Sporting Shotgun

[The Heron]

Stick with what you have I use my game gun on clays if you purchase a new one solely for clays you will be learning one gun for clays and one for your pigeon. 

[chrislightning]

Thanks for all the replies, I picked up a Browning  Ultra Xs Pro after shooting the pro sport as well as the 694. 
 

Next question, has anyone used the Pro balance kit in the stock? It comes with weights that I want to add and a hole designed to Take them but it’s not at all obvious how you secure them. Just wondering if anyone has successfully added some? 

[button]

This might help

 

[chrislightning]

1 hour ago, button said:

This might help

 

Thanks Button, I’ve watched this and thought thank god. It implies that the whole bar is inserted with the amount of weights bolted on. However in practice there’s nothing obvious that it secures to. 

[Westley]

5 hours ago, chrislightning said:

Thanks for all the replies, I picked up a Browning  Ultra Xs Pro after shooting the pro sport as well as the 694. 
 

Next question, has anyone used the Pro balance kit in the stock? It comes with weights that I want to add and a hole designed to Take them but it’s not at all obvious how you secure them. Just wondering if anyone has successfully added some? 

Wished I had known earlier, I have one that I could be tempted to part with, it is 5 weeks old. I got rid of a 725 black and regret ever parting with it. I have fitted/removed stock and barrel weights, but although the balance is as I want, just ahead of the hinge, I am still struggling to shoot it. I now have just 1 weight in the stock and the barrel weights just at the front of the forend wood. Just need to shoot it again now. I took it straight out of the box and shot a 100 bird sporting layout, I just cleared 50.  I had been shooting in the mid to high 70's, which despite, age and agility, I have been pleased with. I then added some weights to the stock and the barrels and shot at West Mids, I managed to add 10 to my previous effort. I then removed the stock weights, except for 1,  and removed the barrel weights. I then shot a round of skeet 22/25 then Compak, 20/25. I thought I may have just about got it right, that was until last week when I scraped a 31 /60 at the local ground. It has now been stuck in the cabinet and I will use my trusted 303 auto for a while, until I decide what to do. I had the 725 for 5 years, having had the stock shortened by 1/2" and the palm swell reduced. I find the grip on the 525 about right and with the thinnest pad fitted, the LOP is OK, I am struggling a bit with the Trap forend, which I find a bit of a handful and I keep changing my left hand grip, trying to get it comfortable. After each change of set up on the 525, I have weighed/measured and noted the alterations, including checking the balance. Although it may not seem so, I am certainly NOT a fiddler when it comes to making changes to my guns. The 725 had an adjustable comb, it never moved from it's lowest, it took 12 months for me to decide to get 1/2" chopped off the stock and a further 12 months to decide to get the palm swell reduced. Both guns have or had 1/4 choke in each barrel and that never alters. I tend to stick with the same ammo, so all of the other incidentals are unchanged. The 525 just does not 'feel' right, compared to the 725.

With regards to the weights, remove the heel pad (put some Fairy liquid on the screwdriver first). That exposes an allen headed screw, remove that. (IF the brass insert comes out with it, I put a blob of superglue in the hole separate the brass from the allen screw, then screw the brass back in, leaving it overnight. From the accessories case, take the threaded rod and undo the lock nut. Slide on the required number of weights then use a spanner on the nut to tighten it onto the weights. I used a vice in my shed to hold the oval headed section,  whilst I tightened up the nut. Now put the assembly into the hole in the centre of the heel of the stock and replace the allen screw into its threaded housing. Refit the recoil pad and job done. IF you fit all of the stock weights AND the barrel weights, the gun will weigh almost 9lbs., so be warned  !  Good luck, you have a 'Fiddlers Dream Gun '   !  Oh, and I have oiled the woodwork over the last 5 weeks too.

Edited August 23, 2020 by Westley

[chrislightning]

1 hour ago, Westley said:

Wished I had known earlier, I have one that I could be tempted to part with, it is 5 weeks old. I got rid of a 725 black and regret ever parting with it. I have fitted/removed stock and barrel weights, but although the balance is as I want, just ahead of the hinge, I am still struggling to shoot it. I now have just 1 weight in the stock and the barrel weights just at the front of the forend wood. Just need to shoot it again now. I took it straight out of the box and shot a 100 bird sporting layout, I just cleared 50.  I had been shooting in the mid to high 70's, which despite, age and agility, I have been pleased with. I then added some weights to the stock and the barrels and shot at West Mids, I managed to add 10 to my previous effort. I then removed the stock weights, except for 1,  and removed the barrel weights. I then shot a round of skeet 22/25 then Compak, 20/25. I thought I may have just about got it right, that was until last week when I scraped a 31 /60 at the local ground. It has now been stuck in the cabinet and I will use my trusted 303 auto for a while, until I decide what to do. I had the 725 for 5 years, having had the stock shortened by 1/2" and the palm swell reduced. I find the grip on the 525 about right and with the thinnest pad fitted, the LOP is OK, I am struggling a bit with the Trap forend, which I find a bit of a handful and I keep changing my left hand grip, trying to get it comfortable. After each change of set up on the 525, I have weighed/measured and noted the alterations, including checking the balance. Although it may not seem so, I am certainly NOT a fiddler when it comes to making changes to my guns. The 725 had an adjustable comb, it never moved from it's lowest, it took 12 months for me to decide to get 1/2" chopped off the stock and a further 12 months to decide to get the palm swell reduced. Both guns have or had 1/4 choke in each barrel and that never alters. I tend to stick with the same ammo, so all of the other incidentals are unchanged. The 525 just does not 'feel' right, compared to the 725.

