Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Upland Citori 16 gauge for pheasants ?

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Saw a 24-inch 16 gauge Browning Citori Upland model with straight English grip for sale.

Wonder if this would work for pheasants ?

Maybe with 1-1/8 ounce of #5 and a modified choke ?

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Very short barrels so I am sure it isn't going to balance very well. Of course some here will argue that. Another thing is a very short sight plane. Oh and another thing going to be very whippy barrels @ 24".

Now to answer your question will it work? Sure but so will a brick at times.

Mod, 1-1/8oz, #6's should get it done if you can put the barrels where they need to be.

What do you mean by work for?

I did not realize that was a consideration in shotguns.

Yeah. A correct sight plane is a requirement from the shotgun police!

I'm not set up for the 16gagg, but I recently became aware of the BPS 16. The Upland version of that gun also has a straight stock with 24in tube.

The extra length "helps" to point better up to the point of being cumbersome.

Try pointing with your finger close to your chest and then with your arm extended and see which way works better. The barrel is nothing more than an extension of your finger. and

Maybe thats the theory, but personal preferences might also be a factor too what one likes and therefore works best as well.

That 24 in BPS for example is the equivalent of a 29 to 30 in o/u or sxs as far as sighting plane when you factor in receiver length. So it may work for some.

No reason to cut the barrel on a Citori when it will balance better with longer barrels.


However, try and find a serious target shooter-trap, skeet, sporting or fitasc who uses a 24in pump or auto. You wont find any winners, but you will easily find losers. Nor will you find one with an o/u or sxs.

There are some great pump users and many great auto users in the target games. The theory of what works in the games also applies to the field.

Admittedly about the only way you can balance out a BPS is to cut the barrel off. Not necessary with the Citori.

Addition:
When I read my post, admittedly it is a little convoluted. What I'm trying to convey is that people who make a living with a shotgun or are heavily involved in the use of them for recreation, universally use longer barrels. They have worked out the theories long ago and 24in anything are not to be found.

Member of 14 All-American Trap and Skeet teams.

Winner North American Clay Target Championship.

Winner Open Championship of North America.

Winner North American Doubles Championship - 5 times.

Winner High Average on 16-Yard Targets in North America twice.

Winner High Over All Championship of North America - 5 times.

Winner High All Around Championship of North America - 5 times.

Winner of more than 100 state and regional trap championships.

Youngest State Trap Champion - Kansas - 14 years of age. Repeated as State Champion the following year.

Winner High Average on Doubles in North America - 3 times.

First 100 Straight on Doubles ever shot at the Grand American.

Winner of 20 state and regional skeet championships.

Winner National Sub Small Bore (.410) Skeet Championship.

International Skeet - 2nd place in Championship of the World.

International Trap - 3rd place in Championship of the World.

International Trap - winner gold medal at Olympic tryouts.

Winner World Live Pigeon Championship High Over All, Mexico City.

Match of Nations, Cairo, Egypt - Member of winning live-bird team competing with 25 other countries.

Winner World Live Bird Grand Prix, Monte Carlo.

Winner Live Bird Championship of Madrid.

Winner Live Bird Championship of Paris.

Winner Open Flyer Championship of Guadalajara.

Winner Columbaire Championship of Seville, Spain.

Winner Columbaire Championship of Madrid.

Winner Columbaire Championship of Egypt Open.

Grand National Quail Championship, Enid, Oklahoma - high score three years in a row.

That's a lengthy list of accomplishments. By some standards, Rudy Etchen wouldn't be a "serious shooter." He won the Grand, set numerous records at Trap Doubles . . . and skeet, with pump-guns. No serious shooter uses a pump! Much of his live bird shooting was with a SxS . . . no serious shooter uses a SxS in competition!

It is a trend type thing. For years, the "ideal" skeet gun was a 26 inch O/U . . . actually, 25-1/2 in. when the Superposed was prevalent. Sighting plane wasn't a problem then, so it must be a fairly recent invention?

Skeet, or "clock shooting," trap, sporting clays . . . all of these sports were designed to simulate bird hunting, a fun way to keep tuned up in the off-season. But, they have all become their own entities, so now most "Sporting Guns" are far too heavy to be enjoyable carrying around all day in the field and as far removed from the notion of the "British Game Gun" as can be imagined. Part of it is understandable-- less hunters every year, and more clay-shooters that never hunt, and never intend to.

