Krieghoff K-80 Custom
Krieghoff K-80 Hybrid
Krieghoff K-80
Kemen KM4
Beretta 682 Gold E
Browning Ultra XS
Browning Medallist
Browning 425

The beautiful new stock had to come from somewhere, Krieghoff UK had a few, the factory had more.  I had a good look at pics sent from both and still didn't feel that Betsy was there.  Alan Rhone suggested a trip to the Krieghoff factory in Ulm, pick the wood, have a factory tour .... I didn't need to ponder I was there!  

So, Schilling Scroll found and a new stock to be picked.  I attended a Krieghoff Sponsored FITASC event in September 06, Alan Rhone was there with a new one off receiver that was engraved but still in the white, a work in progress - hmmm tempting, being tempted ....

TEMPTED.  The gun - the nicely engraved receiver + rather attractive stock + 32" Supersport barrels - came together in March 07, thanks to the main man and fixer Mr Alan Rhone who as I have said throughout is a very helpful man indeed!

I will admit to not having the desired results (wins / shooting well etc) and I dare say I expected to be doing at least as well as I did with the other gun, I had only changed from one 32" K-80 to another right?

The same old stuff happened, adjustable comb up, down, left, right.  Head up, head down, lucky pants on, lucky pants off (not shooting related, just fun with a couple of Czech gymnasts).  Some success, lots of failure, a lesson with Mr Bloxham that went very well on the day but the magic didn't stick.

I thought that the end to my problems must start with gun fit, whatever happened after that would be another fix, but I had to know that when the gun came up into the correct position, the clay would be smoked in the centre.  I knew of Mchael Yardley from his video 'Positive Shooting', various articles, gun reviews and one pleased chum that had a quick fitting and stock alteration with him.

A trip to Essex and a pattern plate was centred every time, good fit.  Could I have got this result by trial and error myself or at least by not driving for three hours?  Probably, but I guess it was arrived at by experience and I was happy with the results / am happy with the results. It wasn't just a gun fit but a half day lesson too and there were some valuable points to take away.  Some basic stuff in there - like matching the speed of the clay, simple but for some reason I had started to shoot everything as an instinct shot or by follow through, sometimes racing from some very strange places to catch up and overtake the clay.  It's a miracle I broke anything.

There are a couple of points that concern me about my day with Michael Yardley, not the shooting but the rest of the experience, professionalism -vs- jolly day out.

Oh yes the new gun, lovely, really lovvely.

Have a look at www.perazzi.co.uk for more info on the stunner.

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It's a great gun to shoot, everybody seems to want a go and you certainly feel you have the kit to do the job.  Around the shoots I have noticed a definite increase in Krieghoff ownership, the barrier of buying a '£7K' gun has been broken down just a little and people seem to appreciate that if you want a solid platform from which to build scores then the K-80 appears to be the tool.

I was happy with the K-80 but the prick behind it seemed to have a problem, one day brilliant, the next a disaster.  I knew I had to work at it, keep plugging away, keep trying.  The 32" Supersport with those distinctive titanium chokes hit the magazines and seemed to impress the reviewers, adverts started tempting me, the voices were starting again, so I visited Brierley Guns with a sock of fivers and good intentions but the Brierley deal to change to a Supersport just wasn't good enough.

Over the next few months I bought a full compliment of titanium chokes and had a successful bid on a well figured trap stock that I saw on ebay.  Alan Rhone asked if I wanted to go large, 'Supersport' me Alan - large fries, 1 litre of coke and a set of 32" barrels please.

The new gun had come together in odds and sods but was now the complete package and I had the option of 30" or 32" barrels and trap or sporting woodwork.  Pretty Cool!

First time out with it and a round of skeet was reduced to dust, sportrap became gravel and woo hoo the 32" package worked wonderfully.  But scores slip and my  shooting became erratic, I slipped the 30" barrels with standard steel chokes back on (my thinking was heavier 'standard' chokes to put weight back to front end / shorter barrels / maintain balance of the supersport package) and scores seemed a little better.  Rhino ported chokes were spotted on ebay and were soon mine, ooo nice kills!

