Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Citori Upland Special

Looking at an older Citori Upland Special 12ga 26" 2-3/4" chambers Invector chokes. $700.
Primarily for Grouse hunting.
What are the pros & cons? Thanks

Pros, It`s a Citori !
$700 is a steal unless it`s beat.
Cons, the straight grip, I don`t care for them but you may.

I have the same gun but in 20 gauge. It is an excellent upland bird gun. Weight is around 6 1/4 pounds. I especially like the straight grip. I put extended choke tubes in it and I have no problem shooting out to 40 yards on pheasants with IC and IM chokes and Kent fastlead 1 oz #6. Early in the season for grouse and woodcock I use skeet 1 and skeet 2 extended chokes with 7/8 oz #7 1/2 's. In late season 1 oz 6's for grouse. (The only con is the 12 gauge is heavier.) I paid $1000 for it a few years ago, but it was like new in the box owned by an older gentleman ( I'm 70 now and he was a few years older than me, ha ha). I have three other 20 gauge upland guns that shoot good for me too. Benelli montefeltro 26" barrel, Ithaca/SKB SxS model 200E 28" Skt 1 / Skt II and a light weight alloy receiver Citori 425 28" barrels. I grab which ever my boy's leave for me. They all fit and shoot well for me.

Yes, I forgot to mention the straight grip. Not so sure about that. But I can probably get used to it. The light weight is a plus.
The gun is not beat, so it seems like a good price. And the older Invector chokes are still available.
I do want to stay with 12ga so I don't have to deal with multiple size ammo.

Go for it.
You will not lose money on it at that price.

Good price for the gun. I've been tempted by a similar gun in a bit worse condition for a little under a grand. If it's still there the next time I visit I might make an offer. I don't need it but at that price it beckons me.

I've owned 3 Upland Specials but am down to one now. I had one in each gauge but sold the 12 and 20 ga versions but kept the 16 ga. The main gripe I've had with them is the 24" barrels are too whippy- there isn't enough weight out front for my taste. I tend to get jerky with them when targets are more of a crossing shot. Even quartering and going away shots are harder as the barrels swing too easy and I tend to over swing them.

The other issue I had was the stock length is shorter than normal and it took a 1" pad plus a spacer to get the length right. I had to then add a little moleskin to the comb to get the drop correct. The standard hunting model stock fits me to a tee right off the shelf.

If it is something you are interested in, buy it. The price is very good and you won't lose money on it if you decide it isn't for you. I bought the 16 ga in 1988 for $650 new to give some perspective on the pricing.

I have avoided the Citori Upland Special because of the 24" bbl, but this one has 26" bbl, which I have never seen before.
I do like the standard hunting model stock measurements better. What is the weight difference of 12ga Hunting model vs Upland?

I do not like the Citoris because they are so rough to open/close. The Superposeds are a good bit more money but are as smooth as butter...

26" barrels and straight grip stock sounds an awful lot like the Superlight model. Have you checked the serial number to determine if it an Upland Special? I would do that for a definitive determination as there have been special order runs for some distributors with mixed features or stamping. I have not seen nor heard of stamping one model for a different model with Browning yet but I would not be surprised in the least.

Listed gun weights are as reliable as the listed weight on a driver's license. I don't usually think of weight except in a very general way. Balance is a much more critical factor for me as a light, poorly balanced gun is much more of a pain to carry and difficult to hit with than one that is properly proportioned to me. A basic rule of thumb with "standard" 12 ga bore diameter is to figure one ounce of weight per inch of barrel length. For a double barrel that would be doubled naturally. The stock is a real problem as wood weights vary greatly depending on the grain, density, dryness, etc. comparing two different models has even more variables though the shorter, straight gripped SHOULD weigh less due to having less wood than a longer pistol grip model but the amount could vary from negligible to a quarter pound or so.



Give a Citori 45+ years of use and it will smooth out quite a bit too. As much as I fell for the mystique of the Superposed, I have grown to prefer the Citori for a myriad of reasons. The good point regarding the Superposed today is that the prices are dropping like rocks and one can find the standard models for not much more than a comparable Citori.

Have both a 725 Citori and an early 60's Superposed Lightning, both in 20 ga. Have had a few issues with the Superposed, but the 725 has been flawless. If I could find an early production Citori 20 ga, in excellent condition with a low round count, I'd buy it.

+1 for the Citori IMHO.

Will not take 45 years, more like greased correctly and 2 flats. The Browning Citori is one of the bargains of todays shotgun offerings.

I agree with these comments, and Citoris are heavier, and bulkier than some others. That can be a pro or con.

I much prefer straight grips and have them on a few shotguns of very different types... generally Clitoris are more useful as javelins for me, but the upland special stocks are reasonable for me.