With regards to the weights, remove the heel pad (put some Fairy liquid on the screwdriver first). That exposes an allen headed screw, remove that. (IF the brass insert comes out with it, I put a blob of superglue in the hole separate the brass from the allen screw, then screw the brass back in, leaving it overnight. From the accessories case, take the threaded rod and undo the lock nut. Slide on the required number of weights then use a spanner on the nut to tighten it onto the weights. I used a vice in my shed to hold the oval headed section,  whilst I tightened up the nut. Now put the assembly into the hole in the centre of the heel of the stock and replace the allen screw into its threaded housing. Refit the recoil pad and job done. IF you fit all of the stock weights AND the barrel weights, the gun will weigh almost 9lbs., so be warned  !  Good luck, you have a 'Fiddlers Dream Gun '   !  Oh, and I have oiled the woodwork over the last 5 weeks too.

Thanks very much, I’ll follow these guidelines this week sometime. 

[Westley]

IF you want another for spares, I'll fish mine out of the bin   !         🙄

[chrislightning]

On 23/08/2020 at 19:19, Westley said:

Wished I had known earlier, I have one that I could be tempted to part with, it is 5 weeks old. I got rid of a 725 black and regret ever parting with it. I have fitted/removed stock and barrel weights, but although the balance is as I want, just ahead of the hinge, I am still struggling to shoot it. I now have just 1 weight in the stock and the barrel weights just at the front of the forend wood. Just need to shoot it again now. I took it straight out of the box and shot a 100 bird sporting layout, I just cleared 50.  I had been shooting in the mid to high 70's, which despite, age and agility, I have been pleased with. I then added some weights to the stock and the barrels and shot at West Mids, I managed to add 10 to my previous effort. I then removed the stock weights, except for 1,  and removed the barrel weights. I then shot a round of skeet 22/25 then Compak, 20/25. I thought I may have just about got it right, that was until last week when I scraped a 31 /60 at the local ground. It has now been stuck in the cabinet and I will use my trusted 303 auto for a while, until I decide what to do. I had the 725 for 5 years, having had the stock shortened by 1/2" and the palm swell reduced. I find the grip on the 525 about right and with the thinnest pad fitted, the LOP is OK, I am struggling a bit with the Trap forend, which I find a bit of a handful and I keep changing my left hand grip, trying to get it comfortable. After each change of set up on the 525, I have weighed/measured and noted the alterations, including checking the balance. Although it may not seem so, I am certainly NOT a fiddler when it comes to making changes to my guns. The 725 had an adjustable comb, it never moved from it's lowest, it took 12 months for me to decide to get 1/2" chopped off the stock and a further 12 months to decide to get the palm swell reduced. Both guns have or had 1/4 choke in each barrel and that never alters. I tend to stick with the same ammo, so all of the other incidentals are unchanged. The 525 just does not 'feel' right, compared to the 725.

With regards to the weights, remove the heel pad (put some Fairy liquid on the screwdriver first). That exposes an allen headed screw, remove that. (IF the brass insert comes out with it, I put a blob of superglue in the hole separate the brass from the allen screw, then screw the brass back in, leaving it overnight. From the accessories case, take the threaded rod and undo the lock nut. Slide on the required number of weights then use a spanner on the nut to tighten it onto the weights. I used a vice in my shed to hold the oval headed section,  whilst I tightened up the nut. Now put the assembly into the hole in the centre of the heel of the stock and replace the allen screw into its threaded housing. Refit the recoil pad and job done. IF you fit all of the stock weights AND the barrel weights, the gun will weigh almost 9lbs., so be warned  !  Good luck, you have a 'Fiddlers Dream Gun '   !  Oh, and I have oiled the woodwork over the last 5 weeks too.

How did you get the brass off the Allen screw? 

[Westley]

On 25/08/2020 at 14:05, chrislightning said:

How did you get the brass off the Allen screw? 

Sorry for delay, been off line for a few days.  I used the technical approach.......er......Molegrips   !

Gripped the brass with moles and used the allen key in the bolt, it was TIGHT, which is probably why it came out as a unit in the first place. Hope you do not need any bits from Browning, I have been waiting almost 2 months for a choke 

[chrislightning]

Thanks, I’ll give that a whirl. Funny you should say that, I’ve emailed them, messaged them on Instagram both to no avail. I must say I’m pretty disappointed that I’ve bought it brand new and can’t make the adjustments I require with out potentially rounding off the edges on the brass nut. Which I’ve actually started to do as it’s so sharp it just cuts through the cloth i wrap round it when gripping with pliers. I’ve found some of the little brass inserts online, but again I’m annoyed that I may have to buy one, I’d much sooner they sent me a new one!