Browning B525 Sporter or GTI???

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El Spavo

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 23, 2018
Messages
950
Location
Hampshire/Berkshire/Surrey border
After a bit of trying stuff out (prior to actually shooting, that is!), found the B525 really comfortable and a good balance & weight, buuuut.... my mate has just been in his local gun shop and said they have a '92 Browning GTi for about £950 (30" m/c sporter, gold lettering version) so about the same money as quite a few s/h 525. Thing is, apart from it being about the same as a 425 with possibly a better grade of wood and hugely heavier, apparently, it's hard finding much info on it for me to compare and I'm curious if the two models were in the same shop at the same price, in the same condition, and if you take away how it actually feels to the individual, which would people think is the better gun both from the spec and from the price/retention, if that makes sense? Only asking as the GTi would be an absolute punt as I know little about it whereas the B525 I would know what I'm getting.

The joy of guns!

 
Thanks, gives a bit of history but I'm getting the impression that they'll hold their money about the same (like most brownings I guess) but mechanically there's little in it so would I be better off going for a 3 year old B525 Sporter One over a 26 year old GTi, partially because of the rounds they've both likely fired and partly cos it'll simply be just tighter! Anyone shot a GTi and the next question is it one of those guns that should be snapped up as a legend of a build or is it as I suspect just a different flavour so it's whatever takes your fancy?

 
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The GTi isn't hugely heavier but it is much more barrel heavy; a long term Browning tradition which ruins the balance and makes the guns feel heavier than they really are. Early 525s are also relatively barrel heavy because it took Browning about 15 years after the release of the Beretta 682 Gold E, to realise that a lot of sporting shooters - as opposed to trappies - prefer a nicely balanced gun with light barrels; hence the 725. They eventually updated the 525 with lighter barrels and whilst I'm not absolutely certain, I think it was in 2015.

 
Yeah, fair enough, after shouldering a couple and thinking the same as what you said, I held two Brownings up today by a finger in the middle and the older one was noticably weighted towards th barrel.

 
Be careful with a 26 year old gun . It could have been shot to death , or it could have been stood in a cabinet and never done anything which can have its own problems  . Of course the dealer may have had it checked for wear and  serviced it ....  Just the name GTI tells you the era the gun came from, and it is not going to be an appreciating asset , in fact the gold graphics will be much more “marmite “ to the next buyer than a standard 525 .   No one ever fell out with simple engraving . For around a £1000 you should be able to get something nice. £ for £ the  Mirokus seem to offer better value for money than Brownings ( and as you know they are essentially the same gun built by the same people ) if you want a Multichoke have a look at a MK70 sporter or for a heavier gun a MK38 Sporter.  I’ll leave the whole issue of the MK38 trap Grade 1 being one of the best value all round guns  ( and some of the nicest weight barrels ) money can buy,  out of this , as it’s a whole other discussion 😂 . 

 
TBH, I think the GTI was a great gun in it's day. My take is that it's the kind of gun someone would buy as a second gun now because either they had one years ago or wanted one years ago. I do like the GTI, but the later 525 will be a better option really  :thumbsup:

 
Thanks for all the advice, I plumped for the B525 Sporter One earlier this afternoon.

Took it to AGL in Bedfordshire (bit pricey at 42p a clay!) and the lovely chap behind me in the queue at the reception saw that I was a complete novice so offered to walk round with me and gave some very good tips whilst we shot together. He said it was a cracking gun, especially for the price, so I didn't look back. 👍

 
Thanks. Apart from pricing around & under the £1k mark, the availability around the country and chances to try alternatives seems to steer you towards either Beretta, Browning or Miroku though. Quite a few places had these three options open together... MK60/70/38, B325/425/525, 682/686, etc. as standard and then they might have one or other as an alternative, such as Lanber, Yelniz, AYA, or whatever, so to try all is difficult without covering a lot of miles, and when you're looking for the first time it's hard to know of even remember how they all feel comparatively.

Having said that, they are all good guns so I can see why they are popular. Almost went for a Beretta White Onyx at EJ Churchill for £850 but when I tried a silver pigeon in a straight comparison to a new 525, the 525 just felt more right, I think, cos the stock is bigger for my big sausage fingers. :)

 
Thanks for all the advice, I plumped for the B525 Sporter One earlier this afternoon.

Took it to AGL in Bedfordshire (bit pricey at 42p a clay!) and the lovely chap behind me in the queue at the reception saw that I was a complete novice so offered to walk round with me and gave some very good tips whilst we shot together. He said it was a cracking gun, especially for the price, so I didn't look back. 👍
If you live close to AGL, joining as a member may be worth considering (iirc it's £180 in the first year, which includes a lesson and £150 to renew). Clays are then 33p. The promatic system they use is very handy for solo shooters

 
If you live close to AGL, joining as a member may be worth considering (iirc it's £180 in the first year, which includes a lesson and £150 to renew). Clays are then 33p. The promatic system they use is very handy for solo shooters
Only 1666.6666 clays to break even on a normal year then....absolute bargain😲

 

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