Anyone ever use one of these in a 3.5" model for turkey hunting? I prefer a sxs to the o/u, but nobody makes a 12 gauge 3.5" sxs that I know of, and I think the ultimate turkey gun has just gotta have 2 chokes. They make a camo model with a 26" barrel that weighs 7.25 lbs, and looks like its a fine gun. And it would surely be versatile.
I've always set up my sxs guns to have one barrel for normal range and one for up close, and I could do that with this gun most of the time. But since it has that 3.5" chamber, there are other possibilities with the Cynergy. My 3.5" TSS hunting load has a wider kill pattern at 40 than my old lead loads, and it will still kill a turkey way on out there. But its possible to make shells that are much tighter and would give one other options. I'd better not speculate any more on the possibilities, or I might get thrown off the site.
You gotta take a backup gun on an out of state trip, and it would be nice if both guns used the same shells. I could shoot anything in a Cynergy that I shoot in my SBE. Anyone got any experience with one of these guns?
I have a Browning Citori 12 ga 3.5 with 28 inch barrels. Have killed about 15 with it, but it kicks like a borrowed government mule with 3.5 inch shells. One barrel shoots higher than other. I love the gun but since TSS is now available for 20 ga, she has become a safe queen. I remember one time shooting a Tom while sitting up against a big tree, and when I shot the gun jumped completely out of my hands and was laying flat on the ground beside me.
I've got a Citori that's probably 6 or 7 years old now that shoots 3.5s. My parents gave it to me as a Christmas gift back then. I was big in the duck hunting back then while in school at Ole Miss, and decided I would take the gun out when I got back from Christmas break. I was shooting Federal Black Cloud # 2s at the time out of an SBEII and had never really paid much attention to the recoil.
Well we pulled into the buck brush in my boat and got set up that morning. At this spot we pulled the front 2/3 of the boat under the buck brush and my partner and I sat on stools on the back deck of the boat (this will be important later). We had ducks in on us before shooting hours, and we're just enjoying the show.
Finally shooting hours hit and we had another group of mallards drop in. I called the shot and my partner and I both threw up and shot. I shot from a seated position on my stool because two people standing to shoot on the back deck was a little tight and unsteady. On my first shot, I dropped a greenhead right in the decoys, but the shot itself knocked me back on my heels a little. I quickly got on another bird and fired again. With the second shot, I was sent directly onto the ground on the deck of the boat, and I missed.
Luckily I brought my SBE too that morning. I put the Citori back in the case and haven't shot it since.
With that being said, I think it would make a great turkey gun for what you are looking for, but be ready for a pounding if you do much patterning
Thanks for the replies! I have shot a Citori and know that they kick, but Browning claims a recoil reduction system on the Cynergy lessens the recoil by 25%. I've read some reviews that thought it helped some, but probably not that much. All I've read that used it were waterfowl hunters; haven't read of any turkey hunters using it.
The Cynergy weighs a shade more than my SBE and it is inertia operated and has no recoil reducing features except a recoil pad; do you guys that use o/u guns a lot think that it will kick worse than my SBE with the same shells? I'm sure that a gas gun like a Beretta is easier on the shoulder, but I wonder if there would be any significant difference in the Cynergy and the SBE? The SBE with my handloads is very manageable, so I'm thinking the Cynergy will be too. Could be wrong; some guns kick a lot worse than the numbers say they should.
I need another shotgun about like I need a hole in my head. Still, I see no point in letting my wife's second husband spend all my money.
I say it will kick more for sure, but
You can load it with smaller payload
Using TSS and recoil will be nil.
If I could find a 3" Black/satin it would be
In my safe!
Unless Browning makes the new A5 in
A 20ga first!!!
I have a pair of Beretta 686 O/Us, one with 2.75" chambers weighing 6 lbs (Kick-eez pad). The other has 3.5" chambers and weighs 7.5lbs (Pachmyer Decel). I bought it back when I did some goose hunting. Recoil in that gun is manageable with steel ammo with a shot charge of 1&9/16 oz. Lead is another story. I have not shot anything larger than a 3" 2 oz Winch factory shell, and I won't shoot another. Can't even imagine what the recoil of 2.25 oz would be like and sure don't plan to find out. Recoil calculator shows 83 ft-lbs for 2.25 oz load in a 7.3 lb gun.
