Browning Cynergy CX 30" - Review

[trickg]

The bottom barrel mitigates recoil. It is a matter of physics. By using the bottom barrel, the recoil is directed more toward your shoulder and not up into your cheek. In other words, the recoil is located closer to the pivot point.

Welcome to the clays game. You'll be spending more on more on guns and gear as you go further down the rabbit hole. Glad to read that both you and your wife are enjoying it. Maybe we can get a group together to shoot some clays at PG after tax season. Used to get together with Lou45, Mopar, and SNI once in a while to shoot trap.

I read that in days of yore when O/U double guns were becoming popular, people used the bottom barrel because that's how those guns were originally set up - you couldn't decide which barrel to use first, so if you were shooting singles, it had to be the bottom barrel.

I've almost exclusively used the top barrel for the last few weeks, but I switched and shot a position with the bottom barrel one day, just to see - I didn't seem to have any issues with it and from what I can tell, it seems both barrels pattern the same.

I'm still consistently in the high teens/low 20s for scoring - I shouldn't complain about missing a few per round, but I know that I have the capability of doing better than that. One Friday evening the missus and I went out and were the only ones on Trap 4 at AGC. I need the most work on positions 1 and 5, so we might try to get out there sometime again where we can put in some focused work on just those two positions.

All in all though, I'm digging this shotgun and shooting clays in general.

 

[trickg]

Something else I thought I'd bring up about this shotgun - the mid-rib bead.

This one is made from white plastic, and somewhere in the last couple of months that I've been using this gun, somehow or other mine got crushed, so I ordered a replacement from Browning. Those little suckers are pretty fragile. In spite of my best efforts to pay them, they refused - apparently it's an inexpensive part, and I guess they figured I already paid enough for the gun itself.

I used a pin vise drill to drill out the plastic from the existing bead, I removed it using a small screw extractor, and then I very gently tapped in the new one with the pin-vise clamped so that the jaws of the vise were butted up against the lip of the compression fit base. I probably won't do that again - if this one busts off or gets mashed, my gut instinct would be to drill and tap for a screw-in brass bead, although after having done this with the compression fit bead, it would be easy enough to do it again.

For those who may be wondering, the Cynergy uses the exact same mid-rib bead that's used on the Citori, so if you go to search for that part, it's going to be easier to find the one that's labeled as the replacement for the mid-rib bead for the Citrori - it's a more popular shotgun.

In any case, I managed to get the new bead on without screwing it up, so I'll chalk it up as a win.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

I read that in days of yore when O/U double guns were becoming popular, people used the bottom barrel because that's how those guns were originally set up - you couldn't decide which barrel to use first, so if you were shooting singles, it had to be the bottom barrel.

I've almost exclusively used the top barrel for the last few weeks, but I switched and shot a position with the bottom barrel one day, just to see - I didn't seem to have any issues with it and from what I can tell, it seems both barrels pattern the same.

I'm still consistently in the high teens/low 20s for scoring - I shouldn't complain about missing a few per round, but I know that I have the capability of doing better than that. One Friday evening the missus and I went out and were the only ones on Trap 4 at AGC. I need the most work on positions 1 and 5, so we might try to get out there sometime again where we can put in some focused work on just those two positions.

All in all though, I'm digging this shotgun and shooting clays in general.

Hey trickg. Do you go to Loch Raven Trap and Skeet ever? We should meet up sometime and put our Cynergy's (and "skills") head to head. I have not been in several years, so I am sure to be rusty as hell.

 

[fabsroman]

I read that in days of yore when O/U double guns were becoming popular, people used the bottom barrel because that's how those guns were originally set up - you couldn't decide which barrel to use first, so if you were shooting singles, it had to be the bottom barrel.

I've almost exclusively used the top barrel for the last few weeks, but I switched and shot a position with the bottom barrel one day, just to see - I didn't seem to have any issues with it and from what I can tell, it seems both barrels pattern the same.

I'm still consistently in the high teens/low 20s for scoring - I shouldn't complain about missing a few per round, but I know that I have the capability of doing better than that. One Friday evening the missus and I went out and were the only ones on Trap 4 at AGC. I need the most work on positions 1 and 5, so we might try to get out there sometime again where we can put in some focused work on just those two positions.