None of it has much to do with wild pheasant hunting, though. Anything that allows shooting from a premounted position is not relevant when it comes to hunting wild, flushing game. If you can mount you gun and yell "Pull!," it just doesn't equate to a day in the field chasing pheasants.

Not sure what you are trying to say for the most part, but anyway. Rudy didn't live to far away from me and I am friends with and have shot and hunted with his Son-Joel-on more than one occasion.

Can't remember saying that no serious shooter uses a pump or sxs. In fact with regards to pumps I said there are some great shooters. So not sure where your going with that line.

Again with regards to premounting. Trap and skeet yes. Sporting maybe, there are winners doing it pre-mounted and gun down. Fitasc is exclusively mandated to be shot gun down. Therefore, not sure if you are all that up to speed on what is going on with all of today's target games. Obviously not.

Have also hunted with some top flight target shooters. Most of us regular Joes with a shotgun would be left trying to play pickup if they decided to hog the show. Targets or Pheasants those boys and girls are at the top. Just the way it works out.

The point was that personal preference plays a huge role and that whatever your preference is, there is no substitute for gun fit. We don't wear the same boots, clothes, etc., so why should we wear the same guns? What we do the best with is self-explanatory . . . it is what we do the best with, what comes up the best, what feels the best, what we can do intuitively.

After forty-five years of hunting wild pheasants, I clearly do have strong preferences. An Upland (or "Superlight") Citori wouldn't be on that list in any gauge. For me, anyway . . . obviously a few people like them. Nevertheless, it is still only my personal preference and it doesn't take very long for an individual to find out what works best for them.

With regards to sporting guns being heavier, no doubt that is the case for a variety of reasons. However, the goal is still to have the shotgun in balance with the weight. Not too front heavy and not to muzzle light. Same principle applies to lighter field shotguns. A 24in straight stocked Citori will not be a shining example of a well balanced shotgun.

Gun fit, gun fit, gun fit. Repeated over and over here on the fire. There is more too it than just looking down the rib and seeing if things line up. Until one has the mechanics of a subconscious and consistent move and mount down, a perfectly fitted shotgun will do little to improve their performance and in fact it would be extremely difficult to be have a shotgun accurately fitted to the shooter without an excellent move and mount.

The heavy part is recoil. You can't get past too many ads without a mention of "felt recoil." It is also why folks want their 12 gauge autoloaders to cycle with 7/8 oz. payloads . . . not only a 20 gauge load, but a 20 gauge target load at that. Makes no sense to give up effective pattern size, but "felt recoil" apparently overcomes the logic.

Recoil is the big deal when one shoots a couple hundred targets in a day. The other reason is that many of the presentations require a consistent follow through. Becomes very difficult with a light weight that stops as easy as it starts.

It's an even bigger deal when you are in Argentina shooting doves all day in a t-shirt. But that isn't the case at all when hunting pheasant.

Plan on doing that sometime. But I don't hate them enough to shoot a thousand rounds a day. I have managed 300 to 400 rounds a day often and that should suffice to get my kicks out of shooting Doves.

They sure hate them down there. Horrible crop depredation issues. You're doing them a favor by going down to shoot.

Then they should pay me to do so.

Addition: Nice that you mentioned Rudy. Most don't have a clue of who he was. Very similar to a ball player of today not knowing about Willy Mays or Lou Gehrig.

His father Fred was also an accomplished shooter and also won the Grand American. Joel is no stranger in the use of a shotgun and has also won events at the Grand. His Daughter likewise.

Rudy's training regime while young and under the direction of Fred would have broken most of us down. You didn't leave a peg until you had broken 100straight and he was expected to run the field every day he decided to shoot, or you didn't shoot.

Hammer1,

No matter what gun you use, You sure do not need an 1 1/8oz. load
of # 5's for Pheasant ! I've been killing our wild Kansas pheasants for 40 years wih 3/4 oz. # 6's in my 28 ga.'s with out a problem. If Iam hunting over dogs I use an IMC choke. No dogs
I use Mod.

Good luck and have FUN.

Rabbitdog

Rudy looks like he knows something he isn't telling: