gun advice wanted

Capt. John

Capt. John

Active member
Hey guys, I'm in the market for a new over under and am seriously looking at the Browning Cynergy 3.5. I hunt saltwater and need a gun with a camo finish because of corosion issues. I'm torn between the cynergy, the winchester 101 and the browning citori lightning 3.5 inch. I really need to make this count, my wife said this is my once in a lifetime overpriced duck gun. Any feedback on what ya'll have heard good or bad on any one of these guns would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, John
 
I have an older Browning Citori Hunter in 3 1/2" 12 ga and I love it. I have to fight with my teenager to use it. I dont use it too much around salt water but it does see some. It has been a great gun and I dont see replacing it any time soon. I actually use the same gun during the summer months to shoot clays with. I have at least 10,000 rounds thru it and it seems to only get better the more I shoot it.
 
Thanks guys, I have been wanting a ruger all weather for quite a while but now that they quit making them they are getting hard to find and the ones I have found are scratched up and cost more than they did new. Gunbroker always has a few but I couldnt live with myself paying 1200 bucks for a used gun that was selling for 800 bucks at bass pro shops in San Antonio a year and a half ago. Still kicking myself for not getting it then.
Thanks again, John
 
I wanted a Ruger when they first came out too, but couldn't get past the stainless color so I went with the Citori 3.5" special steel in Duratouch. It's held up well to the salt. It kicks like a mule, but that's part of the fun for now!

-D
 
Capt. John,

This feels like dejavu. I went through the same process about 1 1/2 years ago. I was ok with a 3" gun so I settled on finding a Ruger all weather (never found one with a price I liked, same problem as you) and then decided to find a used Citori and have it parkarized, found "the one" went back with cash, SOLD. A few weeks later, during the mid season break, a friend offered me a deal on a SBE2 that I couldn't refuse. Well, I'm hooked. Someday there will be that "ideal" O/U but for now the SBE2 is doing great in the salt and I don't even flinch when I see it go sliding uncased across the muddy/sandy/wet/bloody floor of my TDB. Please don't read into that staement that I'm overly abusive to my equipment. I hunt coastal and river areas with 4-6 dozen longlined decoys, mostly alone. At times things get a little hecktic.

Good luck in your search. Make sure you find the special one. Even though I found a great gun to use, I will always be looking for that ideal O/U that I long for and when I find it, it will cost me more than the SBE2 I'm sure. I hope I can afford it when it happens.

Gene
 
Hey Gene, What is Parkerizine a gun consist of? Worth talks about it in relation to a Field LC Smith in Big Dec C-backs. Is it silmilar to bluing? I have never heard of it and you mentioning it jogged my memory.
 
Mat, Parkerizing is a grey flat finish on a gun, it's the type of finish found on military weapons.

It will rust, if you want to stay as rust resistant as possible getting your gun camo dipped is the best way to go.
 
Matt,

Fred pretty well covered the basic idea of parkerizing. It will rust but is very scratch resistant which is where I would prefer it over camo dip. The dip is a great finish UNTIL compromised. My uncle has a SBE2 in camo and I have one in black. His camo one cleans up easier and is salt resistant but where it is scratched the salt and water can get to the original finish and still do damage.

There are many, many finishes out there. I prefer ones like parkerizing, anodizing (aluminum only), case hardening... that chemically convert the surface of the metal verse films and paint that sit on the surface. My preference, I'm sure other would disagree given the popularity and ease of use of those systems. That and I don't care for camo as a fashion, on a gun or clothing, again, my preference.

Gene
 
There is a company that Parkerizes in different colors now..can't remember the name. There is also a kit you can get to ceramic coat your guns but you have to have an oven. There is also a place that does almost all the innards too with some kind of coating and I think the springs are the only thing they can't do but stainless springs are available in most sizes anymore. I think degreasing and a good coat of rustoleum would probably be as effective as anything else. I'm semi glad I don't have to worry about salt water.
 
