16ga.com ~ View topic - Browning White Lightning 16ga Barrel 26"or 28"

Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 30

I found a 26" White lightning 16ga in a gunshop an hour or so's drive from home. Gun looks good, it was bought after the Bill hicks run and it's been sitting on the shelf for a couple of years. Price is at 1800.00 which is way too high. The store owner was telling me he thought the 28" barrel on the White Lightning 16 felt barrel heavy to him. Too much weight out front, tip muzzle heavy. I was thinking the 26" may be too short. I'd like to read a few opinions from folks who have handled the 26 and 28" models and see what you think. As a side note I'd like to say that I liked how the 16ga frame felt quite a bit but the gun was heavier overall than I expected.

Thanks

Sage

Member Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 1257 Location: Nebraska

If you've handled that one gun you should have a good idea about whether 26" barrels will work for you. Sounds like the store owner was telling you that the gun he has for sale balances better than the 28" guns that he doesn't have in stock. Imagine that! OK, enough cynicism.

I've heard from several folks now that the buttstocks on Citoris are usually hollowed out to provide the proper balance, you might want to check to see that this has been done on any gun you consider. Could be the Hicks guns weren't treated to this touch? My gun was made in 2002, the stock has been lightened.

For personal experience/opinions,, I've only handled and shot the gun I own, a 28" Grade III 16ga. I bought it used, didn't really care too much about the barrel length. Since I bought it for target shooting I was wishing it'd been a little heavier overall, it works pretty well as is. I carried it one day while running the dog to see how it handled over an hour's hauling up and down hills, and in the case of this particular gun I couldn't find a very comfortable way to hold it one-handed. Lighter barrels via 26" or 24" length might have helped, the balance point for one-hand carry is in front of the frame and that's a little wide through there for my smaller hands. The PG is thin through the wrist, which I like a lot, and carrying via the grip with the buttplate on my hip or with the gun balanced over my shoulder, the thing felt pretty muzzle heavy. Love that for targets and it'd be good for pass-shooting, but it's probably good that I don't plan on it being my primary carrying gun.

If you are looking for a hunting gun that you'll carry a lot, 26" or 24" barrels might be worth leaning toward. Check on that buttstock hollowing no matter what you consider and best of luck in your search.

kgb

Sage, the actual difference between the 26 and 28" 16 ga. lightnings is negligable. I personally prefer the 28" models, because out of the box, I feel that they balance better between the hands when my hands are in the normal shooting position. they tend to come up flat or parallel to the ground from hip to shoulder. This seems to shave a few micro-seconds off my move/mount/shoot response to a rising bird or skeet target (I shoot all my skeet low gun style.)

However, balance is an individual preference and can vary from gun to gun within a run of a particular make and model. Plus, some models can vary from year to year. Both my GR. 1 Lightnings are pre-1994 models; one is a 1987 and the other, a 1988. The barreled action weights are about identical. Stock weights varied considerably before I took steps to match them. The 1987 run of guns were refered to as standard hunting models, even though they were made in the lightning configuration. Their stocks were not nearly as routed out as the following two years' models. Plus, the weight or density of the wood on my 1987 gun seems heavier to boot.

I very carefully routed out the 1987 butt stock as much as I dared and placed about 1-1/4 oz of weight deep within the hollow of the 1988 gun's buttstock to weight and balance match them. Both guns now weigh exactly alike and their balance is also identical. If I was blindfolded, I could not tell you which I have in my hands. They both are very responsive and have that great between the hand feel that all nicely balanced guns exhibit.

Based on your personal experience and preferences, you must decide which you prefer. If you are considering the gun for personal use, start with your hands on the gun in your normal shooting position. Lower the gun to your hip and keep it parallel to the ground. Do not start with the barrel elevated above the butt. Now, with your eyes closed and your body in a natural shooting stance, raise the gun up parallel to the ground touch the cheek of the stock to your face and tuck the butt into your shoulder in a smooth coordinated move. Do this as many times as necessary with each gun you might purchase to appraise its feel. If that gun cseems to come up nice and flat to your shoulder, open your eyes and see where the barrel/rib is in relation to your eye. Do this several times until the move comes off as smoothly as you can do it.

If that gun comes up smoothly and your eye is right down the middle of the rib, buy that gun--period. you will shoot it very well. If it comes up nice but is not quite perfectly aligned with your eye, you might still consider buying it and making some minor adjustments to stock length, drop, and cast-off or on. to get the perfect barrel/eye alignment. If it does not mount right or is way out of alignment with you eye, pass on it no matter how much you like its looks. You will never shoot it well without a very expensive stock refit. good luck.