My main gun is a Browning Citori 725 Sporting and that's not going to change. I also have a spare/buddy gun, which is a Tristar Sporting model. I got it used for little or nothing and I've been shooting it a little. It shoots just fine

After 135 rounds yesterday, I noticed that the gun feels "different" than the browning. Its slimmer through grip for sure. the LOP seems to be just a hair shorter, but just a hair. And it swings faster. Don't know if this is better, just feels different.

My arms are admittedly a little weak (ok... very weak after surgeries on both shoulders). The browning gets a little heavy after a while, especially the left arm holding up the forend. This Tristar never once felt heavy. That, I can say, was better than the browning for me.

And, it seems to shoot softer. Or maybe I mean to say it doesn't have the kickback of the browning shooting the same 1oz, 1250fps reloads. This part was also better than the browning for me.

Not saying that the Tristar is better than the browning. I'm saying that I now have something to compare and I definitely like aspects of the lighter feeling and softer recoil of the Tristar

The browning, according to my scale, is only .3lbs heavier. The barrels of the browning, are .3lbs lighter than the Tristar barrels. I do not believe that the overall weight of the guns is what causes that heavier and slower feeling

I tried to get a sense of the balance point. The Tristar seems to balance about a 3/4 inch behind the hinge pin. The Browning seems to have a balance point about a half inch in front of the hinge pin.

I have no idea what all this means. Or if I even measured it correctly

I also don't know how I will go about getting a slightly lighter feeling from the browning and get it to swing maybe just a little bit faster (but not quite as fast as the Tristar)


What alters the felt recoil from one gun to another? Does the fit have anything to do with this?

How can I experiment with customizing the swing of the gun and maybe speed it up a little. I don't want to do anything to permanently change the gun.

you touched on balance. If the balance is really ahead of the hinge pin, that might account for the heavier swing feel. Try adding some weight to the stock.

I bought and rad parts of the The Stocking Fitting book. Seems like just about everything affect felt recoil. Check the pitch and read up on how it can affect recoil. You can try shims on the butt pad to change the pitch.

Shoot the Browning until you begin to feel arm tired and/or battered by recoil, then switch to the Tristar. I sometimes do this, switching from my Browning CXS to my Winchester SX2 Sporting. I can shoot them both equally well and the change usually does not bother me.

When I shot my friends Tristar it had more felt recoil for me than the Winchester 23 SxS that I was shooting that day. They were both 12 gauges with 28" barrels. The Tristar for me seemed to come up at my face where my other shotguns feel like they are pushing back against my shoulder correctly.

There's nothing wrong with shooting the Tristar O/U if it works better for you. To address your question, I think that the "balance" is the biggest factor in the effort needed to swing the gun.

As suggested by others, try adding some weight to the buttstock of the Browning to get it to swing easier. Adding about 12 ounces of weight to the buttstock hole will make a noticeable difference in how easy it is to move the muzzle of the gun. It will also reduce the felt recoil. Use rolls of nickels or a piece of lead bar for the weight. Or, you can buy a mercury filled cylinder to do the same thing in a smaller package. Don't pour in loose lead shot or you'll be sorry.

Also, the weight of the chokes can make a difference in the balance. The Browning Invector Plus extended chokes are heavy suckers.

Those measurements seem to contradict each other ... odd.



Shell load/power + gun fit + gun weight



Roll of coins/slugs taped together and shoved in your stock. Cut garden hose as spacer if desired.

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A roll of nickels is a great idea to put in the buttstock. I can also stuff some paper in there to stop it from floating around. I'm definitely going to try this and see how it feels.

It still doesn't change the overall weight of the gun and fact that my shoulders are weak.

funny thing... 6-7 months ago, I knew nothing about shotguns and was considering a CZ as my first. The B-gun crowd had some very strong opinions when I asked. I ultimately ended up buying a Browning because I got a good deal on it... and its pretty!

fast forward... I buy this Tristar O/U for $375 as a spare for my niece to shoot and I'm now wanting to adjust the browning to feel a little more like the far less expensive gun.

I shoot about 400-500 rounds a month (ideally). It will be interesting to see what gun I reach for the most. If its the Tristar, then so be it!

Yes, they do contradict each other. Maybe the balance point isn't really the hinge pin on the guns. Or maybe where I grip the forearm is in a different place on these guns. I don't know.

What I do think I will definitely shoot the Tristar if I break more clays with it.

I mostly try to use a low gun mount, move while bringing the gun up and fire it soon after its mounted. What I think is that my cheek is more firmly against the stock of the Tristar.

The drop at comb is just a little more on the Browning and maybe I'm rushing the shot. Will that affect the felt recoil?

Its slimmer through grip for sure. the LOP seems to be just a hair shorter, but just a hair.

+/- 1/8" change to LOP makes a rather difference for me. if eaisly done, id try out a slightly slimmer pad (to the tristar LOP).

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