I currently use the other one which weighs 6.75 lb when set up for turkey hunting. I shoot 1&5/8 Tss 9x8.5s in the bottom barrel and 1.25 oz loads of reclaimed TSS 9x8.5s in the top. Recoil is manageable with the heavier shell, but it's as heavy as I will shoot in that gun. You could shoot 1.75 oz loads in the heavier gun comfortably.
It has been my experience that you will want to shoot the heavier load in the bottom barrel. Not only is recoil easier to manage (straight back with less muzzle rise), but I also get less POI variation between the two barrels by a factor of 2. With the bottom barrel sighted in dead on @ 40 with the under barrel with 1.625 oz TSS, the over barrel is 5" high with a 1.25 oz Pb load. Conversely, if I zero the upper barrel to shoot the TSS load, the lower barrel will hit 10" low - twice the variation as setting up the other way.
This year I changed the load in my open barrel from Pb 7.5s or 7s to reclaimed 9x8.5s. My pattern with the Pb 7s was limited to 30 yds. I wanted to extend that to 40, and I also had all these reclaimed TSS 9s and 8.5s. They give solid coverage to 40 (118/10) with a 1.25 oz load while still maintaining wide enough patterns at closer ranges, especially if using an optic, which I do. The first two versions of that load patterned 5" high when the bottom barrel was sighted in dead on. Fortuitously, the third version of that shell shoots to the same POI as the lower.
While these results do not pertain directly to the Cynergy, the Berettas are of similar quality. The O/U with two different chokes is an ideal turkey gun IMO. I would rather deal with a little vertical variation vs the horizontal variation posed by a sxs. Like all guns, it will take some experimentation to settle on the formula that works best in your particular gun, experimentation that I know you will do. Lord knows, you were diligent in getting those sxs guns to shoot to suit you. I say get it and have fun.
Tried to set up to for a friend some time back. Worst kick ever. Even in a Lead Sled.
1st one shot 20" High. Sent to Rhino for POI adjustment. Came back 20" high. Took back to dealer. They called Browning. They said it was a 6 O'Clock gun. 20" was too much. Sent it back for exchange and a new 6 O'Clock gun shooting 20" high came back. Took it back to the dealer and exchange for a Maxxus. End of story.
There are no numbers on any of my clocks below 8. Then all of a sudden, 2 days before turkey season they appear. Then right after the season they disappear.
What's up with that
I use a Cynergy for sporting clays. It's an okay gun, I got a discontinued model at a steep discount otherwise I probably wouldn't buy it again. The extractors are tempermeantal and a few thousand shells later the action is still stiff to open. Recoil even with the reflex stock is considerable with 3" shells.
I had every intention to buy one a couple years back to duck hunt with. I think they're neat looking guns. That was a good plan until I actually shouldered and shot one. We just didn't get along. My Citoris fit me great, this was no Citori. Something about it I just didn't like.
Thanks for all the replies. Johndoe, I think you mighta talked me right out of this idea. I've had enough of dealing with turkey guns that won't shoot straight, and 20" is more than I wanta try to manage. When all is said and done, I think my SBE that I've been using 15 years is probably the best turkey gun I'll ever own. There are times when I wish I never woulda bought anything except a second one for a backup. But that wouldn't have been much fun, so I still experiment.
Wes, thanks for the additional info on your Berettas. I don't understand why a Cynergy would kick any harder than the SBE, but I'm sure there's a reason. That 425 I told you about will make itself known when shooting a 2 oz load. The left barrel with the full choke shot only a couple inches left, and threw an amazingly tight pattern, so I'll probably just jeep playing with it. The right barrel shot about a foot to the right with the 2 oz load, but I expected that. I need to figure out a sighting system and find a load the right barrel will center. I know it will center a 1.5 oz lead load, so there's gotta be a TSS load that will work
I used my 20 gauge citori to take 2 toms with TSS this year. It does not kick, is light , carries well and would be the ultimate gun if there was a good way to attach a red dot to it. The rib rider is not available for Browning, and the B square is heavy and gawky to me.
