doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 1961 Superposed price - Sanity check please

Paid $1650 for NIB Lightning trap this year at Gun Show.
Personally I and many others wouldn't give you anything for a Broadway rib, its an idea that just didn't either work or was was so cosmetically ugly that no one wants them. The 32" barrels are unique though. A call to Glen Jensen, Browning Historian with serial number will yield some information if Browning imported the gun, if Browning did not import the gun, he will have no record.
If you can stand the gun cosmetically and plan to use it, $2500 may be OK but if you want to purchase for value, no.-Dick

I don't know if it is a good deal or not but you certainly got a "good deal" on the home front!

Best,
Milt

32" barrels are not unique on the Broadway, just one catalogue choice. Utah has one of the really great guns by Browning, a 32" prewar. My prewar 32" Midas Trap is a real treat to shoot but has a single trigger. Just this year, I found the gun I have been looking for for years, a first year Grade 1 Trap, 30" step rib, double single triggers, in high condition. I've passed up some dogs, but this one is really nice, original, except for a slightly shaved comb. The serial number is 1253, one of the first ones made. The double single trigger is a real hoot to shoot. I believe FN probably made some standard rib 32" guns in the postwar period, but they were not catalogued by Browning USA and not normally imported here. Never say never with Browning or FN, a friend has a long tang round knob A-1 Grade European version in small gauge three barrel set persuasion with the slim tapered forends. It is all original, shipped to a UK distributor for delivery to Jamaica.

Chuck H.
I am not an expert on "Supers", but the Lightning Trap with 32" tubes and narrow rib should have a slimmer forend, feel lighter (and probably does weigh less) and have much better handling than the clunky Broadway model. I'll never own another Broadway at any price.
The circa 1931 model that Utah mentions above sounds great to me, though I am not a fan of the double trigger set up. Never the less, give a pre-war superposed and I'll be a happy camper.

I believe Broadways were Lightning Models, just had wide ribs. Catalogs didn't refer to them as Lightning Broadways, but I think Broadways have receivers marked "Lightning". I don't have one to examine, unfortunately. All Trap Models had big forends, even in the long tang round knob postwar era. They may have been a little smaller than the later models, but even the early postwar Traps had a larger forend than field and skeet models. They were actually pretty graceful looking in contrast to late skeet and trap model forends.

Bill,
I've seen in hand, Broadways marked Lightning on the reciever and some that were not. I just don't recall specific features. I've also seen several narrow ribbed Lightnings in 32" trap configs but don't know the yr of prod but guess they were 60-70s guns.

Bruce Buck loves his Broadways; go figure. Lightning should be 6 to 10 oz lighter in wgt cf. to standard. Citori GTI had a wide rib reminiscent of the Broadway rib. It never bothered me a bit. A useful skeet club. I like my grade I Lightning Trap (with Briley thinwalls and all it's bluing even on the edges) for which I gave the grand sum of 9C. OK, some el Greco sort shaved the comb on this one also.

jack

I recently sold a mint 30" early Broadway in a Hartman case for a rediculously low price to a good shooting buddy. He passed away, young, about six months into the deal. I would like to have it back, but it is so hard to do that sort of thing. I hope no one has trouble giving my wife big checks after I'm gone.