Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns 1968 Browning Superposed

I just bought a 1968 Superposed 20 gauge Lightning Skeet gun LNIB [yes, it came with the factory box.]

Browning Canada refinished the gun in 2008 at the original owner's expense thus I believe I may safely assume it was not a salt gun because it also came with the work order and correspondence. The gentleman even requested the bores to be re-polished. Sadly, the original owner was diagnosed shortly thereafter with the big C and stopped shooting the piece.

Questions: was there any difference between the early stocks and the later stocks?

I ask because I have the opportunity to buy a second set of stocks for field shooting.

Pictures?

DF

Sorry righty now I have Photobucket issues like most everyone else. Need to tend to that in the near future.

The gun looks just like the catalog pics for 1967 - Skeet - Lightning, 26 1/2" barrels, looks minty, PG and beavertail fore end, 22 LPI checkering, 99% but factory refurbished. The "Made in Belgium" is sharp but the "B" in "Browning Arms Company St. Louis Mo & Montreal PQ" and some other barrel stamping have slightly rounded edges and are no longer sharp on the edges if you know the tell tale signs of a re-blued gun. However, the engraving on the receiver has been freshened up nicely to crisp, sharp edges by a practiced hand. High quality blue finish.

Sorry, but this gun is no longer LNIB. Its been refinished, and apparently it is very is easy to tell.

If the original stock fits, just shoot it and be happy. In my world, it has little collector value.

Just IMHO.

Open an account on Imgur, easy to do.

Then upload photos from your computer. I put Imgur and My Pictures both on half page. Click, drag and drop photo from computer to Imgur.

Then hit "images", click on the picture you want to post. There will appear to the right, a list of options. Click on the next to last, post on this site.

Much easier than PB.

DF

It never ceases to amaze me that if a firearm has had one tiny screw replaced, it instantly loses all collector value, yet a car can be restored with the gear shift knob being the only original part and still command collector price.

Great comparison between American views on firearms and automobiles. I am inclined to take a more Continental look at refurbished/restored firearms myself. If the work is done by factory authorized personnel and there is provenance to that effect, I'm good with it.

The gun was never purchased as a collector piece but as a shooter with polished bores and a great finish that should perform said tasks nicely in the years to come at the range or in the field.

Thanks for the tutorial, DF!

Nice gun.

When Canada Browning refurbed it, seems they did a different forearm checkering pattern. It looks good, just doesn't look like OEM checkering.

DF

I noticed that too

That is a fine shotgun and if Browning did the work it is an original Browning. I've seen a couple Browning redone 20Ga Belgiums go for the equivalent of LNIB. I've also seen NIB examples have some of the stampings come-out less than perfect.

Brits don't hesitate in the least to send their ultra high-end shotguns back to the maker for cleanup, stock alterations, reblue, finish etc and consider them like new if the work is a complete redo.

To repeat, that is a fine shotgun and not many over here are made to it's standard. CSMC probably being the only ones to do so.

Browning does that checkering pattern, however, you don't see it all that often.

S&A

[Your comment from the Savage Collector's Forum]

"I would send the barrel to Briley and let them install thin wall, flush chokes... you will get a LOT more use out of it. I have never understood the reasoning for a double gun to have the same chokes - it defeats the purpose."

The secret to SK & SK barrels is to shoot two different loads down the barrels when hunting birds. I shoot Kent Target Steel #7s in the first barrel and Kent Upland Steel #6s in the second barrel for grouse thus the gun gives me a tighter pattern if I need a pull the trigger again for a missed bird or on a double.

Cheers.


Thanks you as well Battue for the confirmation of the factory checkering pattern. Can't wait to get to the skeet range and shoot some holes in the sky.

Below is a link to the identical shotgun NIB for 3K:

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/678583490

I found OP's forearm/checkering pattern in Schwing's Browning book, a 1972 vintage Skeet, 4 barrels set.

I have no idea how long this Skeet style forearm was offered. I had missed that configuration.

This factory refurbished gun, IMO, is very desirable and I wouldn't discount it much at all.

DF

"The secret to SK & SK barrels is to shoot two different loads down the barrels when hunting birds. I shoot Kent Target Steel #7s in the first barrel and Kent Upland Steel #6s in the second barrel for grouse thus the gun gives me a tighter pattern if I need a pull the trigger again for a missed bird or on a double."

I read that statement with interest; it brought back memories. Ten yrs. ago, I ended up with Major Charles Askins, Sr.'s personal 1932 Superposed Browning. He had Browning build this gun to his specs. As some of us older guys remember, the Major was one of the premier gun writer of his day, a shotgun guru; he was Charlie Askins Jr.'s Dad.

The Major had this gun choked 50% up, 45% down. It's marked Full/Full, so it's pretty evident Browning USA open those chokes to suit him. He loved to shoot desert quail, was reportedly pretty good at it.

These chokes are approx. Sk #2 and I.C. While shooting patterns with this gun, I found that fast loads opened up and slower loads grouped tighter, larger shot tended to group a bit tighter than smaller shot. High brass #9's are a real hoot for close in quail shooting.

It's pretty amazing what one can do with open chokes, adjusting patterns with shell selection.

DF

Congratulations on a beautiful and storied Superposed, DF.

To add for more fun on two barrels of chaos the Kent Target Steel #7s run at 1200 fps while Kent Upland Steel #6s are measured at 1500 fps. I found that the steel target loads run out of gas around 35 yards on live birds hence the 6s.

Some sexy grousey Superposed in here.

Well, I guess you guys don't know any Browning collectors then................

As an add to sending the guns back to Browning...

Got a DEAL on a useless choke combo in Superposed. I sent the Super Full/Full barrel back to the maker and had them open it up to Mod/Imp which not only increased the value of the gun, but make it usable. They also RESTAMPED the gun to reflect new constriction.

I sent an A-5 barrel back at the same time to have it opened up and restamped from Full to Mod

Bert, do you have to use steel shot for upland hunting up there in Canada where you hunt?

one of my favorite shotguns