Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Which would you choose?

Cabelas has sales going on for a Winchester 101 Field for $949 and the Browning Citori Waterfowl edition for $1449. I will probably use the gun more for pheasant and dove maybe some grouse and small game as well. I always hear that you can't go wrong with Browning but was curious if the less expensive Winchester would still hold up well? I was trying to keep my budget around 800 but figured I'd go up a bit and save over the long run. I did get a chance to go and hold both and loved the way they felt. I just want to get a little help before making the purchase.

Buy the one that fits you best

Isn't the Citori made by Miroku?

Wasn't the M101 also made by Miroku?


In other words, don't both guns use the SAME design and receiver?

Twas me I would buy the cheaper O/U
and then have it fitted by a competent shotgun smith!

Then use the savings to tweek (customize in any way) the new O/U (if needed) to be the pheasant/dove-killer special you want it to be. Along with a good supply of ammo in appropriate loadings or thier reloading components.

The 101 was never made by Miroku, it was made by Kodensha. The new 101's are made in Belgium, machine built with a lot of MIM parts. The Citori on the other hand still has a lot of hand work in the process with machined parts. Really no comparison.

Browning is easily worth the extra.

I like Brownings over 101s and would agree with Battue on the face of it. But if the Browning Waterfowl gun is heavier than a standard model (not being familiar with that one) I would take a good hard look at the 101, if it's lighter. The OP's specs for wanting an all-around gun would drive that decision. I personally wouldn't want to lug a heavy shotgun all day whilst hunting pheasants.

Agree and should have defined the shotgun as you did.

Many different Brownings out there that I would choose over the Winchester and perhaps the Waterfowl model is on the heavy side. If that is the case I would find a lighter weight Browning.

A good friend of mine has a Win. 101. This particular shotgun has the nasty habit of occasionally double-firing, with painful results. Several attempts to fix the problem have not succeeded.

Browning is the shotgun of choice, IMO.

Most likely the waterfowl edition is matte finished with a 3.5" chamber being the only difference between it and a standard Citori. Will probably run in the 8 pound range.

do they make a lighter version in the same price range?

I would look at one of these. Prices for used naturally less than suggested retail.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=008B&cid=013&tid=534

They make lighter guns, but usually are pricier due to materials used to make the gun lighter. You can look around at a few, there can be quite a difference in the density of the wood from stock to stock and can make a particular gun lighter than many others.

Citori's have never been known for being light. The difference is in the balance of the gun when compared to a repeater. They seem lighter to carry because the weight is distributed differently.

I did a lot of upland hunting with my 3.5" Citori before I finally sold it. I can't say that I ever ended the day saying I needed a lighter shotgun. I just wanted something different and this one went away as a result.

I'd look at a used Citori Upland Special with 24" barrels or a Citori Superlight Feather which has the alloy receiver with 26" barrels. I've been carrying a 20 ga. Upland Special for going on 30 years now and love it.

This...

I have two 101s and several Clitoris... I prefer the 101 because I shot it far better than the Clitoris. Let fit drive the purchase as both are very reliable shotguns.

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