Gatoroda - If both barrels and guns shoot to the same point of impact, one can't be more accurate than the other... from bench, shoulder or space ship. They both shoot to the point of aim.

You've made your point: which is that more shooters shoot o/us and more shooters win competitions with o/us. No one is disputing that.

That doesn't mean, however, that one is more accurate than the other, it just means that more people shoot the o/us than shoot sxss... Thus more people shoot o/us better.

As for the whole "sighting plane" debate, IMO that's a problem that started between someone's ears and has been perpetuated since.

New guy:

I guess you can use semantics all you want, but the quality of "accuracy" in a shotgun is usually defined by the combination of the shotgun and the shooter hitting a moving object. The fact that both S/Ss and O/Us should and can shoot the same pattern to the same POI from a bench is irrelevant. It is how they shoot in conjuction with the shooter's eyes and body movements that counts. Some of those combinations are better than others, but day in, day out, the best shooters use what produces the best scores for them and that is a single barrel sighting plane. That is the difference between the use of S/Ss and O/Us. One does the job better, as has been proven constantly in competition for the last 50 years or so. Just like in auto racing, the guys who compete at the top level use what works best. You can call it the single sighting plane myth if you like, but it exists, and if you don't believe it, try your S/S double at 27 to 35 yard trap targets and then use a single or O/U for the same birds.

An O/U is not going to turn a B class shooter into double A. Indeed it is certainly possible that a given shooter might shoot an S/S better than any other gun, but day in, day out, a single sighting plane works better for the vast majority of shooters which is what the initial poster asked for information about.

The advantages of a S/S double are tradition, can be light or very light weight for ease of carrying, and they break shallower than O/Us. As I've said before in this thread, while it feels good, lighter weight in a shotgun is not conducive to good shooting. Most shooters, using a S/S, won't kill as many birds, clay or live, as they would with another style of gun. Each shooter should determine what he values most for his needs.

JustinL01, Can't argue your point as I no longer hunt (age) and shoot o/u's for trap doubles, skeet, and sporting clays. Just remembering small game getting away while I was fussing with the o/u bottom barrel. Maybe just nostalgia for what I could not have; a s/s.

"Great taste"..."Less filling"...

...This will go on and on ad-nauseum...

BUT...

Here's an interesting observation from a formerly die-hard SxS shooter:

Last evening we had a really strong front blow in from the NW....the skies were pretty dark before legal dove shooting time was over...I noticed that on several birds shot in low light, I was better able to establish proper leads with my OU that been able to previously at the same location with my SXS...

...I don't know exactly why, But I'm going to do a little test at the clays range this week and see if I can pinpoint an exact reason. My shooting proficiency has not improved enough to have had that be the deciding factor.

Thoughts...

JW