Shotgun Review: Hungarian Rhapsody With The Browning B725!

Shotgun Review: The New Browning B725 is taken on a game shoot in Hungary and reviewed by an expert, Mike Yardley.

Well, I have been travelling a lot with a gun recently, the Balkans a number of times, the US and very memorably to Hungary, where I was invited by Browning to shoot the new 725 gun on the Badony estate about an hour out of Budapest. This was a stylish event with shooting journalists from all over Europe invited to put the gun through its paces in pretty ritzy surroundings.

The quarry was pheasant, and, on the first day we shot nearly 1000 - so this was quite a grand battue. I am not a numbers boy usually, I have had as much fun walking up one bird, indeed, I once drove from Montana with a friend to Saskatchewan (and back to Western Pennsylvania) for a bag of one Hungarian partridge (Hun as they are called in the States). However, most Guns will also admit if they are honest, an occasional big bag is something to be savoured. Our sport takes so many forms, which is one of its charms.

Anyway, the Browning shoot at Badony was magnificently organised and I came away greatly impressed with the new gun as well as Hungarian shooting. The 725 is an evolution of the famous Browning superposed design, which John Moses Browning died at his workbench in Belgium perfecting in the 1920s. It came to be copied in Japan by Miroku and in the 1970s Browning came to an arrangement with the firm to make guns for them - thus the 'Citori' was born. It evolved into 325, 425 and most recently the 525, which remains an excellent piece of kit in its latest Invector Plus choked 30" form.
 
The 725 retains a full width cross/hinge pin, unlike a Beretta which uses a trunnion system derived from Woodward. It is, however lower in the action than any previous Browning superposed inspired over an under. It has a new trigger mechanism which is crisper and lighter (a significant improvement), the barrels are lighter, back-bored and fitted with a new system of multi-chokes which, cleverly, incorporate a brass-ringed gas seal at their base to reduce gas leakage.

I shot well with the gun. It was instinctive to use and helped me to connect with some tricky birds at long range, as well as some closer, quick shots when I found myself out on a corner on flatter ground. 

Authors Note
 
Mike Yardley is one of Britain's best known shooting instructors and writers. He may be followed on Facebook at Mike Yardley's positiveshooting.com or visit his website www.positiveshooting.com.