Another phase bumping along on the cats eyes in the middle of the road and the 32" barrels went back on, scores were about the same, maybe a little better?  I was talking to one of my 'shooting consultants' at the ground who reckoned the adjustable comb was too low and should be raised considerably .... hmmm that worked quite well!  I ducked behind the bike sheds with Dirty Mary and we gave it a tweak together, I like to think we both got something out of the experience.   It may sound daft but it clicked what I had been doing wrong for a very long time, probably ever since I started shooting and certainly when I bought the gun which was also 'fitted' by James Hand at Brierley Guns.  The sight picture that all new shooters are told they should see ... this figure of eight ... ahhh that would be me only just realising what it should look like then ... ooops.  It was only now that the comb had been tweaked that I actually saw what I was meant to be seeing!  The scores improved a little and I had something to work on (again).

It dawned on me why I couldn't shoot pre-mounted as well (as far as my 'well' goes) as I shot gun down.  When all was going well, I was probably seeing the bird, mounting the gun, shooting the bird, my head was generally in the right place but not necessarily, and to be honest most likely not, tight to the stock.  However when I shot gun up, I tried to put my head where I thought it should be, good contact, cheek to stock etc and had more misses than I should.  I reasoned that my head must have been too low on the stock and by picking the comb up a tad I had cracked it, every target would now die!

Further fine tuning came from Ben Husthwaite who had a quick look at my mount - he advised me that the comb was perfect but that I should get rid of my beads or at most swap the pin head mid bead to the end.  I did this and scores were pretty good, certainly better and it didn't appear to harm, so vowed to persevere.

At some point I lost the bead and asked Alan Rhone at Krieghoff UK if there was a solution, ie a pin head bead that fits the end bead thread ....... erm no!  But the second most famous Belgian, Erwin Peumans, sorted me out during an early morning 'ooo my beads disappeared, moment at the Triple Classic at Highclere with a dob of superglue which allowed me not just to shoot with any old bead but with my desired bead set up and its held for quite a while before dropping out again, but I had to seek a more permanent solution, crawling around searching for a bead in grass and gravel was doing my knees in.

While chatting to Alan Rhone and a him casting an eye over a few dry mounts, he picked up on my occasional habit of mounting the gun low therefore I look at the target with my eyes looking up as far as as they go, this is both a strain and if I needed to look further up I would lift my head or have to move the gun as well as my eyes, as you would if looking over the top of a pair of specs.  I now try to watch out for this low mount / eye straining thing but sometimes struggle *sigh*.

So what does this tell you about the new gun?  The trap stock, titanium chokes, Rhino chokes, 32" barrels, balancing?  The gun worked well before, and as I said I was the one with problems.  Over the few months I took to get to this new set up, I had a gun that seemed right for me and become aware of, if not fully sorted, a few of my own problems.

I have been assisted by Krieghoff UK - Alan Rhone, Erwin Peumans, Michael (?) and by other Krieghoff shooters from Ben Husthwaite down to people like me and hey who am I?  In the great scheme of things I'm no-one, just an ordinary chap trying to shoot good scores.

Take it as a fact, the gun comes set up to shoot good scores, no if's no buts, it's a great gun.  But look at my experiences, how I love my gun, how I love to shoot and can't wait to get out there and try again next week, look also at how the gun has evolved and how I have evolved too, the assistance and the tweaking.  How many 'ordinary' shooters with a Browning, Beretta, Perazzi, Kemen, etc. .... can express such an opinion?

I'd like to say that this site is sponsored by Krieghoff UK, but it's not, I just appreciate a good product and decent attentive service, get that right and the customers sell your product time and time again.  Whats your gun like mate?  If it's a Krieghoff the answer probably won't start with moans and regrets.

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I was mystified as to why someone would want to spend so much money on a Krieghoff, after all so many great shots shoot Miroku guns so why bother?

Whenever I saw someone shooting the distinctive Krieghoff I thought ooo thats a KRIEGHOFF! and was interested to see what scores they were putting in, after all they must be top shots to have a K-80.  On a pleasant Saturday afternoon last year I was shooting a round of skeet and noticed a chap shooting a Krieghoff and as you do, I cadged a go .... It was always portrayed in the media as a heavy gun but it felt so smooth and broke the clays soooo well.  That is when I realised I wanted a Krieghoff.

After losing too many birds with mechanical gremlins on successive Sundays I went to what I saw as my nearest K dealer, Brierley Guns, they had a slightly used K-80 but someone wanted it, I gave it a week, it was still there ... she was mine.

