07 July 2007, 08:52
SAFARIKIDNEED INFO ON Older High Grade BROWNING Citoris....
Can someone tell me when Browning stopped HAND Engraving the High Grade Citoris(GrV)..What year? They then went to roll engraving...Thanks!
You can tell the difference if you know engraving. I no longer have old Browning catalogs but as I remember they often used both on a gun ! Low grade was rolled , mid grade had both and only the highest cutom shop guns were all hand engraved.
14 July 2007, 23:18
243winxbquote:
Originally posted by SAFARIKID:
Can someone tell me when Browning stopped HAND Engraving the High Grade Citoris(GrV)..What year? They then went to roll engraving...Thanks!
The Citori grade 3 and 6 were acid etched. A wax imprinted with a pattern is placed on the receiver, the acid eats away the metal where its imprinted. The gold on the grade 6 is plating, not gold inlayed as on Belguim guns.
16 July 2007, 23:23
243winxb ask your questiong here I found a reference to the Browning Belgium Fabrique National under "Superposed Grade V, standard, Trap or Magnum, flying birds in vignette but relief engraved, relief flora arabesque or vinelike patters background. Grade V, IV, 111 and 11 all have grey-hardened actions (1963)" The Citoi name i thought stared in 1973??
Date your gun31 August 2007, 02:05
yetiSafari,
You are correct - the first couple of years of graded Citoris were acid etched then hand chased. I do not know when they changed to just etching but about '76-'78 seems about right. Once Miroku went to the grades that we mostly see: the III and V, they were just etched. I don't have the Gun Digests for the 70's...that would help nail it down.