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Browning B725 G1 Gold Hunter

Browning B725 G1 Gold Hunter

I Browning’s 20-bore B725 Gold Hunter… first saw one of these shotguns in a local gun shop; I had been looking at a model with the standard silver-type action when the chap asked if I had seen the black action model, then brought one out for me to look at. This was the moment I knew that I needed to have a test of one! When I took the 725 from its box and assembled it, all I could think of was, firstly, how cross would my wife be if I bought it? Secondly, how could Browning make something that feels and looks so perfect for what I would term as ‘sensible money’, even if at the top-end of my definition of sensible? Well, I do not have the answer to either of those questions, but had great fun shooting the 725, whilst thinking about what the answers might be.

B25 Improved?

The Browning B725 traces its history back to probably the most famous over-under shotgun ever made, the B25, as designed by John Moses Browning, and although there have been developments, the main design still holds true today, many years later. Encased in one of Browning’s hard plastic travelling cases, this gun comes complete with a full set of five, Invector, DS chokes; of which, all bar full, can be used with steel shot. The barrel length on the test gun was 30-inches – I feel that this is sensible and does seem to help the shooter push on through the target. As an owner of a 20-gauge with 28-inch barrels, having used this Browning I wish at the time I had purchased a 30-inch barrelled version.

The action is solidly built and the gun closes crisply with no unwanted movement, as one would expect. All the metalwork is black rather than in the silver, this, combined with the gold inlay of the partridges and grouse, really combines for a very pleasing look. It would be fair to say that my description does not do justice to the work on show! It is only really when looking at the gun whilst in one’s hands that it becomes apparent how much thought went into creating the elegance on offer. Indeed, when describing this to a friend he screwed up his face in disgust, looked at the gun for real, then promptly went and bought one of his own!

On the underside of the action the legend ‘B725’ and Browning’s distinctive stag’s head logo are also picked out in gold. The safety catch is of the normal tang-positioned version and allows barrel selection when in the SAFE position. It is, however, a manual system and needs to be actuated by the shooter, as the gun will not do so automatically on opening the breach. This can be relatively quickly and easily converted into an auto safety by a competent shotgun smith.

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The wood looks to be of a better quality than Grade 1, with a lovely grain and also fairly dark, which matches up very well with the black metal work. Length of pull comes as 14 13/16-inches, which can be extended very easily with Browning’s own spacers in a matter of minutes; I had a long spacer fitted to take length of pull to 15½-inches to fit me. The stock is of the Prince of Wales design, which combined with the well-proportioned forend, make this gun seem to become just an extension of yourself when mounted. Checkering is of the common diamondcut pattern and gives the shooter a positive grip, whilst not feeling too sharp. All of the design features, a weight of 8lbs and the 30-inch barrels really do come together in perfect harmony! If given the B725 to handle and then asked the price, one could easily be forgiven for assuming that it cost nearly twice as much as the actual asking price.

First Time Out

As for actually shooting it, the first time out was on a pretty windy day shooting partridges, so a bit of a testing time! Using a relatively light load of 25-grams of #6 shot all went well, I missed some and hit some, but shooting the Browning was a joy and it certainly drew some envious glances from some of my fellow shooters! This also really emphasised what an advantage having the slightly longer barrel can be! It felt as if I had to put less conscious effort into pushing on through what were fast and often curling partridges, certainly less than if I had been using my own 28-inch barrelled 20-gauge. After such a good start I tried a pigeon flight on a particularly windy afternoon and fell to earth with a jolt, managing to hit very few, but very pleased with the ones that I did connect with.

The final test was with a wide variety of cartridges on one of our simulated game clay days, I put everything from 24- to 30-grain loads through and they all worked well. There was very little perceived extra recoil from these cartridges, which was noticeable but certainly nothing like excessive! Even the handful of 34g semi-magnums were not unpleasant, although I am not sure I would want to fire them all day. Nor can see the point, when a 12-gauge would probably be more appropriate in such circumstances.

Even so, there were no problems with cases ejecting, even those with high brass rims or when the gun was hot. Throughout all the shooting I did with the B725 I had ¼ and ½ chokes in and they worked very well for me.

PRICE:  £2276 (includes ABS case)
CONTACT: BWM (Browning UK) 01235 514 550, www.browning.eu

  • Browning B725 G1 Gold Hunter - image {image:count}

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  • Browning B725 G1 Gold Hunter - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Browning B725 G1 Gold Hunter - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Browning B725 G1 Gold Hunter - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

gun
features

  • Model: Browning B725 G1 Gold Hunter
  • Calibre: 20-bore/76mm chambers
  • Action: Over-under
  • Barrels: 30-inch/back-bored Vector Pro
  • Multi-chokes: Yes, set of 5
  • Manual safety: Yes
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