This gun feels really good in the hand, especially with the 15 round magazine. I only have perhaps 100 rounds through mine but so far no problems. The LEM trigger makes the gun easy to operate. No de-cocking lever or thumb safety deactivate, just a long, light, trigger pull until you get to the "wall" where the trigger break is very clean. Very different from a polymer striker fired pistol - no 'mushy' trigger break. Having the exposed hammer to rest my thumb on while re-holstering gives me peace of mind. I highly recommend this pistol for concealed carry.
This is my second Citadel Boss 25! For the price this is a LOT of gun. I wanted to grab a second one before the state of CA decides to create a new restriction! The CA version uses aluminum alloy for both upper and lower with a tiny pin that pops up when you crack the receivers to allow the mag button to depress and release the mag, or allow insertion. It's not nearly the pain the "Patriot Pin" is on standard AR15 pattern rifles because on those, the bolt carrier extends into the buffer tube preventing the upper and lower from separating which plays havoc with trying to clear feed stoppages! But on THIS AR pattern shotgun, the bolt carrier group rests in the forward part of the upper and during firing never moves back far enough to leave the upper. In fact, the rear of the upper is solid. IF you have feed stoppage and need to drop the mag, the upper can be cracked open no problem, though with the upper raised, the bolt hold open feature is non functional. Even if I lived in a different state I'd try to get the CA compliant model because it has alloy upper and lower, with hinge up front and pull pin at the rear. While NOT recommended for those living in CA, the Patriot Pin can be removed to allow normal function, just don't do it if you are in California! The gun takes down easy - WAY easier than ANY other type of shotgun! Starting at the front and unscrewing the barrel shroud releases the front hand gard - alloy. It has a tiny set screw at the rear but that really isn't needed since it's held on tight by the shround. Then unscrew the gas cylinder nut,remove a couple of half-circle clips, slide off the gas cylinder, then piston and that's it. Barrel comes off using an Allen wrench to loosen set screws then unscrewing the barrel retaining nut and out comes the barrel and bolt carrier assembly as one! But you'll never NEED to do that because it can all be easily cleand without a full takedown. The gas piston and cylinder appear self-cleaning, meaning you'll have to shoot a LOT, like thousands of shots to cause them to be so fouled they need disassembly, and the piston(s) appear to be stainless. My first outing with the gun I used a combination of RIO Brenekke style non-discarding sabot rifled slugs, and RIO brand 00 buck - 9 pellet. Every round fired perfectly. The gun comes with 2 five round mags which are perfect for normal hunting/field use, but 10 round mags aren't even expensive and it seems magazine fed shotguns are ONE area where nearly all mags are universal! I picked up additional 10 round mags for $20 each! I also picked up 3, 20 round drums - limited to 10 rounds to be CA legal. The drums are Skeletor design using a thick, wide, central flat coil spring. The drums can have all tension released, then limited tension added while loading, then full tension applied. I found the BEST way to load drums is to keep some tension, making inserting shells easy, then when full, add tension one click at a time, then pressing down on the top round to feel how hard it is to press down. When it matches standard mags, tension is perfect. During shooting, the gun NEVER failed to cycle with 5-round, 10-round mags, and 10/20 drums. That's 60 rounds of interspersed slugs and buck. Clearly, when fed the ammo this gun is meant to use, reliability isn't a in doubt! Recoil was quite mild as expected from a semiauto. At around 8 pounds, this gun soaks up a lot of kick. After shoulder firing 30+ rounds my shoulder wasn't sore, nor did I have the normal bruise the next day! The key of course with all autoloading shotguns is to provide a solid base so the gun isn't allowed to move backward excessively, thus sapping energy from the cycling parts. After firing 60 rounds the interior was essentially clean, and the gas piston had a barely perceptible coat of residue. Using the supplied flip-up sights, making hits on targets at 50 yards using slugs was as easy as using a rifle. Initial firing was done using the supplied cylinder choke. Fit and Finish on this gun is superb! The bronze anodized color is deep and rich. All controls feel solid with distinct feedback. For the price, NOBODY is making a better shotgun! While pump-action shotguns are the classic home-defense favorite, THIS is the new standard. With a 10 round mag of 00 buck locked in, it has double the capacity, and can be fired blisteringly fast with excellent control! The bolt locks open on empty and second mag can be locked in quickly - whereas classic tube systems require inserting one shell at a time, and if you need to change out the load, that's also, one shell at a time! With a box-mag shotgun, if you don't want slugs, drop that and snap in a box of slugs. The gun isn't made for super light target loads. Just like all military grade weapons, they're designed around a STANDARD load. Rifles, pistols, and shotguns. As long as you use loads adequate to the gun, it will work as expected. One doesn't need to shoot light target loads with this gun because recoil with full power ammo is quite mild. There is a classic episode of The Ultimate Warrior where a couple of Russian Spetznaz guys squared off with U.S. Special Forces guys. The SF guys used a Mossberg 590, while the Spetznaz used a Saiga 12 auto for the bar clearing challenge. To say it wasn't even close is an understatement. That ONE episode proves that NOBODY should be choosing a pump shotgun over a box fed auto for home defense!
Absolutely beautiful rifle. Very high quality build with a clear ruggedness. The sights are amazing. These aren't the easiest to find, glad I was able to add one to my collection. Highly recommend.
This thing is a beast. Make sure and fire the first 50 rounds or so high velocity. Then it fires everything you throw at it. The only thing is the sights are very cheap but overall excellent firearm.
I purchased this Ruger Blackhawk from Bud's as they had the best price and their service is outstanding! I just have them ship to my local FFL guy, smooth and easy process. I wanted this large frame colt 45, so that I could shoot big bore ammo for hunting. I like the ease of shooting these single action revolvers as well. It helps me to focus every shot, when I am out hunting. I may put some bigger grips on it, I will see after I get some time with it.
Very nice gun! Great price! Accurate, reliable, light recoil, inexpensive to shoot. Fun for the entire family at the range. And as always, Bud's was a pleasure to work with.