A QUIET word to gun shops.  It might just be my disheveled appearance but when I bought my Kemen and Krieghoff and at other times when I have looked at a DT10 and a Perazzi, it was as if I was doing it for a laugh ... give's a go with your expensive  gun mista!   I don't window shop, I don't f*** about picking guns up and asking questions for the fun of it, if I look at a gun it probably means that I want to buy it, so bear that in mind ..... the next customer that looks at a 'nice' gun but looks a bit like a wino, might just be a wino ... or he could buy the gun, so stick with it, show a bit of interest and don't patronise hey :o)

What to say about the K-80 though?  It's a whole lotta gun.  Expensive yes.  Is it worth it?  Not sure.  Is the price is high because those that want one will pay it?  Or does the Krieghoff have a higher production cost than Kemen / Perazzi?  To have the tool that you want and be happy with it, is priceless.  PLUS, it will genuinely last for years and will still look and shoot like new if you look after it.

I have been happy with all of my guns and I really mean it this time!  The handling and kills are superb, the build is something else and most of all, the service and backup is fast and effective should you need it.

To fully appreciate the K-80 you have to shoot it, a few lines on a web site wont tell the story sufficiently well.  Wherever I shot, the gun always attracted two questions .... "how long you had the Krieghoff then"  and  "how do you like your Krieghoff?"  The guns have a reputation as do those that shoot them .... mine is not to do with high scores and a cheery smile though.

I now have to shoot like a Krieghoff owner.  It's in the contract Alan Rhone makes you sign, if your scores don't improve year on year, around come Dai and Gwynn to collect the gun and deposit a Baikal in its place ... look you boyo if youre going to shoot like a clown you can have his gun too, yaki dah.  Cheek pinches to those wanting me to kcuf up.  You know who you are!

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OK, so shoot me.  I got an itchy trigger finger and allowed myself to wonder what Krieghoff's, Kemen's and Perazzi's were really all about.  At the back end of July 2002 I was all set for a Perazzi, a very nice chap introduced me to another nice chap and a deal was done for a Perazzi MX2000 at an oh so attractive price, all I had to do was wait for confirmation.  The Perazzi factory like much of Italian manufacturing comes to a standstill in August, so I had to sit it out and wait until September.  I put a few telephone calls and faxes in to the "nice" chap, what an elusive little bunny he turned out to be!!  One such call confirmed that he had faxed his contact at Perazzi and that everything was fine, the fax was most likely sitting on a desk awaiting action in September.  The abridged version is that I was promised a gun at a very good price by one chap .... when it came to it he was never available and when I managed to speak to someone, his deputy, he denied any such deal, indeed the price quoted was now well over any deal available from other dealers.  Cheers Ken.

Many months passed and as I would now have to pay the normal asking price for a new gun, it seemed too painful to shoot anything other than 'old faithful'.  I reasoned that these plain actioned Italian and Spanish things things surely cannot be much better than my Browning.  That was until my finger started itching yet again and I started looking into a Perazzi or a Kemen, Krieghoff's at another £2000 more were just a daft proposition.  THEN I tried a K-80, a left handed 30" K-80 and was impressed by just how hard it seemed to smack the clays, hmmm maybe if I sold a kidney or made a few more donations to the sperm bank ...... pass the measuring jug Britney .....

I tend to be more than a little cautious when spending large sums of money so I looked into opinions on the three guns in my imaginary gun cabinet and realised that reviewers rarely express anything too convincing one way or another, nothing cast iron dependable, nothing that would make you put Gun" X" above Gun "Y" on your list or have you rushing to the gunshop.  Reviews are by and large, pretty neutral and nowhere near the "normal" form of product evaluation which lets the consumer know that, in the reviewers opinion, a Beretta 682 Gold E (for example) is the best gun for the money.  What we get is a picture of the gun, a description of its physical appearance, a little info on the bore dimensions and a pedestrian description of it's abilities ~ "it breaks clays, it is good."  

