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Anyone have any preference of either for hunting? Side by Sides vs OverUnders. "Let me start off with two words: Made in America" | ||
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I've owned a Browning citori Superlight O/U 12g in the past and it just didn't seem to work out that great for me. Just all around performance wasn't that good. Recently bought a CZ Bobwhite 20g double and I'm having an awesome time on doves, quail and chuckars with it. Pleasantly surprised so far for a low $ committment. There are a lot of threads on CZ shotguns here. | |||
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Interesting! I may have to look into the CZ's "Let me start off with two words: Made in America" | |||
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I have owned and hunted with both a couple of O/Us and a SXS with two sets of barrels, and I also have come to prefer hunting with the SXS. My SXS has double triggers, which I have also come to prefer over the single selective trigger of the O/Us that I owned. The O/Us had or have selective ejectors. The SXS has only simple extractors, which makes saving the empties for reloading some what easier for me. Most of the shooting involved in my hunting these days isn't so hot and heavy that I miss not having the ejectors. My SXS also wasn't as expensive as my O/Us were. I no longer own the Browning Lightening Grade 20 Ga O/U, but I have come to prefer using the Richland 20 Ga with either the 30 or 26 inch set of barrels, choked F/IM and M/IC respectively, to hunting with my Beretta O/U 20 Ga choked M/f with 28 inch long barrels. There is just something about the racy lines, balance, and shallower opening angle of the SXS that makes it seem to be a more appropriate hunting tool in the game fields for me. I have also been lusting after the CZs. I wish they imported double trigger models. My Richland 707 has an automatic safety, which I have also come to prefer over the American style manual safeties. The gun automatically goes on safe as the action is opened to load the gun. It soon becomes automatic to thumb the gun off safe as you shoulder it to shoot. If you don't shoot, you have to remember to push the tang safety back into the safe position again. I was shot by a hunting partner walking through heavy brush with his safety off. That ended that hunting season for me that year and I am still carrying 8 of the 12 size 4 pellets that hit my right leg around to this day. Twelve pellets gouged out the stock on that Browning. I was very lucky, most of the ounce and a quarter shot charge passed harmlessly between my legs. I had to wade a very cold river, cross a fence and walk a mile and a half to get back to our vehicle after I was shot. I spent 3 days in a hospital and had a numb leg for 3 years after the accident, but I went back to work right I was released from the hospital. I sold the Browning to buy a gun with an automatic safety right after I was shot. Accidents can happen. Automatic safeties are not idiot proof, but they are a step in the right direction as far as I am concerned...Rusty. | |||
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The supreme reason why I always preferred a "double" ( Yeah, I know that technically, nowadays, you can call an O&U a "double" but it used to be that a "double" always meant a sxs) is because the O&U has that annoying resistance when one wants to load the bottom barrel. The "single sighting plane" is not that much of an "advantage" to true wingshooters who know that a shotgun is pointed and is not aimed. | |||
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I like both and shoot both. For pure accuracy, I shoot my 26" Browning O/U better than any other gun. I often use it for ducks and geese, even. But the SxS is "neater" and weighs less. And I shoot it pretty well, too. Steve | |||
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I just picked up a CZ Bobwhite 20 ga. with 26' tubes and it is a double trigger. After a stop at the gunsmith to work down the triggers from around 9-10 pounds it's really working fine. I started out using the IC and MOD choke tubes for doves and quail but found out on the pattern board for the distances that I was going to shot the patterns said go with MOD and FULL. After changing out it's goine boom every time I pull the trigger and I've shot really well on the birds with it. I would recommend it highly, after a trigger job!! | |||
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I never shot a SxS that well until I did a little more shooting with one this year, and I found I really like them. However, I still think I shoot better with an O/U (because I've fired many, many more thousands of rounds through them, though). So, it's mostly a matter of preference. However, when you go to a clay target competition, look at what the shooters there are shooting pretty much exclusively when they're shooting a double. O/Us. You might want to take that into consideration when thinking about buying a shotgun for hunting if you're serious about killing birds. Not that good shooting can't be done with a SxS, but it seems more people are shooting O/Us today for a reason (competition shooters, anyway). But, as most people would agree, go to a store and see which fits you better, whether it's an O/U or SxS. I heal fast and don't scar. | |||
