hunting.
 
Pinfire said:
Count me as a fan of the 20 gauge Superposed. Quality build and pleasant to carry all day. I can put up with the single trigger, but I prefer double triggers on a double. As it does not have external hammers I consider it very modern, but some might consider the Superposed a dated design.

From two weeks ago:
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I love my 20ga Superposed. I have never shouldered a shotgun the just fit as well as this one does before.
 
My 20gauge Superposed and Beretta 686 are both balanced between the hands great fast handling field guns flip a coin ? My Citori's and I have owned a few are good guns but the balance is not the same all are muzzle heavy and I don't shoot them well same goes for any Winchester 101's that I have owned . Don't get caught up with the choke tube thing much overrated feature IMHO
 
I have all three. All are superb guns. A 20 ga, round knob, long tang Superposed 28" 3" IC/Mod is my favourite. Fit and function are perfect for me. A nice Citori super light White Lightning 26" that balances surprisingly well because of the short barrels and aluminum receiver, and a Beretta. The Beretta is arguably the best made mechanically, but the other two fit me better. I find I'm shooting more and more steel shot by preference and because some upland bird areas around here mandate non-toxic shot. So the Browning Superposed gets left behind more often lately.
 
Longwalker said:
I have all three. All are superb guns. A 20 ga, round knob, long tang Superposed 28" 3" IC/Mod is my favourite. Fit and function are perfect for me. A nice Citori super light White Lightning 26" that balances surprisingly well because of the short barrels and aluminum receiver, and a Beretta. The Beretta is arguably the best made mechanically, but the other two fit me better. I find I'm shooting more and more steel shot by preference and because some upland bird areas around here mandate non-toxic shot. So the Browning Superposed gets left behind more often lately.
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I too own all three of these in 20ga, if a person doesn’t mind fixed chokes, which i actually prefer, the Superposed RKLT definitely takes first place, the 686 is a close second. The Belgium craftsmanship of the Superposed is undeniably superior when I have them together for comparison. I am not knocking the Citori, it has its place but the Citori only came into existence because there was a need for a cheaper & quicker made alternative to the Superposed, that speaks for itself.
 
cosmic said:
If weight is a concern, you might consider an aluminum receiver, which could put you back in 12 g territory. I dont believe the 20 g Superposed ever came with a 3 in chamber (12 did) Why do you want 3 inch capability?
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The 20 Superposed certainly did come in 3 inch chambers I have one . The 3 inch make for a dandy late season upland gun. 3 inch 1 1/4 # 6 plated shot will perform well on late season wild flushing birds. The Superposed is in my opinion the best balanced easy carry o/u field gun ever produced and fixed chokes make for a lighter well balanced gun. Choke tube barrels change the feel of of gun in my opinion and that s only that my opinion.
 
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fishslinger said:
From your choice’s for upland work I’d go with the Beretta. Lighter sleeker faster handling easier to carry. Don’t get me wrong the Browning Citori is a well made gun just feels more clubby to me for upland hunting.
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Not from my personal experience, but from my buddy who owned both last season.
His Citori was heavy, but felt well balanced in his hands.
The 686 was fast and would point quick, but not clubby (in his opinion) as mentioned by fishslinger.
He described it as whippy when compared to the Citori.
Both 26inch barrels and carried equal distance on several grouse hunts with the Citori being the heavier of the two and after 90 minutes of walking the circuit the Subaru was a welcome site for lunch or a snack.
I personally prefer the Browning and can only contribute this to having pined for one since my pre-teen years of reading Field and Stream and a well worm Browning catalogue and now carrying an 1100.
The chase for the perfect upland gun is as much fun as the flush of a tight holding Blue...
Rob
 
You mentioned you may possibly consider other brands. I'd look into the fausti line. The class is very nice with the entry grade caldeon being very nice as well I just don't like the engraving pattern personally. To me the class feels much better than both the browning and the beretta. Fit and finish is well ahead of a new 686 as well
In my quest to find the perfect 28ga sxs I keep fighting the urge for a wrong way double that being a fausti class or class slx
 
I agree with the above and ended up going with another brand after trying the B guns.

I found the 686 offerings underwhelming in the wood department especially when compared to much lesser priced Turkish guns. Not suggesting going with a Turkish gun but it might be something to consider as upland guns are carried much more than shot. What really bothered me with the Beretta was spending so much money (for me) at the time and getting ordinary at best. The final straw was the cast, way too much for me as I was raised on straight guns made for the American market. I tried a few and the only one I truly got on with was the predecessor, BL4.

Everyone told me I would shoot the Brownings better and I certainly do. I tried a couple of those as well and found them slow to point and a little clunky to swing. They were/are very much like the duck guns I was use to trudging through the bush with. They seemed reliable and shot well but not idea for carrying all day. The ones I tried were all Citori models in 12 and 20, again nothing wrong with them but not for me.

I stumbled upon the FAIR products and that was pretty much it for me. I started with the entry level Milano which I still have and upgraded to a Jubilee Prestige OU and a Tartaruga Gold Iside all in 20. They are light enough to carry in one hand while knifing though the thick stuff and balance perfectly in hand. I was lucky enough to find these with no cast but some do come from special order if you are buying used. Mine have very nice wood and are well put together. Most importantly, I shoot them well.

I see Prophet River is now stocking FAIR and has a decent selection. The Premier M for under $2000 is pretty much as good as it gets in that price range.
 
My favourite O/U upland gun was my 625 Feather , in 20 gauge with 28" barrels, it weighed under 5-1/2 lbs, and was a pleasure to carry. Good luck finding a used one.
 
I've owned three 20ga doubles and my favorite was a Winchester 101 which I'm sad i sold. The other 2 were a Browning BSS and a Fox model B and couldn't even scare pigeons with the side by sides. Don't know why but I shot about 5 ft over at 40 yds.
 
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