If you or I are going to buy a gun, we generally find it more difficult to "test drive" the chosen gun than Mike Yardley or Richard Rawlingson.  The gun will rarely fit you straight off the shelf, you tend to mould yourself to the gun to make it feel about right, even if you are allowed to shoot the gun, can you tell whether it's pukka after just say 20 shots blatting away?  Therefore we must surely rely on the opinions of those in the know.  Those people that know the gun, have lived with it and have experience of many other guns, yet are able to make a free and informed choice..... these must be the people to guide us, convince us that it is safe to part with our money.

I can get carried away, so I guess I'll shut up.

If you are buying a Kemen, you really have to go to Michael "Mr Kemen" Meggisson at Kelbrook Lodge in Lancashire.  A three hour drive and a few wrong turns later I arrived and the process began.  I had taken my Ultra XS as a starting point for gun fit, Mike did some calculus on the board while muttering to himself like a mathematics professor and arrived at the answer ~ 3x / y² + m³.  I would need a gun with certain characteristics, cast, length of pull, blah blah blah and with 50 or so Kemens of varying dimensions in stock, it was not too long before a few possibles were produced from the racks, from boxes and from the sleeves of his magic cloak.  

Some of the assembled Kemens felt pretty good but were rejected by Mike, some that I was not so sure of were kept as maybe's by Mike.  The near perfect gun was eventually isolated, Mike felt confident, I felt hopeful, the gun felt ....... well ..... nice!  I got a slight feeling that Mr Meggisson was keen to put the woodwork from the gun onto a used action, I guess so I didn't soil a new gun.  Well I hadn't come to bugger about on a whim, I was not going to waste MM's time, I was there to buy a gun, after making this clear I was "allowed" to shoot the gun and with a quick 50 shots at various targets and with one or two tweaks it was looking good.  I was largely open to the advice and opinions of Mike and I must say that he got the right gun into my hands pretty quickly, which is testament to his skill and experience.

I made a journey that was not just up the motorway, I went in search of a nimble 30" multichoked gun for sporting and skeet, I bought a 32" full and ¾ fixed choke gun .... blimey that Meggisson bloke could sell rucksacks to terrorists.

MM prised the credit card out of my paw long enough for payment to take place but it wasn't that painful really, I had a really nice gun which fitted well and had a proven history of quality and success (in other peoples hands) it would be an awful lot more painful to buy a gun that was unknown, didn't quite fit and I later saw at £1000 less.

The next time I saw the gun was a week later after a few minor modifications had been carried out ~ a new forend and slimmer recoil pad.  You know how it is, you get a new toy and want to try it NOW!  I went to Garlands for a Thursday night practice session, I hadn't really got time to go but what's a chap to do!  I headed for the sportrap layout, new gun in hand awaiting the first straight of the evening.  You know how plans have a habit of going wrong ..... hmmm mine went very wrong gggrrrrr!!

Funnily enough while at Garlands a strange character appeared from the bushes, a young schoolboy was seen to run off crying ..... Dangerous D said he had something that "might interest me" nodding down towards his hand which cradled his weapon, luckily I was wearing my Nike's so prepared to make a speedy getaway, well in his OTHER hand he had a new gun, turns out that he had bought himself a '97 model KM4.  Small world huh, you're never too far away from a ****.

Saturday came and a bonding session at Doveridge proved a little happier, I learned how to shoot the Kemen, or rather how not to shoot it.  I had a tendency to shoot it like the Browning, wrapping myself around the gun a little more than I should, moving my head down ... No No No No NO!  

Dangerous D, the other Kemen owner that accosted me at Garlands kindly gave me his opinions via email on my mistake in barrel length, my neglect in buying a fixed choke gun, the error that I would make in opting for 5/8 choke in both barrels and not having the chokes regulated to a specific cartridge.  That's the kind of attitude that we need in our reviewers!  Make yourself a real pain, argue about everything and then ram your opinion down everyone else's throat!  Does it matter that his opinion isn't held by me?  No!  I have chosen a gun for reasons that I have carefully considered and I believe are correct after weighing up the options.  My money, my gun, my scores, my chosen tool.

