WWW.SHOOTINGGAZETTE.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2019 79
Gun test THE REVIEW
Inthefield
FortheshootingtestI
thoughtI wouldputasmany
differentcartridgesthrough
thegunintermsofshotsize
andweight,includingsome
35gramMagnumcartridges.
I putthe¼and½chokesin,
whichtendstobethedefault
choiceformanyGuns.
Startingonthe40fttower
with21gramcartridges
thegunwasa pleasureto
shoot– theextraweightgave
a smoothmovementand
thepatternswereperfect.
Walkingintothebackfield
attheshootingschoolmade
useofaFITASCpractice
layoutthathadbeenin
usefortherecentworld
championships,notquitewhatthegunwasintended
for,butit wouldgiveit a good
test.It performedverywellon
somelongtealandbattues,
mixedinwitha fewrabbitsfor
goodmeasure.I switchedto
the24gramcartridgeswhich
werecertainlyeffective.
Wethencarriedontothe
moreconventionalpartridge
andhightowers,including
someextremetargetsoff
the130fttowertoreallyput
thegunthroughitspaces
usingsome 30 and35gram
cartridges.Thelatterwere
a littlepunchybutusable
providedyou'renotona big
day.Asexpectedit’sa gun
thathandlessuperblyandfits
thebilltoperfection.12-and20-bore.Many have
hadhundredsofthousands of
roundsthroughthem – if we
can’tbreakthem then they
shouldlasttheaverage Gun
a lifetime.
Looksandfinishing: 10/10
If aestheticsandfunction are
yourprioritiesthe gun has
both; a fabulous-looking gun
that performs.
Handling: 9/10 If you're
buying 20-bore to shoot a
lighter gun then you may also
want to look at the 725 or the
525 Prestige which come in
at around 6lb 10oz. If you’re
shooting a 20-bore for theCustomer service: 10/10
The action comes with a
10-year warranty and the
wood three years, which
shows confi dence in the
product. Any work on the
gun must be undertaken by
Browning to avoid invalidating
the warranty – this includes
stock alteration. However,
the service is very good.
We have used Browning
demonstrators for years and I
have yet to have a fault.
Value: 9/10 At roughly
£6,000 this is a high-grade
gun that will serve you well.
Overall: 47/50that I look after at the shooting
school has recently bought a
pair of these guns in 20-bore.
We did a fi tting for him and the
guns went off to Browning to
be adjusted, which included
replacing the plastic heel pad
and also having the stocks
fi nished in English oil. Not only
did they look incredible when
they came back but they were
an absolute pleasure to shoot.
Heavy gun
The gun weighs in at
7lb 1oz, which should help with
absorbing recoil and smoothing
out the shooting a little though
it might not suit those picking
up a 20-bore as part of a move
to a lighter gun.
However, the Browning 725 or
525 Prestige 20-bore are lighter
at 6lb 10oz. The barrels on the
gun weighed in at 1,338g while
those on the 725 were 1,252g,
which might be worth some
thought before you buy.
The gun on test had a manual
safety which can easily be
converted to auto-safe should
you so wish, however you should
perhaps be putting the safety
on before you bring the barrels
down to reload, especially if you
have only fi red one shot.
The history of Browning is
well rehearsed, with John Moses
Browning and his superposed
over-under providing the basis
for all modern Brownings.
The gun is as close as you
can get to a B25 without parting
with the amount of money
required – the cheapest new
B25 that I can fi nd is £12,000. It
is, though, like all the non-B25
models, made at the Miroku
factory in Japan, while the
handmade Brownings are made
at the factory at Herstal.
I do like to use a 20-bore
for a lot of my game shooting,
which stems from being an avid
woodcock and snipe shooter for
a number of years both on my
home turf in Devon and further
afi eld in Scotland and Wales.
I found the 20-bore was a lot
easier to carry and two pockets
of 20-bore cartridges were a lot
more than the equivalent 12s.
I haven’t shot woodcock for
a number of years now because
of doubts over the numbers
but I continue to use a 20 bore
on many days. It’s an enjoyable
calibre to use and effective.Scores
Wood to
metal fi t
is superb.