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My first shotgun, when I was a kid was a Savage 311 in 20ga. Later I went to a Rem 1100 20ga, a Win 101 20ga, then a Browning Citori O/U 12ga and a Benelli 12 ga for geese. However since I started hunting with double rifles I have gone back to a SXS. Well almost, as the shotgun I most often now use is a Sauer 12x12x30-06 Drilling. It handles better as a shotgun than my Citori. If I was to buy a shotgun today I would definately buy a SXS. After all, my eyes are like this 00, not like this 8.  It would have 2 triggers as well. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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I have both and prefer the O/U. I love my Browning Citori Super Lite and shoot it more than anything else, just took it to Africa. Never worry about theory as long as the machinery does what it's supposed to do. | |||
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I bought a CZ Bobwhite 12ga SxS with double triggers andd really like it, other than the stiff trigger pull. I havent had any guns with a straight grip, but this one is nice. I am just glad that affordable SxS guns are available for us to even be able to choose from. Back in the 80s when I first started shooting there wasnt anything for less than 5K. | |||
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Real shotguns have two barrels and the best of them are SXS. I Own them all I like my SXS's best. But when things are nasty weather wise and in the mud and junk of waterfoweling I get greas use out of pumps and semi auto's | |||
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Use both O/U and S/S. Use the O/U for target shooting and the S/S for live birds...I keep my head down better with the straight stock of the S/S for the live birds. Both are Berettas. | |||
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p dog shooter: There's no doubt that the third quick shot to finish a cripple is the best argument for a pump or auto. (Full disclosure - I'm old enough to have had a father who well remembered the "market hunters" - and the shotgun of choice for them was a pump. He was not pleased when his son started to use a pump.  ) | |||
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A third shot for cripples is a good argument, but hell Gerry, use that third shot for a more proactive use--a third bird! They're not fancy, but I'm a pump gun man through and through. KG P.S. I've only done in three ducks with three shots twice in the past few years, but I can guarantee it'll never, ever happen again if I hunt with a double! ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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I can hit far more quail,dove and pheasant with a sxs than any of my other shotguns. I can hit more ducks in timber or a close-in shooting situation with an over and under. Knowing I just have two shots makes me bear down harder on the first one. When close-in I rarely can get more than two shots before they are behind the trees anyway. The straight back recoil of an o/u with magnum duck loads lets me get off a better second shot. For big water or open field goose shooting the pump works better for me. When I miss the first shot the action of working the pump seems to refocus me and the open water gives me time for 3 shots. ALLEN W. JOHNSON - DRSS Into my heart on air that kills From yon far country blows: What are those blue remembered hills, What spires, what farms are those? That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, The happy highways where I went And cannot come again. A. E. Housman | |||
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KG While reflecting on how best to reply to a Bosox fan who likes pumps - I realized to my horror that I had been something of a hypocrite on this thread - because since my mid twenties and thereafter I had never carried a sxs! (Rem.870) The worst part of having to admit this to a Bosox fan is that I did it for the same sneaking reason you had - only more unrealistic because I carried a pump while shooting at ruffed grouse! ("partridge" in your neck of the woods and if you don't know yourself what I mean about how unrealistic the idea of a third shot is, ask one of your compatriots about shooting at " the queen of game birds"!) Regards | |||
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I have and shoot both. My 2 favorite guns for hunting are a 16ga AYA SxS 28" and a 16ga Browning Citori Lightning O/U 28". They both balance and shoot well but different. The SxS is lighter and much quicker. On the skeet range and in the field, its so fast, the birds seem slower! Great at shorter ranges or situations where quick shooting is needed. But the little extra weight of the Browning gives me much smoother swings and better follow through on crossing targets and situations where I can be more deliberate in my shooting. | |||
