I’ve been an A5 guy all my life. I like Lt 20’s. Three years ago I purchased a Citori grade 2 in 20 ga. . It has 28 inch barrels. Recently I got an opportunity to purchase a 1970 Superposed 20 gauge field with 28 inch barrels but haven’t done it yet. I have never shot a Superposed. For those who have hunted with both Citori and Superposed, please tell me your opinions on each, and if I will greatly appreciate the Superposed over the Citori.

Don't do it !! It will just cost you more money down the road when you have to purchase more Superposed guns.
Everyone needs to own a Superposed.

That year falls into the salted wood(stock and forearm) years so beware of rust.

Superposeds are wonderful guns from an era when Fine shotguns were hand fit, hand assembled and hand engraved. The Citori is also a wonderful gun but does not have the same allure because it is essentially a production line gun made with modern machining practices and laser engraving, etc. Both awesome, awesome guns, but this forum values the craftsmanship required to make the Super. Browning still makes the Superposed in their Custom Shop in Belgium, but they cost about $20k. Let that marinate a bit...

As Starstorm said, the years 1967-1971 ish were a nightmare for Browning because they used salt to cure the wood stocks faster, and rust forms wherever the wood meets metal. Who knew...
In short, I recommend you do not buy a Super from 67-71 without having a gunsmith check it for salt wood with (I think) Sodium Nitrate. A decent gunsmith will know about this issue.

If you value gun history, craftsmanship, and JMB's last gun design before he died, find an excellent pre-1967 Super and enjoy it. Be warned, it is addictive, and can lead to bank account shortages, but old Supers are a screaming good value IMHO, going for less than $2k in most 12 gauge Grade 1s, perhaps more for 20s.

As other have said both guns are great guns. I think that you will find the superposed to be better balanced and more dynamic in the hands compared to the citori. There is something special about the "feel" of a 20 gauge superposed. I can't put it into words but your hands, and emotions, will identify it instantly.

With that being said the only drawback to a superposed is the fact that they are not steel shot compatible. If you don't have to use steel then it is a no brainer for me. The market seems to be a little down lately, which is a great thing as a buyer. Good luck with your decision.

I owned a pre war superposed. The one with the metal horseshoe piece on the end of the forend. I currently shoot a 20 ga. Citori White Lightning, the older style. To be quite honest with you I do not feel a difference in the balance and handling qualities between the two. And this is coming from a man that shoots English SLE guns and by the way I can really feel the difference in handling and balance between the English guns and the Brownings. I would think that if you blindfolded a couple of Superposed lovers and handed them 5 guns, a combination of Superposed and equally appointed Citoris to shoulder and swing they would be guessing at which was in their hands.

The 20 gauge Superposed fits me better than the 20 gauge Citori. The Superposed seems to recoil less. The stock on the Superposed is a very well designed stock. I made it through life without acquiring a 20 gauge Superposed and regret that. My suggestion to you is to buy it. Yes, be sure about salt wood first.

Pharmvet,

According to your previous posts, this is not the first Superposed you've considered, and it sounds like you didn't buy the 1965 12ga in 2011 after all (or you would be able to say you've shot a Superposed before now).....and for some reason did not buy the 1970 12ga a year later, nor did you acknowledge helpful comments offered by some of the same people that have taken time to respond to you, here - once again.

Why is that?

Cue in Jeopardy theme song now ?

I have a 1930's era Superposed in 12ga,( S/N 8930.) and a 1980's era Citori in 20ga. They are very different. 45 years of evolution will do that though.
The Superposed I have is very well balanced. It comes up naturally and is really a joy to shoot. Someone put thought into how a Superposed was supposed to come up. At least in it's first few years of production they did.
My Citori is a fine gun, but it is a gun that you need to practice the shoulder mounting over and over again to establish muscle memory. It comes up quick, but the balance is different. It does have 28" barrels, versus the Superposed's 26" barrels, so that could part of it.
For many, many years, my Superposed sat in the safe untouched, as my 80's era 101 was my "go to" shotgun since, well, the early 80's when I bought it new. Two shoulder surgeries, and two knee surgeries, in the past six years had me giving my Superposed a legitimate workout in the field this year. I was very foolish to have not ever used that shotgun before. What a dumba__ I was! My 101 is nice, but that "beat up ol' Browning" is a completely different level of shotgun.
My experience with it this year has me thinking about sending it off to get it refurbished, and tuned up.
I also have a late 70's era 101 in 28ga. It's lighter than the 12ga. Superposed, but it doesn't "carry lighter", if that makes sense.
Other than the known historical issues with the "salt guns", a Superposed is a fine shotgun to own. Yes, I do believe you will find one a "step up" in nice over a Citori, and the Citori is no slouch as far as shotguns go. It too has earned it's own good reputation.

