browning gti s (uk specification) review

Have a picture of Browning GTI S (UK specification)?, please send it to us.

Average Ratings

Value for Money	9/10
Overall rating	9/10

100% Recommended2 out of 2 Reviews

• Overview
• Reviews
• Write your review
• Ask a Question

By James Johnson. on 18th Apr 2000

James Johnson.'s Ratings

Value for money	9/10
Overall value	8/10
James Johnson.'s recommendation

Good Points

Good handling. Well made. Great wood for the money. Versatility.

Bad Points

A bit heavy for some. Trigger could be slightly lighter.

General Comments

I bought this from Avalon Guns of Street, using their secure mail order service - you send your cerificate to them to have the gun entered on to it, and they send the gun to a Registered Firearms Dealer in your area for you to collect face-to-face. This makes obvious sense, and allows you access to one of the few UK retailers offering credit terms.
On first seeing the gun, the metal-to-metal and wood-to-metal fit seemed worthy of gun costing several thousand pounds, rather than just over a thousand. The woodwork has great figure and is reasonably dark. The action is the same as a Browning B425 Grade 2, while the stock is Grade 3. This makes it excellent value when a B425 Grade 3 costs about £200-300 more. There are 3 triggers (gold plated) and 3 choke tubes supplied. Being Invector Plus tubes, they are longer than the standard ones and in theory give a better pattern. Extra tubes cost about £20 each but I convinced Avalon to include 3 more for free.
Having only just returned to clay shooting after a 10 year break, I'm no champion, but I'm shooting pretty well with it - I'm happy with 19ex25 at Skeet! It comes to the shoulder nicely, swings well, and seems vice-free. The trigger pull is crisp, and my wish that it was lighter may be due to having shot .22 target rifle too much!
It would certainly be welcome on all but the most traditional game shoots. Only the ventilated ribs mark it as a competition gun. The top rib is tapered and has two beads. The barrels are "back-bored"; that is they have a calibre of .740 rather than the standard .729. This is supposed to reduce felt recoil while increasing muzzle velocity. I can't say I really notice the truth in that, but I don't seem to need to lead the target by much. I've been using Winchester Club and Express HV Comp cartridges. The Express ones seem to work best though they are noticeably sharper.
The gun was supplied in an ABS case and came with a trigger lock - full marks to Browning for being proactive on security.
Overall, I'd say it is an excellent buy. I took a risk buying without viewing or trying out, but it paid off. It is a handsome gun, well made and sweet handling. The trigger has adjustable length of pull, so it is fairly easy to get a good fit without butchering the stock. The 30 inch barrels may not suit everybody, but it is available with 28 inch or 32 inch barrels too.
Browning UK quote a list price of about £1700, but nobody pays that! £1100 from Avalon. Bargain!

Total Respect: +21