Preacher I looked at one at Simmons about a month ago along with a new browning A5. I just didn't like the way they shoulder. I thing n2deer is setting up one for turkey hunting.
I know for sure it does kick harder than the citori but maybe not much different than the SBE, worst recoil wise Auto I ever shot. Mine also shoots a 6 O clock hold but not nearly that bad.
Both barrels hit high, unlike my citori top shot high, bottom shot lower, but it's never really caused a problem. I aim the same way.
Unlike most I just shoot the same chokes and load. I'm not skilled enough to think about switching barrels like you veteran turkey slayers. Jk
It does seem browning barrels usually throw some great patterns without alot of effort. Just in my experience.
I have the Cynergy satin classic field chambered in 3.5 that i use for skeet and occasional goose hunting. I cannot say anything about turkey loads because i`ve never tried any in it, but shooting skeet and water fowling its awesome. Both barrels shoot a tad high ( 2"-3") but the pattern is dead even left and right. Nastiest thing i`ve shot through it was Black Cloud, wingmaster hd, and Hevi Metal goose loads. Recoil was never a problem , the classic has a normal butt stock instead of the cynergy stock. That might have something to do with it. Got mine on sale at Gander Mtn. several years ago for $1,299 regularly $1,799.
I am using a modified Rib Rider on my Browning 20 gauge Citori. The Trijicon RM08 sits nicely and both barrels shoot very closely to point of aim with the dot sight.
The Rib Rider required a little bit of file work to have it fit between the Browning rib and barrel.
"I'd really rather not do it, but I am helpless in the grip of my compulsion" - Tom Kelly
Trumpetman, thanks for that pic. I thought it should be possible to make Rib Rider fit most anything with a little work. I'm really interested in your sight. I've read some reviews of it, and some complain that when in a dark area and aiming into a lighted area, the triangle washes out. Have you had any problems with that in a turkey hunting situation?
I really like the Burris FF sights and have them on 2 guns, but I'm now having a problem of seeing a dual image on the red dot. Its not the fault of the sight; its just my old eyes. One reviewer said your sight was less likely to have that problem, and that's its clearer than a red dot. Got any idea on this? The bad thing is there is no where I know of to go and look thru one without buying it.
I have used Trijicons for many many years. I really like them. No batteries being the main reason. Years back I missed a slammer of a gobbler due to a dead aimpoint battery.
The new Trijicon RM08's are not a bright as the old. Sitting in a dark place looking to the light is not so much of an issue as is how the light hits or does not hit the light gathering material. I think light directly behind you is more of an issue than what you mention. I use the attachment that cuts down on the glare of the glass. If I remove that there is not an issue at all from what I can tell.
The older Trijicon's did not have that issue so something has changed between the old and the new.
I used the Remington Rib Rider and simply filed the portion that goes between the rib and the barrel thinner to the point where it would just slide in place. It works great and holds zero.
I am in my 60's and my eyes just do not handle the sights and beads anymore. Red Dots do seem to give me a halo type double image when mounted close. The Trijicon does not do that for me.
We are in the middle of a house move and my stuff is packed away. Next month I will get a better photo up of the mount details. The 20 gauge Citori I bought is a killer with TSS and the Trijicon set up. I looked at the Burris FF but it seems batteries and me do not get along well!
"I'd really rather not do it, but I am helpless in the grip of my compulsion" - Tom Kelly
That's great info; thanks for sharing it. I've done a little reading and it seems like the AR guys talk about eye problems a lot more than turkey hunters. I'm kinda leaning toward the RMR 7 MOA model instead of the triangle reticle. I've read several posts from people with astigmatism like mine who are able to see that dot without any trouble. I don't understand why my glasses won't take care of the problem, but they don't. I think I'm gonna carry a Burris FF with me to the optometrist at my next appointment and see what she can do.
