Have a Citori question

[Artie]

I bought a Citori Satin Hunter on a whim yesterday. They gun fit me perfectly and the price was right. I knew very little about these guns, as I have used my Light 12 or 1100 for years. I took the gun out to shoot some clays yesterday and it shot great. Much better than my Light 12.

I do have an ignorant question, and I'm hoping someone has the answer. I was under the assumption that the gun would fire the second barrel with the second pull of the trigger. However, I have to engage the safety then take it back off for the second barrel to fire? I've look around on the net and I got the impression that this gun was suppose to fire the second barrel without having to engage the safety.

My question is this... Is that how this model operates or do I have a problem? It seems ridiculous to have to engage/disengage the safety to fire the second barrel on a hunting model. I hoping that there is a problem with the gun and my ignorance before the purchase didn't lead me to essentially buy a single shot O/U.

Other than that, I LOVE the gun itself. It handles and shoot great.

[zoomie]

I have to engage the safety then take it back off for the second barrel to fire

My Citori doesn't do that. Call Browning and get it fixed.

First, though... do a little troubleshooting. Does it matter if you fire the top or bottom barrel first? Or does it work properly if you have the selector set on O and not U, or vice versa?

[rtpzwms]

Mine doesn't do it either. You can simulate the firing with snap caps installed pull the trigger then slap the butt stock on the bottom hard to simulate the round firing. Pull the trigger a second time and it should fire.

Zoomie barrel selection should make no difference in the operation.

[zoomie]

Zoomie barrel selection should make no difference in the operation.

But if it does, that might help indicate what the problem is for when he calls Browning. Troubleshooting 101, my friend.

[laxpatrick]

what rptzwms said - the action of the first shot sets the second trigger/pin. Hence you thump it on the floor, etc.

[GunCat]

Is this happening when you dry fire the gun? Of when you shoot live ammo?

If its only when you dry fire its because the gun need recoil to reset the inertia block before the trigger will allow the second shot (that is why the other poster mentions bumping the stock to simulate recoil).

If the situation occurs when you live fire then the most likely problem is that something is blocking the movement of the inertia block (which is located inside the action near the trigger and safety) You can take the stock off and check for a chip or wood other debris that is in the way, otherwise its a fairly delicate mechanism that might need gunsmith or manufacturer attention.

[zippy13]

Other than the second barrel not setting, are you sure that you are fully releasing the trigger between shots?

[Artie]

Thanks for the quick responses. This happens with live ammo and when dry firing the gun. I THINK I tried switching the firing order and it made no difference.

I did bump the gun on the floor and that made no difference either. I was not fully aware of how the system worked when I fired the gun, so I may have been holding the trigger back, but I don't think so.

I'm going to go on the assumption that it's something mechanically wrong from the factory and try to contact them, but I will try to shoot it again first just to make sure it isn't something I'm doing.

I've not ever had to send something back like this, so i hope Browning is good to deal with.

[oneounceload]

and when dry firing the gun

IF your inertia trigger isn't setting, there is a problem; however, something doesn't sound right. You should be able to shoot one barrel and then the other with live ammo; for dry firing, you will need to smack the butt stock in your palm or similar to make it work

Am I understanding you correctly that you are doing both of these and in either case, the second trigger isn't working? IF so, then there is an issue.

Just making sure from my perspective is all....

[Artie]

You are correct O O L.

[publius]

It's not right, send it to Browning!

[Artie]

Well, it was eating away at me last night. I got the gun out and switched the firing order. After I thumped it on the floor, it worked as it should. My main concern now is that it took a pretty good jolt to make it operate correctly. I don't know if actually firing the gun will be enough force.

Hopefully it was just something that was binding it up and maybe it worked it's way out. I'll try to shoot it next weekend and let you fellas know how it turns out.

[REWTX]

I'll be waiting to see how this works out for you because I bought the same shotgun a few weeks ago and haven't shot it yet. Mine works ok when dry firing and bumping to switch barrels. It sounds like yours has a safety problem instead of the inertia block. If you can toggle the safety and the second barrel fires, it sounds like the safety is getting slightly engaged when firing the first barrel. I agree that the gun feels great and I hope I can shoot it like I expect to. Good luck.

[armabill]

I had a problem with my new Citori Lightning, the upper barrel would misfire once in awhile. I'd get a small dent in the primer but not enough to fire it.

I took it apart and found a slight burr inside the firing pin channel. After cleaning it up, I fired 200 rounds without any problems.

While it was apart, I looked around some and was impressed on how well it was made.

[oneounceload]

Sounds like you found the problem, good news.

[BigJimP]

Test fire the gun again / and see if you're trapping the trigger.