All in all though, I'm digging this shotgun and shooting clays in general.

The reduced recoil from the bottom barrel isn't really felt shot to shot. It makes a difference when you are shooting 250+ shells through the gun in a day. Just less fatigue in general from recoil.

With trap, 1 and 5 is probably where most people need the work. Lots of space between the clay and the barrel on the hard lefts and rights at those stations. Of course, a hard right from station one is merely a going away bird. A hard left from station 5 is the same. It is that hard left from station 1 or that hard right from station 5 that makes you think, and when you think, you get to hear "LOSS".

I am glad to read that you are enjoying clays and the new shotgun. Once I get through tax season and soccer season, I am going to try to get some clays shooting in.

 

[fabsroman]

Something else I thought I'd bring up about this shotgun - the mid-rib bead.

This one is made from white plastic, and somewhere in the last couple of months that I've been using this gun, somehow or other mine got crushed, so I ordered a replacement from Browning. Those little suckers are pretty fragile. In spite of my best efforts to pay them, they refused - apparently it's an inexpensive part, and I guess they figured I already paid enough for the gun itself.

I used a pin vise drill to drill out the plastic from the existing bead, I removed it using a small screw extractor, and then I very gently tapped in the new one with the pin-vise clamped so that the jaws of the vise were butted up against the lip of the compression fit base. I probably won't do that again - if this one busts off or gets mashed, my gut instinct would be to drill and tap for a screw-in brass bead, although after having done this with the compression fit bead, it would be easy enough to do it again.

For those who may be wondering, the Cynergy uses the exact same mid-rib bead that's used on the Citori, so if you go to search for that part, it's going to be easier to find the one that's labeled as the replacement for the mid-rib bead for the Citrori - it's a more popular shotgun.

In any case, I managed to get the new bead on without screwing it up, so I'll chalk it up as a win.

If you had bought a Beretta, it would have been brass. lol

 

[trickg]

Hey trickg. Do you go to Loch Raven Trap and Skeet ever? We should meet up sometime and put our Cynergy's (and "skills") head to head. I have not been in several years, so I am sure to be rusty as hell.

I was at Loch Raven the day I got the bug to shoot shotguns again! I could probably be persuaded to go up there to shoot - it's a nice range and once the trees green up, it's going to be a really nice place because of how the clays will contrast against the backdrop.

If you had bought a Beretta, it would have been brass. lol

I considered Beretta, and knowing what I know now, I'd have looked at Beretta a bit harder, but I felt that the Cynergy (at the time) was already really pushing my budget. Even the least expensive of the Berettas O/Us were $2k+. Either way, if this bead gets mashed again, I really don't want to replace it with another white plastic one.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

I was at Loch Raven the day I got the bug to shoot shotguns again! I could probably be persuaded to go up there to shoot - it's a nice range and once the trees green up, it's going to be a really nice place because of how the clays will contrast against the backdrop.

I could prob get down to PG Country Trap and Skeet with enough planning and over a weekday work lunch. You work in IT by chance? Could expense it lol

LR is about 10 minutes from my house, hence the ask. Either way, I need to get back into it.

 

[trickg]

I could prob get down to PG Country Trap and Skeet with enough planning and over a weekday work lunch. You work in IT by chance? Could expense it lol

LR is about 10 minutes from my house, hence the ask. Either way, I need to get back into it.

It would depend on the time - Saturday mornings or Thursday evenings would work, but almost any other time would be tough for me to swing.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

It would depend on the time - Saturday mornings or Thursday evenings would work, but almost any other time would be tough for me to swing.

Oof. Looks like we have equal but opposite schedules at the moment. I'll keep this in mind as my schedule hopefully opens up!

 

[fabsroman]

I was at Loch Raven the day I got the bug to shoot shotguns again! I could probably be persuaded to go up there to shoot - it's a nice range and once the trees green up, it's going to be a really nice place because of how the clays will contrast against the backdrop.


I considered Beretta, and knowing what I know now, I'd have looked at Beretta a bit harder, but I felt that the Cynergy (at the time) was already really pushing my budget. Even the least expensive of the Berettas O/Us were $2k+. Either way, if this bead gets mashed again, I really don't want to replace it with another white plastic one.