Oh yes!  The gun.  The biggest change is the ease of shooting.  Having the confidence to pick the gun up, point and shoot, the clay will break, honest!  No need to tuck in tight or "make sure", the easier and more natural that it feels the better the breaks.  If you want to know all of the technical points about the KM4 ask someone else, this gun isn't about figures its about flowing movements and hot Spanish passion.  I had a feeling that 32" barrels were too much, too long, too heavy, no such thing, it works, beautifully.  The kills now that Nigel Teague has taken the choking out to 5/8 are fab, I seem to kill more consistently, still dusting most clays, hitting the clays hard and in a way that makes me grin.  OI! THIS GUN HANDLES, that's it in a shotshell.  It just does what you ask of it.  One thing that has changed is my shooting style, I used to shoot instinctively, see the clay and shoot it quickly because I could, now I tend to follow it a little more and consciously shoot follow through which seems to work but I'd best not think about it too much, else I'll mess it up!  Maybe this is as a consequence of the longer barrels?

My only niggles are that Mike Meggisson does not appear to respond as quickly as I would like to telephone messages, letters or faxes, maybe if you are a World Champion rather than just a normal shooter, you will get action sooner ... but don't hold your breath!  I say this because the forend moves more than it should, mainly because the original that came with the gun from Kemen, was a beavertail and I chose what might be called a half schnabel so some jiggery pokery had to be carried out in house, maybe it was over jiggered.  I was also promised the "old" Kick-eez pad that made way for a new slimmer alternative, this has been forgotten about and is probably adorning another gun right now, maybe it's the Yorkshireman in me trying to get out.  I also took a liking to Olympic Skeet and discussions with MM revealed that there was an ideal Kemen solution available, trying to get details on this was a little difficult at times!  But persevere, if you want it you will get it, just keep plugging.  If you are at Kelbrook for a fitting as I was, MM tries to give you his full attention but must also deal with the likes of me telephoning for advice, help or a further appointment.  So if it takes a few extra calls or a trip up to Lancashire to get what I want, then the mountain will go to Mohammed. 

The gun ~ Fab.  The service and expertise while you are at Kelbrook ~ Invaluable.  Trying to get things resolved from 3 hours down the motorway ~ Painful.  But buy one NOW!  Don't tell your friends though, its too good to share!

* My scores are up and down mainly because of how I feel on the day, on the good days I have a blank mind and it just works.  I shoot naturally / instinctively.  On the bad days ..... well I don't know what goes wrong, but I tend to overthink my approach to some targets, I start measuring lead and as I mentioned, consciously shooting follow through for anything that I can see for "too long".  A trip to a 'Masterclass' at Sporting Targets in Bedfordshire with Stuart Clarke, Mickey Rouse and Kevin Mayor held mixed emotions for me.  I was happy on targets that I had to react to and for those that were a natural shot, but on long crossers that I could see for too long, I was screwed.  Messrs Clarke and Rouse didn't like my approach which admittedly was cockeyed on the day and they tried to get me opening up lead of say 6' / 7' / 12'.  My 'problem' is that I don't see lead, so this threw mental obstacles into my target approach ~  seeing the bird, coming from behind, catching it up, going through it, opening up a gap, shooting and missing.

What I normally do and I must get rid of the voices telling me otherwise, is look for the bird, see the bird, the gun moves, head approaches the gun, gun comes up, eyes and gun align, all moving in harmony, the shot is taken, kill.  Messrs Clarke and Rouse were advocating a maintained lead approach to this target, and this is a maintained lead method, the mind does the work instead of actively LOOKING at the gap and judging if its 6' / 7' / 12'.  We all need to work out a comfortable, repeatable way of shooting and this is it for me.  Next time the bird dies.

At the masterclass, the Kemen drew no admiring glances, a chap with a Perazzi thought that his was the dogs', I was quietly assured that I knew the truth.  The Perazzi was the only one in the shop, "luckily enough" it fitted him, he is very happy with it, ignorance is bliss.  Had this chappie tried a Kemen?  No!  Was it the best possible fit?  No, it was a compromise, he fits the gun rather than the other way round.  There is a choice!  It doesn't have to be like this!  If you try a Kemen you don't have to buy one, at least you will have a reference point and be able to make an informed choice.

Here endeth the lesson, go forth and multiply, send cash to Reverend Mike, c/o Church Of Kemen.

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Laura wanted and deserved a new gun.  I already had the Browning Ultra XS so the Beretta seemed the best "other" gun for the money.  Another good deal was struck with Avalon Guns and the 682 Gold E was mine, sorry Laura's I always get confused with that one).