Parkerizing is a conversion process using phosphate. It is an alternative to blueing. It has fair wear and corrosion resistance. Depending on the type of phosphate used determines color variations. Zinc phosphate produces light to medium gray, Manganese phosphate produces a dark gray to black color, and Iron phosphate produces a color dark gray to black color. Some guns will turn a light greenish-gray color as the coating ages, this doesnt affect the protective coating. Cosmoline on a parkerized surface can produce a greenish-gray patina that is sometimes found on military arms that have been stored for long periods of time.
The coatings are usually thickest electrochemical coating, being thicker than blueing or other platings.
All electrochemical conversion coatings are not painted coatings put part of the metal surface. All parkerized surfaces should be covered with a light coating of oil to maximize the corrosion and wear resistance. The surface can be painted.
 
buy that citori 3.5 and have it moly coated. "moly" (sp) is a baked on rust proof finish. costs about 150-175 bucks. the only thing i can think off might be that the solder between the barrels might be an issue with that temp. but if thats not an issue then you'll have a rust proof 3.5 eider slaying double stack classic.

eddie
 
Gene, do you have any cleaning issues with the Benelli? I realy like those guns but am a little afraid of going the autoloader route. I have heard good things about the sbe 2 its also a possibility. I like O/U's mainly because I tend to brake everything I get my hands on and they are easy to maintain and have few moving parts. The only auto I have owned was an 11-87 and it haited salt spray. It would shoot fine but by the time I got home it would be damn near seized up.
Thanks, John
 
John my main waterfowl gun is the benelli M1 auto
Over 1k rounds a year in her and she nevr fails no matter how bad the condition are.
Call me if you want to know a few tricks with the Benelli to completely salt proof them
Can you post them here,Jim?They might work for some other guns too
Click to expand...
 
John,

My SBE2 has one season on it. Not one malfunction,no jambs, nothing. It has never had anything except 3" and 3 1/2" shells through it. It probably saw 20 plus days of salt last season, some were NASTY. Like you, I use my stuff hard. I hunt alone a lot and put out a lot of gear. I can't baby any of my equipment. I spray it down with something to displace water (not oil) such as "barricade","sheath", "corrosion X" or any other water displacing spray. Oil collects dirt and grime. I should say I HOSE it down after saltwater use, spray it until it runs out everywhere. After a 2-3 day trip I will strip it down and rinse and wipe all parts. Just last week I completely stripped my SBE2 and Win Super X2 down for cleaning and summer storage. The SX2 saw several years of hard use before I got the SBE2. Comparing them side by side, no comparison at all. The inertia system of the Benelli is so much simpler and easier to clean, and stays cleaner.

The dealer I got the SBE2 from said the upgrades from the 1-2 really helped with the saltwater issues they had with the 1's. As far as I can tell there are NO bare carbon steel parts on the SBE2, including springs. The recoil spring in the stock was an issue on the originals. Water would get in and rust the bare spring. The only issue I've had with mine has been surface rust on the barrel. I have the black finish. I now keep it well covered with protectant and there hasn't been an issue. I can't find any evidence of the original surface rust that I saw at this point.

For an auto loader, the SBE2 is rather easy to swap ammo in and out of in a boat. No need to point it up, down, sideways... to make the first shell feed into the chamber. But you must let the bolt slam home or it will not fire if the bolt isn't completely locked in. Hunting with divers/puddlers/brant/geese all possible in the same location there are days I swap ammo in/out as birds are working. I think the SBE2 makes this as easy as it can be with a semi. One of the reasons I had looked at O/U such as you are asking about. The convenience of unloading and loading is a big safety issue.

One final thing, a quality O/U is a thing of beauty. An SBE2 is a tool just like a moss 500 or rem 870 (no offense meant!). That said, I'll be using the SBE2 for a long time to come. Many days, especially in salt, I'd just as soon have a good tool.

Gene
 
Wow Gene! Thanks so much for the info. I believe you put that into a context I can understand. Since I have started this I have been swaying slowly towards the SBE 2 and away from an O/U. I'm glad to hear that the Benelli is all its cracked up to be and not just a bunch of hype. Sounds like its the real deal. We dont have to many good gun dealers around the Corpus Christi area that would be willing to share this info. It seems like they just try to sell me what they have in stock and talk crap about what they dont have. Thanks again, John
 
John,

I've been impressed with the SBE2. I have to admit the sticker shock is hard to get over. Especially when you tear it down and see how simple it is. The light weight makes it as versatile as the 3 1/2" capability. 3 1/2" lead turkey shells do kick HARD, as well as non-tox waterfowl loads, steel isn't so bad. It SEEMS to kick less than my win super X2, doesn't make sense but thats how it feels.

Good luck with your choice. Like I said, someday I will have that O/U but for now the SBE2 is doing a nice job.

Gene
 
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