You know I was just ribbing you about the Browning.

I felt like I got screwed over on my Browning Citori Lighting that I bought in 1989, so I have not bought a Browning since then. Sort of how somebody feels about Benelli and the wood stock with knots in it. Meanwhile, my Benelli SBE has functioned well for me since 1997. We are all going to have our personal preferences. I'm Italian-American, with my parents coming from Italy. So, I prefer Italian shotguns and one day hope to own an Italian vehicle (whether that is an Alfa Giulia or a Ferrari, who knows).

Browning makes a fine enough shotgun, even with that rubber bead. lol

 

[fabsroman]

Oof. Looks like we have equal but opposite schedules at the moment. I'll keep this in mind as my schedule hopefully opens up!

lol - I was going to suggest a Saturday morning after April 15th to shoot some trap and/or sporting clays at PG. Then, I realized that my schedule will still include soccer games on the weekend for two of my children. Maybe we can all get together during the summer.

 

[trickg]

You know I was just ribbing you about the Browning.

Browning makes a fine enough shotgun, even with that rubber bead. lol

You know, it leaves me scratching my head about why they'd put a part on a gun that's so fragile and easy to mess up, and they aren't the only ones who do it. I almost bought a CZ Redhead Premier Target in Bass Pro, but the mid-rib bead on that was crushed too. The funny thing is that the part is fairly inexpensive, so it's tempting to buy a couple more to have on hand in the event that it happens again - and I'm fairly certain it will - but I think I'd rather replace it with a metal bead and be done with it.

Hey trickg. Do you go to Loch Raven Trap and Skeet ever? We should meet up sometime and put our Cynergy's (and "skills") head to head. I have not been in several years, so I am sure to be rusty as hell.

I had to go back and look, but one of your posts in my "Casual Trap Shooting O/U Shotgun" thread is part of why I decided to get the Cynergy. That, and the YouTube channel "Target Focused Life" did a review on it that was very complimentary. Either way, I don't regret it - I can't blame the 4-6 clays I miss per round on the shotgun. That's all on me.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

I had to go back and look, but one of your posts in my "Casual Trap Shooting O/U Shotgun" thread is part of why I decided to get the Cynergy. That, and the YouTube channel "Target Focused Life" did a review on it that was very complimentary. Either way, I don't regret it - I can't blame the 4-6 clays I miss per round on the shotgun. That's all on me.

I am likely very rusty, but I shot two rounds straight and 23 on the third round the last time I was out. For me the Cynergy fits just right. I had a guy next to me in his new-to-him Perrazi befuddled as he struggled to hit 20.

 

[trickg]

I am likely very rusty, but I shot two rounds straight and 23 on the third round the last time I was out. For me the Cynergy fits just right. I had a guy next to me in his new-to-him Perrazi befuddled as he struggled to hit 20.

One thing I have noticed since starting this endeavor is that there are a lot of folks who want to throw money at high end guns and accessories, and it virtually never equates to shooting better. I've seen 4 different guys hit 25 straight and these are the guns they used for that:

1. CZ All American Trap Single and Browning BT-99 - this guy is consistently 23-25. I've personally seen him break 50 straight, and he has patches up to 175 straight.
2. Browing BT-99 Micro with Adjustable LOP
3. Yildiz Sporting
4. Yildiz Sporting

All of those are pretty modestly priced guns. One of the Yildiz sportings has an adjustable comb - the other doesn't. As always, it's the archer, not the arrow.

 

[JasonD67]

You don't need the mid-rib bead really. Some would argue you don't need a front bead, either. But it can be nice to have so you can ensure you're mounting the gun properly. Regardless, you shouldn't be looking at ANY bead when you're shooting.

 

[trickg]

You don't need the mid-rib bead really. Some would argue you don't need a front bead, either. But it can be nice to have so you can ensure you're mounting the gun properly. Regardless, you shouldn't be looking at ANY bead when you're shooting.

That's exactly how I use the mid bead - I use it to mount and look down the rib. Then I look up, yell "pull!" and and then it's a matter of pointing. FWIW - bit much considering I'm a 19-21 shooter. In any case I don't really use it except for prepping to shoot. I don't think I am aware of either bead after that.