Striking shotgun designs for the 21st Century

Guns Magazine, June, 2004 by Holt Bodinson

If at times you have felt that the shotgun world is a bit too conservative, wait until you see and handle the new models being fielded by Browning and Benelli. Browning's "Cynergy" O/U and Benelli's "Super Black Eagle II" autoloader are brilliant breakthroughs in mechanical design and their racy lines simply shout "21st Century" hi-tech.

More importantly, these contemporary models reflect the growing emphasis being given to the ergonomics of the shooter and his shotgun by design engineers. No longer do we have to accept a set length of pull, drop or cast in a factory stock. Through the incorporation of stock shims, adjustable combs, and a selection of quick replaceable recoil pads, these new models are truly modular.

The effect is that guns like the Cynergy and Super Black Eagle II are natural pointers and are adjustable to the shooter's physique and mode of gun mounting, I've watched any number of shooters pick up the new Browning and Benelli for the first time and shoot exceedingly well from the get go.

So let's take a closer look at what is the beginning of a hi-tech revolution in shotgun design.

Browning's Cynergy

Long known for their popular and durable Citori family of O/Us, Browning stepped outside the box when they unveiled the Cynergy. The Cynergy is the product of one of the most secret design programs I can recall in the firearms industry. Its appearance literally took everyone by surprise.

The Browning Superposed and the more moderately priced Citori sham a design that is now almost 75 years old. The design is classic, and the guns have proven to be unusually durable. Speaking to Dwight Potter. Browning's lead design engineer for the Cynergy, I was told that he wanted the new design to equal the durability of the Citori while creating the lowest profile receiver in the industry, Here's how the Browning team did it.

But before we gel into the internals of the Cynergy, look at that exterior. You're either going to like it, of question it, of hate it. The exterior styling of the Cynergy is the product of an industrial designer--not a gun designer--a commercial designer who shapes products to appeal to a buying public. Beretta has been using a commercial design house for years, and shotguns like the Benelli Nova didn't just pop off an engineer's CAD screen.

Frankly, I find the Cynergy's fines, from its sculptured "Inflex" recoil pad to its visually striking forearm checkering pattern, simply refreshing. There are little touches that are pleasing as well like the Cynergy's sculptured top lever and the open, angular and skeletonized trigger guard. The lines of the gun all flow forward. They say "speed," and I think that's exactly what the designer was aiming for.

Different From The Ground Up

To create the industry's lowest profile receiver, Potter created a new hinge arrangement. Gone are traditional hinge pins and trunions. The new design is called a "MonoLock Hinge." Basically, the receiver carries two massive "C" shaped lugs that engage similar shaped seats in the sides of the monoblock. Locking-up is accomplished by two rectangular locking pins that automatically compensate for wear. There is also a forearm screw that can be adjusted to take up wear. The new locking system has been run through 30,000 test rounds with no wear discernable.

Potter's next objective was to replace a traditional lock consisting of sears and hammers with a compact, lightning-fast, rifle-like, striker system. Called a "reverse striker" system, it consists of two coil spring-powered strikers housed on either side of the action.

When released by the gun's mechanical triggers, the coil spring strikers trip a rocker that impacts the firing pin. The advantage of the system is an ultra fast lock time and triggers that are factory adjusted for a weight-of pull of 4 to 5 pounds. As Potter remarked to me, "I've put rifle triggers into a shotgun." Indeed he has. Crisp triggers and fast lock times simply enhance a shotgun's "hitability."

The 12-gauge barrels of the Cynergy duplicate the slim profile of the tubes already proving highly popular on Browning's Citori Model 525. While being lightweight, they are back-bored and accept the Invector-Plus choke tube system. The 12-gauge Cynergy Field models are offered with 26 and 28-inch tubes while the Sporting models come with 28.30 and 32 inch barrels that also feature porting. All Cynergy barrels feature ventilated top and side ribs.

Both the Field and Sporting models are offered in wood and composite stocks. Both stock forms are fitted with the new "Inflex" recoil pad and weigh exactly the same. Spacey in appearance but deeply cushioned and providing long travel recoil reduction, the Inflex pad simply works.

Browning states that it reduces felt recoil up to 25 percent. Based on my own shooting experience with the new model, it is not a baseless claim. Equally as important, the Inflex pad is available in three interchangeable thicknesses plus a 1/4 inch spacer so that length-of-pull can be readily adjusted from 13 3/4 to 15 inches by the owner.