Like someone else mentioned / there may be some debris or a little burr somewhere that is causing the 2nd firing pin not to set ....but its a rare issue.

Is this a new gun or a used gun ?

(Even if this is a new gun, I wouldn't ship the gun back to Browning. I would try and get it fixed locally ).

[red caddy]

I have solved many problems, like this one, with a good cleaning and light lubrication. Wrong or over lubrication, (even the factory stuff) will cause problems like this. Almost all oils will oxidize over time and gum up the smaller parts in the lockwork.

I know it seems to go against the grain, with a new gun, BUT, remove the stock, use up a can ot two of Gunscrubber, (or whatever spray solvent you prefer) get the lock work CLEAN. A tooth pic and a small brush will make this much easier, (fight off the urge to disassemble ANYthing) Use a touch oiler, to lube all the pins and pivot points, then a LIGHT spray with a good arosol gun lube. (NOT WD-40 or REMOIL) Re place the stock and test. (Now is a good time to brush a LIGHT coat of a good wood sealer inside the inletting of the stock,Thin it 50%,let it dry overnight, at least, before 2nd coat and again before reassembly)

Sit back, open an adult beverage and bask in the glow of saving $50.00 at the gunshop... Paul

[Artie]

It's a brand new gun BigJim.

I am not real comfortable with disassembling the gun right now. I will only make it worse or create another problem if I do with my luck.

Now that I know how the system works, I will know pretty quickly if it's me or the gun the next time I shoot it.

[Couzin]

Ditto on the short-stroking of the trigger. After your first trigger pull - smack your finger against the trigger guard and then have a go at the second round. I had an older well worn (errr - 'loved') field grade Citori that I never had a problem with, bought a new XS a couple years back and every now and then my second trigger pull resulted in nothing. I also thought there was an issue. After looking things over mechanically, I started making sure I came off the trigger between shots and voila - no more problems. Once I got a 'feel' for where the trigger reset I was good to go with no more problems.

[ENC]

Brand new gun I would be contacting Browning and the gun shop you bought it at. It is probably an easy fix but you shouldn't be out anything for fixing it.

[BigJimP]

New gun ....ok .../ I wonder if its been in inventory for a long time ?? Give us the serial number and we can date it for you.

Put a few more boxes thru it .... and concentrate on resetting the trigger ( just like you would on a semi-auto handgun ) you can feel it reset ...and if its 100% you're good to go / just need to be aware of letting it reset. Make sure when it fires / you're holding it tight ...so the system sets for the 2nd barrel.

Not to insult your intelligence...but..
The safety is a combination switch ...safety goes on and off ....and barrel selector switches to which barrel fires first Over or Under. In general, you should shoot the bottom barrel first / to give you less muzzle rise on the 1st shell ( the recoil is more on center line of gun ). But my point is, switch it - load both barrels shooting top first / then bottom and see if is still mis-firing. Then load both barrels - shoot lower first / then top ---and see if its mis-firing. It may give us another clue.

Taking a new O/U apart is pretty easy / but if you have not done it ...I understand your apprehension. But I have to tell you / sometimes I find a little too much grease and junk inside the action on new guns than I would have suspected - since they're shipped from overseas ...its probably for the best / but its better to get it cleaned out / lubed properly inside. You do have to be careful - and have a long screwdriver ...and sometimes the stock bolt ( inside the stock ) is locktighted pretty tight ( you take the recoil pad off first with phillips screw driver ) ....but you do need to be careful so you don't crack the stock or scratch something. Its easy to do / but I've taken 100 of them apart .... and I take all my O/U's apart about twice a year for general preventive maintenance ....but the first time, is the hardest ...

Talk to your buddies / and get comfortable with it before you try it.../ and I hope just shooting it makes it go away ...but you never know.

I still would not ship it to Browning ( its a hassle to ship a gun - and you'll be lucky to get it back in a couple of months - unless you have an authorized Browning service center near you - where you can drive there / and unless its a specialy gun shop that really knows what they're doing ....giving it back to the shop .....is a really bad idea.

You'd be lucky if anyone in most shops has ever cleaned a shotgun properly / let alone ever taken a stock off. 90% of the guys that call themselves gunsmiths ...I wouldn't trust with my tools / let alone any of my guns ...

let us know if your next test works out better.

[ILLINI]

I would have another Citori owner shoot it first and see if they have any issues. Cheap and easy way to double check your problem...Illini

[Artie]

Just wanted to update you guys. I took the Citori out yesterday for the second time. After about 20 shots, the gun started to work as it should and continued to do so for the rest of the day. I'm not sure if there was something bound up inside of the gun or what, but it doesn't look like I'll need to send it back now. Thanks for the help.

[BigJimP]

glad to hear it all worked out...