BeardyDude

I'll make a detour next time I'm out that way! Oh I dunno - having been a dealer in various things new and used, maybe not margin - there's big gaps between PX value (- discount they would have given anyway!) and the shelf price - but it's definitely easier to re-stock a new one! You can't sell what you ain't got I was going to say I found it odd they weren't trying to upsell me on a beretta or browning, but just checked the price - ouch! 17-1800 for a new 525 or pigeon, that's one hell of an upsell! Could have sworn they were ~ 1400 only 3 odd years ago when my friend was shopping first time round!

Bit late, and you might have bought one already @sandspider, but +1 for flex plus! You also get a good level of family worldwide travel insurance , and extremely useful mobile phone insurance, which has paid for about a dozen screens in our household - even covers mechanical failures at the same reasonable excesses, not just accidental damage, making it an infinite warranty in that regard. On top of that the debit card offers genuine 0% commission (at wholesale market rate) on cash withdrawals in foreign currencies from ATMs overseas, and the credit card does the same on card purchases, online or in person. Breakdown cover switched to AA recently, with equivalence to the maximum plan they offer. I did switch my main account, but the perks on flexplus are so good it's probably worth having one on the side anyway! On top of that they're one of the last mutuals - owned by the members, not shareholders - and we've had a few hundred quid back in recent years via member dividends.

I've still been keeping up and reading, thanks everyone! Over the weekend I did spend a quite a while - ok, a very long while - everyone seems pretty friendly in this hobby - in a couple of local gun shops and tried a LOT out for fit and feel - I found it useful, even if heading to school might be the better choice! @Wilts#Dave, @London Best I also today shot another 100 through a mix of the Citori, the bargain Winchester (yes, @Dave at kelton, @holloway, it's a 101, and it was peanuts! - though can't find many like it on the wider web at the moment), and my friends Beretta 692, and yes, the longer barrels do indeed have an impact on sound! @Gunman, I'm about 6ft, overweight, but fairly large frame too and quite healthy for it, and shooting casually around 50-100 every 6-7 weeks at the moment, 3-4 weeks in future. Like I said, the Citori's weight isn't actually a problem - maybe like @Fellsidesaid it's that fairly dull, "fence post" feel that makes it seem even more heavy, and a lack of balance - rather than the length of the barrels - counting against it, than just the weight of it. For reference, on one set of scales, and not particularly well measured (but measured badly in the same way each time!)... 30" 1984 browning citori, belgian made - 8.3 lb 26" winchester 101 xtr lightweight, japan made - 7.4 lb 30" ~2015 beretta 692 - 7.4 lb Oddly the 4" longer beretta was indeed the same as the "lightweight" winchester! If anything it was a little less! From handling a lot of guns in the last 2 days, and improving my stance a little with some more input, I'm now 'leaning in' to the gun more properly - I seem to be quite lucky - most of the mainstream geometry seems to fit me fairly well! Older Lanber and Baikal were pretty good on the cheap side, Miroku and older beretta seemed to vary, some good, but quite a few were too low at the stock - but the more modern browning b525, miroku mk38, beretta SP, 682 gold E and ATA's all seem to fit quite right! The citori I think is actually a little low, like @Konor said - maybe why my friend went for it! - as is his new 692, though less noticeably so after a tightening up of my stance. Both stores were very enthusiastic around ATA shotguns - and they certainly seemed nice! - good feel, good fit, and the ground I was at today has them as club guns, so also handled ~200k and ~500k well used examples - they seem to hold up very well! Nice crisp action that actually made the newer beretta's seem a bit spongy in comparison (am I imagining it, or did beretta get a lot worse in that regard?), but if anyone has any horror stories or other shade to cast, I'd be interested! When a brand new ATA with 5 year warranty is £699, spending ~£600 on a 40 year old unusual browning seems less attractive! Talking of which, @Genghis , neither of us still really know what a good price for the Citori is! He bought it when the market was pretty weird just after Covid lockdowns were lifting (and mostly because he couldn't find a 525 or a silver pigeon for a decent price at the time!). Nobody got any idea? I heard somewhere between 5-9 months in Cambridgeshire at the moment from the stores today and yesterday, but yes, it does seem the 12 weeks quoted on their website is overly optimistic! My friend has promised to finally sell his four spare old SxS (semi accidental auction wins!) and free up space in his cabinet sooner though Coming soon to the "for sale" section here I'd guess! Incidentally, on the 101 - if anyone has a couple of old invector/mossberg/winchoke in 1/4 and a 1/2 gathering dust in a drawer, I think I know a buyer! The one thing I'm sure on though, like @Sweet11-87 said, and my friend has discovered - I am definitely buying a very big cabinet!

