The Game Gun
Sporting Shooter|November 2017

Mike presents what is, in his opinion, the perfect gun for the average game shooter. Can you see yourself shouldering this decorative 20-bore Browning next shoot day?

Mike Yardly
The Game Gun

Usually in a Sporting Shooter gun test I select a make and model, put the gun through its paces, and come to a set of conclusions after considering its engineering and shooting performance.

Well, this month I thought we would break with convention. The gun I’ve selected is a Browning 725 20-bore Hunter model with 30" barrels, which I already know to be very good because I have shot a significant number of them. The article this month is intended to answer the question that is often posed to me by people: what gun should I buy for days when I am game shooting?

Well, the 725 30" 20-bore is one of my top picks, like the Browning 525 and 725 30" 12-bore sporters (you read that right). The 12s just mentioned would be great for all-round shooting (I prefer them in sporting form), but this little 20 is just the ticket for the average driven day, for pigeon shooting, or for walking up, and is great fun on clays as well.

It is a lovely little gun from a handling point of view, is well made and good value. There are, of course, some other excellent guns out there from different makers, not least the ubiquitous Beretta Silver Pigeon, and I will be considering them in future issues.

Our little 725 was borrowed off the shelves of Atkin, Grant & Lang at the Broomhills Shooting Ground near St Albans, who often facilitate my tests. Both the ground and the shop are well worth visiting because they are run by enthusiasts with a real passion for the sport.

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