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On the 3-shot advantage of pumps and autos, sure there is an advantage to having a fast third shot. My bird hunting carer started out with a single shot 20 Ga gun, and I was able to manage some 3-shot runs on ducks with it with a lot of practice. My shells expended average per bird gotten was the best that it has ever been with my single shot shot gun. Of course your millage may vary...Rusty. | |||
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For competitive target shooting I use O/Us either Beretta or Perazzi...and for hunting I shoot Beretta SxSs with straight stocks as I keep my head down better with them on live birds... | |||
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I've always thought of O/U's as bird guns and SxS's as big game guns. Then again, I'm a Benelli believer and until they come out with an O/U that will shoot three shells I'll just stick to it. | |||
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I shot my first woodcock with a fox B model that I would dearly love to own now. I have a life long love for old L.C. Smiths. I shoot virtually only o/u guns now. I have taken seven birds on a rise with a fully stuffed Model 12. I have taken two triples and half a dozen doubles on grouse with a 16 ga 870. If the gun fits you it doesn't make any difference at all how many barrels it has or what configuration they are in. If it doesn't fit or won't put the pattern where it's pointed some one else has to feed it ammo. I had a Browning superlight 12 o/u that killed the first five grouse I shot at. I tried to kill pheasants with it with 1 1/4 ounce #6 loads and they shot 2 feet low and left. That gun was replaced inside of two weeks. | |||
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For live birds I shoot a sxs best. My favorite is an Ugartechea 12 gauge, straight stock, double triggers. I also have a Win M24 that seems to shoot where I'm lookin. I really want a 28 sxs. I've never owned an o/u but I've shot some, I just prefer sxs. | |||
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It a matter of preference, but the single sighting plane of an O/U is a more accurate shotgun (all things being equal which they rarely are in shotguns or anything else for that matter) for most people. As has already been pointed out, proper fit is critical and much more so than what type of action you choose. I've said this before and it depends on your goals. In general, light wt in a shotgun is NOT condusive to good shooting. If you want to look stylish OR if you are carrying a gun for miles and doing relatively little shooting, and then not REALLY caring if you kill 4 instead of 5 birds, get a lightweight wandy short barreled shotgun in a smaller gauge. OTOH if you want to shoot your best as often as you can and kill most of the birds you shoot at, carry a bit more wt, get a 12 ga O/U with medium length (27 to 30 inch) barrels and practice with that. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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Interestingly enough my auto holds 5 rounds which is perferctly legal to hunt quail with...get in a rise and take a bunch of birds not just two or three...in fact I used to hold two more in my hands and stuff them while shooting the base five...I had a B-2000 that loaded from the side...wicked indeed...but much prefer the double...my limit is almost as quickly obtained... | |||
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I started out with a Stevens pump then moved to a Stevens 311 sxs. From there I went to a Franchi auto. When the stock broke on that I traded it for a Franchi o/u. Another accident and I ended up with a Weatherby Orion o/u. I find it beats the hell out of my cheek and is very heavy. I hope to keep it for waterfowl and am looking for a sxs 20 to use on upland birds. | |||
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Murf: I had an Orion one time and I thought it felt kind of clunky too. It sounds to me like you've got a gun fit problem. Sometimes when the shooter is getting his cheek beat up he is not getting his head down on the gun and it "slaps" him when he shoots it. This can be magnified if he is wearing a squishly heavy coat which allows more jump on recoil. The opposite can also be true, if you're shooting the gun with a death grip and really mashing your cheek down then that will whap you pretty good too and it won't take long. I don't know what your body size/type is but you need to do some thinking about how your gun fits and either modify it to fit you or find one that you are willing to modify. It also sound like you need sythetic stocks, they are harder to break......  xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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The only time I shot a WBY Orion it was at a dog trial and I was playing executioner for the ducks we were shooting out of a giant slingshot kind of thing for the dogs. The first time I shot the thing, it doubled on me. It happened again a few shots later, and I gave it back to the owner and used something else. That experience was enough to sour me on the Orion, regardless of how relatively handsome it was. ______________________ Hunting: I'd kill to participate. | |||