Welcome to the Browning forum, Mike.

Very nice, reply.

Congratulations on return to your appreciation of the Superposed and for sharing some info about your pre-war with us, (on this and the 'General' forum).

Happy Hunting!

I am still curious about the response to Antidae's questions he posed to the OP aka pharmvet.

Anatidae
The Browning Superposed was a shotgun that figuratively speaking fell into my lap. I actually didn't even know what it was the day I bought it. Other than it was a Browning.
I was at an Outfitters looking at knives and spotting scopes, and went into the gun room for cleaning supplies. I looked at the shotguns and there was one with two triggers, and I thought "there's an antique".
I asked the clerk what it was, and he said it was a Browning 12 ga. I looked at the price tag and it was less than $300.00. I asked if the price was right, and he said yes. I asked him if it worked, he said he didn't know, but he'd take it back if it didn't. All I knew was that it was a Browning for less than $300.00! So I bought it!!
We made sure it worked the following weekend, and we all took turns playing with the double triggers like 12 year old's. I cleaned the gun up, put it in a nice case and into the safe it went. It was actually about 10 years ago that I figured out what it was. A plain jane, Grade 1 , Superposed. 26" barrels in IC/MOD.
Mechanically it is sound. Worn, but sound, in a manner that someone took care of it, and it's wear was earned honorably and not neglectfully. The wood is in good condition, with no cracks, repairs, or deep gouges. The butt pad is original, and has one corner that has hardened somewhat, but the usable portion is still pliant.
It's never going to win a "best in show", but damn that shotgun works nice. I got some very odd looks this season using it.
It's cool.

Got any pictures of it?

Those are the best kind.

Thanks for the background story. They ARE cool guns.

Vizsla , Thanks for turning this post around with your story about your Prewar !
I thoroughly agree with you opinion of the handling attributes of both guns. I actually consider them “equal but different “ each having their own advantages.
I’m glad you rediscovered your Super and hope you’ll become a regular in the Browning (FN). Forum.

Vizla:

Gotta love those "fall in your lap" Superposed surprises!

When you mentioned double triggers, it got my attention. If I remember my readings of Schwing's Superposed and other Browning/FN books, if "double triggers" were ever available at all on the Superposed, it was for a very short time, or by custom order, or aftermarket installation. It would be fun to determine what you have.

Browning came out with a different version of the traditional "double triggers" called the "twin-single triggers". They look the same as double triggers, but are different from traditional double triggers. On twin-single triggers, each trigger can fire both barrels in sequence. It just depends whether you want to fire the top barrel first, or the bottom one. It's a great system, and I wish it was still offered by Browning/FN.

Back to your Superposed. We would love to see pics. Especially if you're willing to show us the serial number. Because your Super may have double or twin-single triggers, you may actually have a Pre-War Superposed (which would be a bonus . . . hot fudge on your ice cream, as it were!).

Congrats on a great Super, and a neat story behind it!

CFB

Also looking forward to pharmvet's response to Anatidae's queery . . .

Makes me want to start saying "serious inquiries only"!

CFB

CrazyforBrownings

I have to figure out the attaching photos. I'm doing something wrong somewhere.
It keeps telling me that the image file is to large, even though I have the camera set to jpeg NORM and small. I cropped and edited them in photoshop to further reduce file size, but I am screwing something up.
The S/N on mine is 8930 and the triggers are the "twin single triggers" design. There may be a worn/broken part in the trigger mechanism, because it is possible to fire both barrels simultaneously. I've never done it, but mechanically it will do it, as I have tested it with snap caps installed. Could be broken, could be that it was a design limitation of the time. I don't know??
What is a little odd, is that there is no engraving on this shotgun. Anywhere. The receiver is blank. All the others I have seen have some level of engraving.
Once i have some time and figure out what I am doing wrong with photo attachments, I'll get some photos up.
I didn't really mean to hijack the OP's thread. It was not my intent.

From the sounds of it (and the serial number), you have yourself a Pre-War Superposed, and a real piece of John Moses Browning Superposed history!

Congrats!!

CFB