I'm in the market for a new O/U , main reason is I just want a nicer one than i currently have. Right now I have a stevens 555 in 20ga and 28ga, I Iove the little 28, cant hit a damn thing with the 20ga. Also have a Bakial 12ga that has worked great over the years but is clunky and leaves alot to be desired. My intended uses are backyard clays and the occasional trap, 5 stand, sporting clays round. I'm looking at either a 12ga or 20ga and the guns I'm considering are the franchi instinct SL, the browning 725 either field or sporting, and the beretta 686 silver pigeon field. I'm probably going to buy the gun from cabelas, just because I have a ton of gift cards there. Is there another shotgun I should be considering? Also since i'm pretty much only shooting clays should I rule out the field models? Thanks for any help or advice.

I’d look hard at the Beretta 686 Silver pigeon you mentioned. Great gun and very dependable. I have them in 12 through 410. If they made one in 16 I’d have one. I went with the Browning Citori Lightning for a 16. I wouldn’t be afraid of a Browning either but I lean toward the Berettas.

Another vote for the Citori Lightning, They just fit me well.
YMMV.
I have them in 20, 16 and 12 ga.

Any of your choices would be a step up from what you have in regards to quality. I own and use Browning's in part to buying at factory cost but have bought Berettas "for my wife" so am pretty familiar with them too. I would pick either of these over the current Franchi guns as I feel the Franchi is presently an "economy/entry level" brand for Beretta and the cost differential is not enough for me to pick Franchi.

As for model, I prefer the field guns in either Beretta or Browning as the dimensions are a perfect fit for me. There is no difference in function between clays and field guns so either will break clays or kill birds with the limiting factor being the shooter. As a hunting gun, I'd lean toward the Beretta as they tend to be a little lighter than Browning, all else being equal. For primarily a target gun I prefer a Browning but it is not cast in stone. My wife is the opposite as we each look for different handling characteristics.

In target models, the Beretta 686 Sporting Clays models require little fitting while Browning's equivalent needs a fair bit of work.That is just me, I know others who are the opposite as well as those who shoot either style equally. There are some features available in the clay models not found in the field so that may be a factor in one's choice. I gravitated to Browning's due to early influences and economic advantages later on. If conditions had been different I probably would have gone in a different direction for main preference but the other would have still been held in high regard.

After a little thought, the Browning Cynergy is probably the best compromise as it comes close to the Beretta while keeping the Browning name. Maybe why I have three of them!:)

Whichever you choose, don't fail to consider used....There are always amazing deals if one is willing look around. Since most of your use will be clays, then consider Blaser shotguns. German quality with exceptional company backing, great triggers and some good deals used. i have friends that shoot them...Would be my pick over Beretta or Browning....

I have a Franchi Instinct L in 20ga and it has served well for at least 3 or 4 seasons now. I would not hesitate to purchase another one.

Look at Browning Superposeds, which are surprisingly affordable given the amount of handwork that went into them. 12s are plentiful in the $1200-1500 range. 20s run from $1800-2500 depending on configuration and barrel length. Both ranges are for Grade 1s. The Pigeon grades and upwards bring a lot more. I own three (a 12 gauge LIghtning Trap 32 inch with a Broadway rib, a Grade 1 20 gauge short tang round knob with 28 inch barrels and a 20 gauge Pigeon grade, also with 28 inch barrels) and my youngest brother owns another Grade 1 12 gauge with 26 inch barrels. They have been extremely reliable on the clays range and in the field. Not steel safe, if that's an issue, but no other downsides of which I'm aware, except for the salt wood problem from the 60s, which you should investigate before you buy one.

Buy a super... shot the wheels off of it and it will still go up in value...

Thank you, to those who have responded so far. I forgot that I had a Remington model 32 as I really havent shot it much since i bought it a couple years ago. I was out this weekend and shot some clays with it, and shot it fairly well. The double triggers are something that will take a little getting used too, but with singles it was fine. My plan is to go to Cabelas here in the next 2 weeks and see and fondle what they have. I know its not the best place to buy one but with a pile of gift cards and the points back on my cabelas c/c it just makes sense. If anyone has any more advice I'm all ears. Thanks again.

I give the exact same answer, word for word.

get the 725...............or
ask if they have any citori crossovers laying around. its a lot of gun for the money.

Price range?

