Dear Bruce,

I have a 20 ga B25 w/ 28″ barrels choked full & modified. I am considering having Briley screw-in chokes installed. In your opinion, how would this installation affect the value of the gun?

Thanks for you help. Excellent site. Buzz

Dear Buzz,

Generally, the addition of HIGH QUALITY screw chokes (like the most excellent Briley Thin Wall system) neither adds nor detracts from the used value of a Belgian Browning. This is especially true if it is a Grade I. It might be different if it were a one-off exhibition grade.

There are people out there who collect Brownings the same way that people collect china dolls. They will want a gun as close to original as possible. On the other hand, most of the people out there who buy used Brownings want them as shooters for their legendary durability and handling characteristics. As long as the screw chokes are not something odd (like screw choking only one barrel) and are properly done, that isn’t going to stop a hunter from buying the gun. Usually they won’t pay any more for it and you will have to eat the $350 you spent on the chokes, but in many cases, unlike the collector, the shooter will pick your gun over a similar unaltered gun. This is particularly true of newer shooters who lack experience with solid choke guns.

Best regards,

Bruce Buck
Shotgun Report’s Technoid
(Often in error, never in doubt.)