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SO far this is the only gun that mistreats me so badly. I have a few other shotguns and have used quite a few others with no similar problems. I also put it down to the fit of this particular gun. I have even used a single shot Cooey, a Canadian version similar to the Winchester bottom line single for 100 rounds of trap with better results and no beating. As for needing a synthetic stock I will avoid that if 1) the damn gun case remains closed when I am carrying the gun or 2) a gun placed upright in a corner is not knocked over when city busses fly doen the street over speed bumps. Moving solved no 2. In any case the Orion only cost me 200 bucks. $20 for the Stevens double, 40 to trade it for Franchi auto, another 40 to go up to the Franchi O/U and 100 insurrance deductable to get the Orion. | |||
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Like everything else, it's very much a matter of what you shoot the best and what turns you on about a specific style or brand of gun. I prefer a sxs. I finally purchased an AyA No. 2RA this year in 16 ga. It points like the finger of God. Best, Brad Starcevich | |||
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I like 'em all but have a soft spot for fine SxS's. This is my favorite "go to" gun for wild birds. 1913 redone Fox 16 ga, 28"bbls, I/C, I/M 6lbs even.   Pretty ain't she? | |||
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Beautiful gun. Great piece of wood. Who did the stock work if you don't mind me asking? I, too, shoot IC and IM as my normal everyday chokes, seems to be nearly the perfect combination to me. I use that combo for almost everything except for specialized situations such as pass shooting geese or quail over dogs. xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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Goddammit Kroil the least you could do is post a gun porn warning and give a little scroll down room before you put pictures like that up. Dammit man a little consideration next time. Now I am going to have them dreams again. | |||
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Kroil, That is a BEAUTIFIL shotgun...and functional! Congrats! DRSS & Bolt Action Trash | |||
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A SXS to my taste is perfect. I never wanted an OU. In fact enough snow melted today so that I got out for a while on the local WMA land where a shotgun is legal. I just feel right with a side by side. To each his own. | |||
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Kroll: Re: bottom pic ("Pretty, ain't she?") Don't tell me you can identify sex of a ruff by looking at the tail feathers? (In a lifetime of shooting at ruffs, I never got very good at it and never really believed it could be done. Oh, you mean the Fox! | |||
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That Fox really is beautiful. I prefer sxs's over o/u's. My first shotgun was a field grade LC Smith. I have a Beretta 411-E now which is a great pheasant gun. NRA Life Member, Band of Bubbas Charter Member, PGCA, DRSS. Shoot & hunt with vintage classics. | |||
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Actually, you can. The Picture is not that good for identification, but what I can see tells me that's a juvenile female. | |||
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Miles58: I hunted ruffs for over 60 years and never saw a "juvenile" shot during hunting season in NY. Hereabouts, ruffs mate around late April thru May. Chicks are all hatched no later than about mid June. Birds are fully grown by end of summer or at the latest by early Autumn.(before end of September and certainly by early October) Our NY hunting season in Southern Zone was From November 1 on. Thus I never saw any "juveniles". Maybe you have an earlier opening day in your neck of the woods?) As to the width of band I have seen too many variables to trust that either -ranging from what year of the cycle to diet to just simply the usual "exceptions". If you can tell sex and age of a ruff from loooking at tail feathers, then more power to you! I never could. | |||
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Being a competitive trap shooter I prefer the O/U to the SXS, actually the only SXS I find appealing to me is the Winchester 21. Lou **************** NRA Life Benefactor Member | |||
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