The Beretta experience is different to the Browning equivalent, a little more polished.  Lets start with the contrast in gun cases for a start.  When I went to the Girne Gun Club In Northern Cyprus last year, I was stood in the airport with my huge aluminium Browning case, I was flanked by slim, short Beretta cases, carrying handles on long and short sides.  The Beretta case is easily the more manageable in this a situation and looks good too.

The 682 Gold E has a general appearance of being a FM gun, you know like ..... FM shoes?  The woodwork is varnished which is frowned upon by some people, but it looks GOOD!  The controversial laser cut chequering that some say will look dated in years to come?  It works a treat and looks good too.  The gun handles much quicker than the Browning, swinging quite freely but feeling neutral, you shoot the clay where you want to, no twitching or snatching that can occur in some light guns.  Those Optima chokes do a great job, nice patterns throughout the range, giving pleasant kills at all ranges.  

Another thing about the Beretta range of guns is that you can go up a gun or two from the 682 Gold E, whether its to the DT10 or to the SO series, you can aspire to own something else ..... another Beretta.  With a Browning its not quite so straight forward, you are buying essentially the top clay gun with the next step being a hand finished Belgian job.

The Gold E is a mighty fine gun, which Beretta owners will naturally move towards and Browning owners might shy away from.  I believe that it looks and handles like the gem it is, it makes shooting fun, the finished article for about £1400.  If you have an open mind and are prepared to put aside prejudices for brands, try the Ultra XS and the Gold E side by side / over and under / whatever ... make a judgment based on what feels best rather than money or hearsay.

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My urge to change to a "better" gun has been satisfied for now, but the battle was only half way won, even with the adjustable stock. The best thing that I did was to have the gun fitted, Joe Neville (01629 582859) was the man for the job, Dr. Joe watched me shoot a few clays, had a look how I mounted the gun and wrote his prescription and it was onto his brothers shop in Alfreton to have the 3/8" off the stock. It certainly makes a difference and is the base from which to build your technique ~ start with basics.  The gun comes with four factory chokes, Full, ¾, ½ & ¼ ~ which is OK but as the XS is Browning's flagship clay buster it could be better. Most people will be shooting the "recommended" constrictions of ¼ & ½, so they will be happy, for sporting I generally shoot 1/4 & 3/4 so that's OK too, but what about the choke changers out there, they will no doubt be missing the cylinder and skeet chokes.

I shoot skeet practice every week and when I'm in with a chance of succeeding, getting consistent 23's and 24's, I'll start competing ~ I need those skeet chokes or at the very least (depending on what you feel should be used in skeet) another 1/4 choke. This gun is partly sold on the Gold & Black Midas Briley chokes, I bought this gun direct from Browning and put in my request for additional chokes a month or two in advance and I still haven't succeeded in getting them. I had a head start over the punter walking into a gun shop and I have had no luck, I haven't been kept informed, I bought aftermarket flush "ordinary" Briley chokes instead.  This gun is new, it is desirable, people want one, they want one even more if they see it, people instantly recognise it by it's distinctive chokes, I have seen their reaction ~ I know what it's like. Browning will sell more XS's if they sort this supply problem out. Give me my chokes and sell more guns by doing so!

The first thing that I noticed when mounting this gun is the balance, it felt wonderful, natural, part of me, this is one very pointable gun. The finishes are all as you would expect on a gun of this quality, solid, attractive ~ it's a Browning.  The barrels benefit from being back bored which reduces recoil and deformation of the pellets, I can confirm that the gun feels a beaut to shoot for recoil, putting 36 gram loads through it didn't have an adverse effect on my shoulder so I guess the chaps at Browning know what they are doing.  Punterwise, it's going to be a choice between the Beretta 682 Gold E and the XS. As usual I guess brand loyalty is going to come into the equation, if you can get a gun like this for £1600 you'll be happy for some time to come. The next step is into Perazzi, Kemen, Gamba, Krieghoff territory and to be honest, the question would have to be WHY ... the next step is going to cost you another £2000+

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The gun is very comfortable, maneuverable and I break clays with it ~ which is important! Anyway, the medallist seems to have some sort of stigma attached to it ~ "huh it's only a medallist" ~ but it really is a great little gun, I cannot fault it yet. We (ok James) paid £475 for it new from a very helpful man ~ Andy Whitemore at Avalon Guns (see links) ~ including a gun slip (Andy! the strap broke July 2001) and a very nice offer from Browning gave me 1200 Trap 100 cartridges too! Which is nice. Overall, a good gun, it does what I want it to, great fun, very pointable, I know of many that have been in service for years, still look good and break those clay disc thingies ..... basically why pay more.