Thanks for all the input so far - I will try and get a chance to handle more Miroku, later Brownings and find some more Winchesters! Yes, I am in my 40s, '82 was the year not the total! I should say I've not got any real trouble with the weight of the gun - just this original citori is over 8lb, about 1lb heavier than seems typical - and my arms have thanked me when I've shot something lighter for the day! Would a shorter 26" barrel not cause extra trouble for long shots? One ground I go to has some pretty long, 50yd shots - of course, I can hardly hit them anyway, but would be nice to know I'm not moving the goalposts further away needlessly! Prices on guntrader, gunstar (and here!) are where I'm getting the "wildly varying" from - having a hard time figuring out what a fair "mates rate" is - typical seems about 600, but not sure what makes some half that, and others nearly double. And, remember I don't actually own the citori already - I am familiar with it, but I never actually chose it myself! Is it worth spending say 550 on this, or would I be better off letting him sell it to someone who really wants it, and finding my own, cheaper gun for <300 - a winchester for example? As to choke, I think it shipped like that, not seized - there's only one (flush) tube fitted from memory, but I don't have the gun of course so can't check easily! Will ask I know the earlier Citori were all fixed choke - maybe someone had just the one barrel bored out and threaded!

Ok so, I've gotten the bug! Long time browser, first time poster After a few years of regularly joining a friend for clay shooting near me, I've dropped off my medical form and am shopping for a cabinet! I'll also need a gun! Looking for an O/U 12g for general sporting clay and occasional skeet, so I gather 1/4 and 1/2 chokes ideally, and around 28-30" barrels. I've mostly been shooting my friends Browning Citori. He's since moved onto a Beretta 692, and is happy to sell it to me. It's in good condition, though not exceptional, 30" with 1 replaceable choke (1/4 included, 1/2 fixed), and ejector. It's nearly as old as me, 1984 (I was born in 82!), but it's a nice gun, fits me well, and I like the general feeling of quality - I've also never experienced any stoppages with it! But, is it the right gun for me? It's pretty heavy, which I don't love, and part of me feels a fair price for that would be more than I really need to spend, but without the benefits of spending a bit more - e.g. a full set of chokes, lighter build, steel proof and magnum chambers. Also, there seem to be plenty of bargains out there which could be perfectly usable, for a casual shooter like myself! Another of his purchases is a bargain Japan-made Winchester, which seems to fit equally well and shoots great too! It's a shorter barrelled skeet gun though, and I think dibs has been called on that one already! I do seem to prefer the browning / winchester comb height over his beretta, and any of the older SxS I've shot. So... if anyone cares to share their thoughts with me! ... - What is a fair price for the Citori? They seem to vary pretty wildly from ~250-1000! - What manufacturers and models should I be looking at for a cheaper gun with a similar fit? I've been looking at older Winchesters, as well as older Miroku, AYA, Rizzini and others. Am somewhat wary of budget brands - tried a fairly new loaner Lincoln for a day and the action felt pretty rough, compared with the winchester/browning! As it warmed up in use things seemed to get worse And, not sure how I feel about Russian guns - is a Baikal O/U particularly rough or heavy, and what's the fit like comparatively? - And, what's worth considering instead for a similar price or a even more than the Citori? Something like a 682 Gold E seems a sound choice if I want to spend up around £1k, and apparently fits more like the browning, with a higher comb than his 692 or the pigeons - though I've not had the chance to handle one!