Browning... Maxus Sporting Golden Clays or Citori 725 Sporting?

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ranechan

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As the title suggests, I am in the market for a dedicated Sporting Clays shotgun... I have heard nothing but fantastic reviews for both shotguns, and was hoping for some insight..

I will primarily use it for Trap but want to double it as a skeet gun. The main thing is - is the Citori 725 Sporting worth the extra $1100? Or will the $2000 Maxus Sporting suffice?

Thanks in advance for any comments and feedback!
 
From a trap perspective, unless you're planning to add a shell catcher, you're squadmates may appreciate you shooting an O/U and avoid hitting the guy to right with flying empty hulls. Semis on a trapline can sometimes annoy the hell out of the guy next to you. I've run into this shooting a Benelli Nova to the point one member at my club would not shoot with me on a squad if I had my Nova with me, of course some guys can be overly fussy when shooting trap as well. Beyond that the semi will suffice, a couple of members at my club shoot a Maxus and the Maxus don't seem to be ammo picky, I can't recall either jamming in a round of skeet that I've shot with them. The semi will soak up more recoil, it will require more maintenace than the Citori as well. If both fit you, than it really comes down to your preference in the end. Fit will always be the most important factor.
 
I shoot a Citori for trap and love the gun. Points well and I generally do 4-8 rounds a week without any problems to this point. I don't like the semi's feel when I shoot them. If it's just for trap/sporting I would say Citori, if you wanna hunt with it the semi might be a better all round option.
 
I have two 725 Sporting shotguns, a 12 gauge with 32" barrels, and a 20 gauge with 30" barrels. I generally shoot skeet or sporting clays with them, but I do occasionally shoot a round of trap with them. I much prefer O/U shotguns for any form of clays shooting, as I don't like the feel when the action cycles on the semi autos, and I don't like picking up fired hulls. The 725 series also have lighter trigger pulls than the Maxus series, which is another bonus.
 
I run a 725 with 32" ported barrels too. I find it to be a great gun that fits me well. I am looking at the Maxus Sporting Clays model for that reason...sporting claysd. We have some stands where we can load three if you got 'em and my hunting semi does not do well with target loads.
 
I started shooting trap this year, and started with a Maxus Sporting. A cheap shell catcher is available on Amazon if throwing hulls is an issue. I put one on mine. I found in I was inconsistent with it though. After moving up to a Citori XT Trap with adjustable comb, my scores improved dramatically. I am more consistent. The Maxus is basically a field gun. I think it's lighter weight and lack of comb adjustment really hindered me. The heavier weight of the XT allows for a smoother swing, and adjustable comb really helps tailor the fit. I haven't shot skeet or sporting clays, so not sure if one would be better than the other for those.
 
Both fine guns ! I own an o/u and a semi and I prefer the o/, better fit. If you do your part they will both break clays equally! If your recoil sensitive the maxus has the edge!
 
The single most important thing is FIT!! I'm a Berreta guy because they fit me off the shelf. I have both SA's and OU's. I like shooting the OU's much more than the SA's because the weight and balance is better for sporting purposes. Also, the second shot is there immediately, and you don't have to pick up your empties. The semis come out for hunting and 3 bird sporting clays. It simply doesn't matter what brand of shotgun you like ( as long as it starts with a "B"), or P or K. HA. I think if you are playing the games you will be happier with the OU, but make sure it FITS, or you will be spending a bit of money to make it fit. I have the "sporting" models, and find they work just fine for the little trap I shoot, also. (if you have a chance, you gotta try wobble trap... lotsa fun!)...C.
 
In my opinion, the 725 is a good gun. I have the 725 Sporting in 12 with 30" barrels. Switching the ejector springs to 1911 firing pin springs means the empties stay in the gun, not on the ground, which is nice. It does have a hellacious long length of pull dimension, so try one before you buy. If I had my time and money back, I think I'd buy the 725 field version instead. The Sporting option gives you ported barrels, three trigger shoes, five extended chokes instead of three flush tubes and fancier wood. The switchable ejector-extractor feature is no longer available on the sporting version of the gun, ergo my ejector spring change.

The recoil pad is top notch, better than the older style by far. Fit and finish of the gun is typical Browning.

Some Maxus guns are finicky about low pressure/recoil loads, I'm not sure if this extends to the Maxus Sporting or not.

My triggers have worked well, others have reported problems firing the second barrel. Mine did that once, though I may have "trapped" the trigger on the first shot.
 
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