UPDATE ~ 04 Feb '01
While cleaning the gun after a mornings shoot I discovered that one of the ejectors had an open split in it. Bear in mind that this is after only 1600 cartridges and seven months. Is this what happens when you buy something that is not a "quality" gun or is it sods law?  Whatever it is I am not a happy bunny and I'm told that this is not covered by the warranty.

UPDATE ~ 24 Mar '01
The ejector has now been fixed F.O.C so normal service is resumed. Many thanks to Andrew Young and David Peel at Browning Sports UK.

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BROWNING 425 Grade 1 30" Multichoke
I bought this gun second hand in April 2000, it’s a late 1999 model which was absolutely indistinguishable from a new gun except for the price, about £740.  As far as the engineering of the gun goes, the 425 uses the monobloc system, this system is where they manufacture the breech end together with the lumps and machine the apertures for the tubes at an incline to one another, forming internal shoulder in the breech end for the external shoulders on the tubes to fit against. The barrels are then brazed or soldered in place and the ribs are added.  Normally the joint between the barrels and the breech end is disguised by engraving, but Browning has great faith in the standards of the Japanese barrels makers, for no such disguise has been made and the joint is not readily apparent. A telltale sign is the join in the rib at the same point, but this can be found on chopper lump or dovetail barrels, so those worried about the appearance should have no fears.

The top rib is 10mm and is finely cross-checked with a white bead at the muzzle end. The top rib is ventilated and the side ribs are solid. Chambers are 2 ¾" and the gun is proofed in England at 900kg/cm2. The woodwork on my gun is decent and if you have time on your hands you could spend a few hours bringing it up to a high standard, when I took delivery the grain was quite open and needed a lot of work to transform a stock with great potential into a spectacular one. Needless to say, if this had been done in a factory, the cost would have been considerable, I used to wax it each time I cleaned the gun, but have not been keeping this up of late, it is attractive and feels good all the same.  The length of the stock is 375mm and a tad too long for me, so fitting is a must do. The pistol grip is comfortable without palm swell. The action, as with all the furniture, is nitride finished.

The gilded, non-adjustable single trigger is selective, safety is not automatic which is right on a clay gun but if the preference is for game then a competent gunsmith will modify the gun for you. The fore-end, which is tulip-shaped, is of identical wood to the stock and fits comfortably in the hand. It is entirely removable, released by a lever on the underside.  The gun is a joy to shoot. Weighing 3.5kg. it is easy to carry. I shoot 28g loads and recoil is not noticeable. Maybe a year into its working life, everything is still as it should be - tight and a little stiff. The trigger pulls are crisp and of an ideal weight. Both spent cartridges are ejected simultaneously and land together at the same spot, which I found is just under a meter behind (but someone has to pick them up, so lets forget it !)  The striker pin hits are central and misfires are virtually nil. 

The B425 is an impressive gun, I have considered changing it several times for no other reason than for changes sake really, higher grade Brownings, a Beretta or two, Perazzi and a Kemen will all have to wait. When I think about it I’m happy with it and it will continue to serve me well for a long time to come.

The update to this is that I have changed to a second generation Browning Ultra XS. The 425 is in semi-storage, I try to persuade Laura to use it in place of the Medallist but it's an uphill struggle! It remains a good solid gun that will last a lifetime and still perform well, maybe I'm too attached to it because it was my first gun ~ you always remember your first don't you? (Donna Johnson)

Another update ~ I have sold this gun via a friendly dealer to a newish shooter.  I have since learned that the guy "had a problem" with the gun and took it back to the dealer.  The receiver is HEAVILY and repeatedly scratched on the underside ~ upon seeing this I could imagine what had happened.  The "Wesley like" fool must've taken the gun apart and been unable to put it back together, the one teeny thing that he neglected to do was push a sprung but slightly stiff component on the barrel set back 5mm.  Instead of doing this (it's not rocket science) he had repeatedly tried to force the barrels into the receiver and wiped £150 off the value of a mint gun. Ho Hum.

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