2006 Browning Gold 20 gauge Superlight Hunter
Browning has always defined "shotgun" to me. I've always loved to hunt with A-5's; and I still do. I've also spent many pleasant hours afield with B2000's. Double Autos, and many Browning B-80's. It took Browning a long time to come up with a semi-auto to displace the A-5, and they finally scored a home run with their ever-expanding "Gold" series of semi-autos. The gas system is superior to most, if not all current production semi-automatic shotguns. I've owned at least seven Browning Golds by now-- all have been decidedly unfussy in what you feed them, performing flawlessly. They are also among the softest shooting, if not the softest shooting semi-autos you can buy. Fit is critical with any shotgun, which is why I had requested a "Browning Superlight Field Hunter" to review. The semi-squared receiver Field Hunter version is shim adjustable. Not having the opportunity to pre-mount this gun; that was the logical choice-- but a Superlight Hunter (round receiver) was what came in. My initial concern proved unnecessary, as this gun fit me spectacularly well right out of the box.
The Gold 20 Superlight Hunter with a 26 inch barrel as supplied weighs 6 lbs. 10 oz. with the factory Invector Plus 'Full' choke installed. Instantly, I was impressed by the superb balance and handling. It just flies up to the shoulder, effortlessly, and displays perfectly neutral balance. Frankly, I was surprised the Browning could find 7 oz. or so to shave off of the gun, but find it they did-- in exactly the right place: the magazine tube. Apparently, the new titanium alloy magazine tube offers the weight savings-- and gives this gun its exceptional balance and handling at the same time.
The trigger breaks right at a bit heavy 6-1/2 pounds out of the box, hardly unusual in these litigious days-- but I'll take care of that in short order. What I've long felt was the world's best semi-auto safety is even better: now the "can't miss" triangular safety is contoured into the side of the receiver, for lack of a better word. It functions just the same (this one is a dream to get off, as supplied) and makes an attractive gun look even better. Like most Golds, this model has both a full 5-shot capacity (one in the chamber, four in the magazine) and the speed-loading that my A-5's and B2000's have. Speed-loading is a far more valuable feature than you might think in the middle of a busy dove field. You just keep feeding in shells into the bottom of the receiver, while other guns leave you breaking them open and closed, or hunting for buttons or other slide releases instead of what is flying. It is a high volume dove or waterfowl hunter's dream come true.
I directly compared this Gold SL to a standard 20 ga. Gold Hunter, same 26 inch barrel length. On a digital scale that reads out in 1/10th of a pound, the original Gold read 7.0 pounds, the Superlight Hunter 6.5 pounds. So, Browning has certainly delivered on the half-pound weight savings-- with some variance in individual guns possible due to wood density. Aside from the lighter weight, the SL Hunter features a magazine cut-off not available on the first Golds. Here's how they look, side by side:
I was anxious to hit the dove field to give this Gold Superlight a live test as soon as possible. After an abbreviated patterning session, I decided that the Invector Plus modified tube gave the best 40 yard patterns with the 1 oz., 1280 fps loads I was shooting-- the full choke was a bit splotchy. The gun handled like a dream, and shot where I looked. A limit of doves was quickly snagged, most between 45 and 60 yards. It is easy to appreciate the safety, right where I think it should be-- behind the trigger guard, and the speed-loading was immediately put into play. The recoil was mild, yet slightly more than the standard Gold Hunter due to physics-- lighter weight means more recoil. A fixed breech shotgun of this weight would pound you into the ground like a tent stake in no time. After shooting the gas-actioned Gold both for patterning and for doves, it felt like I hadn't been shooting at all. Here's a picture after the first group of doves had been recovered:
There are a few fine points to the feel and balance of a gun; sometimes
we wonder why things "just aren't the same" in the field as
in the gun-shop. Naturally, it is important to test the fit of a shotgun
with the type of clothing we intend to shoot and hunt in. Also, the balance
is not exactly the same in a pro shop, as the gun is not in the same condition
we use it in: it isn't loaded. A shell in the chamber and a pair of shells
in the magazine tube can change things in a small, but tangible way.
Browning got this one just about perfect-- it is the best handling 20 gauge semi-auto on the market today, as far as I'm concerned. It allowed me to do what I want to do: ignore the gun, and shoot with my eyes. It is a joy to carry and smooth to swing. In fact, if the gun was any lighter it would likely tend to get a bit whippy. Normally, I'm not a big fan of adding big red gaudy lettering to a gun-- it looks tacky, and just plain cheesy in many cases. The style of the Superlight Hunter is anything but that-- the two-tone black anodizing on the receiver is striking, and the "Gold SL" is tastefully done. In this age of crate-wood and "Xtra Wood" (that really means extra plastic), I found the standard Browning walnut to be a breath of fresh air. The wood is perfectly matched in color and tone; it is an attractive dark stain with some mineral streaks and character. It may be "Grade I" to Browning, but it is far better than the straight grained canoe paddle stuff seen more and more often. I'll call it "Grade I Plus-Plus." The wood to metal fit is well done, as is the rubber butt pad-- just as I'd expect from Browning.
The gun functioned flawlessly out of the box, ejecting the spent hulls strongly some 10 - 12 feet way. There was not so much as a suspicion of a failure to eject, or a failure to feed. If you can't tell by now, I am just thrilled with this scattergun. Add the requisite trigger job to get the break down to a clean 4 pounds or so (that's off to Allen Timney right now), and you have a sweet handling, soft shooting, quick shouldering upland semi-auto that will happily digest 3/4 oz. promo loads to 1-5/16 oz. three inch shells and everything in between. For dove, quail, partridge, grouse, pheasant, and turkey with the right choke-- this is a gun I'll be proud to hunt with for a very, very long time. I'd be less than candid if I said that my A-5's are going to be retired from the field anytime soon-- you can bet they are not. But, at the end of a long muddy or snowy day through Illinois ditches-- there isn't a shotgun I'd rather be carrying than this one: the 2006 Browning Superlight Hunter 20 gauge. In a short while, that's exactly what I'll be doing.
There never will be a perfect "all-around shotgun," horses for courses and all that. But this gun comes as close to anything I've ever experienced in recent memory. Hat's off to Browning for this beautiful refinement of what has long been one of the best performing semi-autos that can be had today.
Copyright 2006 by Randy Wakeman. All Rights Reserved.