Take a hard look at Zoli.

All that said...
The only gun I ever shot a perfect round on was a little Stevens (?) 12x? Single shot break action farm gun.
Just a bead at the end of the barrel.
There is something to be said for simplicity.

There was a trap instructor I read about who would take the sight off an air rifle and teach beginning trap shooters to mount and hit a stationary target with that.

There has been quite a few suggestions, most of them reasonable...Now go out and find a place were they shoot a lot, try as many as you can and pick one out that you like...One that you think you may want to shoot for awhile...As we shoot more, we learn more and our preference for one or the other changes...They all are a little different in how they balance and handle.....

Have had extraction/ejection issues on two (2) 686 series sub gauge Berettas, both fixed by our local gunsmith Ditto for a friend's 686 20 ga.

Bought a Browning 725 20 ga and it has been flawless.


IMO, The Beretta is a lighter, handier gun with a shallower receiver that works well in quail fields. The 725 is heavier with a taller receiver that again IMO is more robust and works well on a sporting clays course.

First thing you should do, after making sure the gun fits, is get rid of the frickin beads! ONLY LOOK AT THE TARGET.

I went through this process with similar needs and some trial and error over the last 18 months. Currently, my favorite for clays shooting is my Browning Citori CXS. I think I read the CXS is an updated version of the Citori 325 Sporting guns. They are set up to shoot to point of aim as opposed to high like some target guns.They are reasonably priced compared to other options, don't have porting (in my experience, porting provides little recoil reduction for the increase in noise in a shotgun), have a great reputation for reliability, and good swing and balance for a clays gun. I prefer the cheaper CXS to the newer 725. I've put about 10,000 rounds through my CXS over the last year and so far really like it.

I also like the older Berettas of which I have two (two barrel set 28/410 Sporting and 12 field gun). I bought a newer Silver Pigeon Sporting on sale from Midway before the CXS and the fit and finish was terrible. The newer Beretta was so I bad I was afraid to sell it on here so I sold it at a local gun shop where the buyer could handle it. It was worse than some cheap Chinese and Turkish guns I've seen in that regard. Other newer Silver Pigeons I have seen have been the same. I also had a Blaser F16 and loved the handling and hit really well with the gun but got consistent light strikes and misfires. I called Blaser and they said to use different ammo. The problem was it happened with 5-6 brands of ammo for me. My friend has a newer one and has also been having some light strikes. I also looked at and researched older Browning Superposed and decided I preferred the Citori for several reasons.

For what you describe, I think a few good options to consider could include older Berettas or a Browning CXS or Lightning, Another gun to look at if you could find one at a good price would be the new production Winchester 101s. I had one I got really cheap. I didn't shoot it much, but it shot really well when I did.

These are really nice, too, but the one's I've seen have been at a higher entry fee than many Berettas and Brownings. I've shot a Zoli sporting gun owned by a friend and they shoot really well.

Thanks for the additional responses. My budget is 3k, but if the additional $$$ isn't really going to get me anything better than a 2k shotguns. I will just use the additional cash to buy an additional gun probably a rifle. The browning cxs is another one thatvi was looking at. Is there a big difference between Cxs and the 725?

Not always, and if you would happen to take some lessons from Anthony Mataresse he would explain to you when to. Or get his new video set....

The new White Lightnings are sharp looking.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876289736

who cares what they look like!
will it shoot and last!

😳 I do. 😄 kidding aside, which gun fits you the best will be the one. Both “B” guns will last the average man forever. I have two Browning Grand Lightning’s, a 12 and 20 that I bought in 2000. The 12 gauge has been my main shot gun since. Lots of birds, sporting clays and rounds of trap every week for a few years, I don’t know how many rounds are through it. If in the event you wear it out they have plenty of parts.

exactly my reason for choosing brownings.

Or Perazzi, or Beretta, or Krieghoff, or Blaser or. or, or...when it comes to rounds, trap, skeet, sporting clays, lasting and parts....

I went to Cabelas today and the selection was pretty slim. I ended up getting a Browning Citori CXS in 12ga. It seemed to fit me better than the 725 field and the 725 sporting that they had. I couldn't see the $1000 difference in price between the CXS and the sporting. After my cabela's points and gift cards it was only $800 out the door, so I feel like it was a pretty good deal. Thank you for everyone for the advice.