Side by side or Over/Under?

S

Skan21

New member
I decided against the Saiga 12. Maybe I'll get one later. Instead, I decided to focus on upland fowl for next year. I need either a SxS or over/under for around $1000, new or used. I also want to be able to shoot trap and/or skeet with it. Anyone have any good suggestions? I'm not really interested in an auto or a pump. I don't know what it is, but I really like the wood stocks and balanced looks of an Over/Under. And what about gauge? I'm looking to hunt ring necked pheasant and I'm not sure what gauge would be best for clay birds and real birds.
 
in your price range there are many options, good used brand names are out there for that price. i like a double barrel for hunting,but like a over under for trap and skeet. try to get one with choke tubes and at least 28 inch barrels. browning cintori, beretta, winchester and the cz,s are fine choices. i have just gone to a 12ga. browning bt 100 single barrel trap gun for trap,but use a 12ga. browning cintori o/u for skeet and 5 station, and a browning double barrel bss sporter in 20ga for hunting. if you can go to a trap range, you will be able to pick up most of the info you are looking for, i found them a friendly crowd. good luck,eastbank.
 
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Best bargain out there is a used Browning Superposed....many can had for $1000 or less. These are extremely high quality, Belgium made, and will only go up in value. Down side is the fact they all are fixed choke barrels....pre-choke tube era. 12 gauge is the most popular for upland bird hunting and trap.
 
12 gauge is a very versatile gauge. You can instantly turn it into a "20 gauge" by buying 7/8 ounce 12 gauge loads if you want to.
With a double, you have an instant selection of two different chokes for the first shot. Any load will "cycle" a double, even blanks. If you reload, the empty shells stay in the chambers until you break open the gun, no shagging for your empties at the skeet/trap range.

I would definitely look for a quality used shotgun over a cheap new one. Make sure it fits you. Mount the gun with your eyes closed and you should not have to reposition the gun after you open your eyes to get the proper sight picture if the stock fits you.
 
sxs or O/U

Tough choice. If you are going to end up with one gun, I recommend a 12 ga. because there are just so many different loadings available for it.
The decision about gun type, however, is tough. Personally, if I had to pick between the two, the SXS is my choice (It was my first SG when I started hunting). Nothing points like a SXS. The Clay games, however, seem to be dominated by the O/Us and other guns. From what I glean, SXS are a rarity.
Pete
 
For clay targets, yes an O/U is the platform of choice. The reason is the single sighting plane that is the same for both barrels.

I prefer a 26" barrel for skeet. That however, is a little too short for effective trap shooting. Trap shooters prefer a 30" or even longer. You can compromise with a 28".
 
Best bargain out there is a used Browning Superposed....many can had for $1000 or less. These are extremely high quality, Belgium made, and will only go up in value. Down side is the fact they all are fixed choke barrels....pre-choke tube era. 12 gauge is the most popular for upland bird hunting and trap.
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If you're finding Belgian Superposeds for under 1 grand, please share....the best I am seeing is closer to 2....

Another brand worthy of consideration is SKB - for both O/U and SxS; however, a decent SxS, especially one able to withstand the rigors of trap and hunting, will cost more than 1,000 used - most in that range will be field guns- light and agile, but brutal for trap or long shooting sessions.

For trap and pheasants, a 12 will be your best bet, although a well-made 20 will also work.

Closer to your price range in SxS will be a used Savage/Stevens, either the 311 or the Savage/Fox B series.

For a touch over 1,000 there is the used Ugartechea, a well-made Spanish SxS.

With 1,000 as your budget, IMO, I would be looking for a well-made used O/U field grade gun from SKB, Browning or Beretta. Realize, as mentioned above, field guns are lighter and will have more recoil compared to a similar model target gun. Which activity do you envision doing more of? If you're hunting every day, putting in mile after mile, and only shooting a few rounds of clays to get ready for hunting, go with the field model. If the opposite is true, where you'll be shooting thousands of clays per year and doing some bird hunting, then get the heavier target model and live the weight in the field.
 
My primary bird hunting gun - and the gun I use for Skeet and Sporting clays - is an 8 1/2 lb O/U with 30" barrels in 12ga. I think it does everything pretty well - the extra weight reduces recoil a little / not ridiculously heavy to carry all day / a 12ga will give you a variety of loads from 1 1/8oz or more, and 1 oz ( like a typical 16ga ) and even 7/8 oz ( like a typical 20ga ), 30" barrels give a smooth swing and follow thru with a longer sighting plane, its heavy enough not to be "whippy".

So a 12ga is by far your best bet - if you only want one gun.

OneOunce and others advised you to look for a Browning, Beretta, SKB, etc - where you'll find something in your price range / good advice.

One of the most versatile guns in Browning's lineup - is the Citori, XS Skeet model, with an adjustable parallel comb, in either 28" or 30" barrels in 12ga .... that gun does a lot of things well, well balanced, not expensive by today's standards ( listing for about $ 3,269 now / but street price new is about $ 2,900 ) - and I've seen a few used, still in decent shape for $1,250 - $ 1,750 lately. Its a gun that has a lot of adjustability built into it - with the adj comb / and Fit is the #1 issue on buying a shotgun.
 
 
Thanks!....Wonder if those Cabela guns have the salt wood? Some have posted they were disappointed in getting salt guns from Cabelas.........
 
Saltwood is always suspect for anything between 1966-and thru 1973. It was not used in the higher grade model Superposes. (Pigeon-Pointer-Diana-Midas and special presentation grades)
 
I have 2 O/U- 686 Ultralight and silver pigeon sporting and a CZ s/s with a straight 'english' style stock.

More than any other firearm, a shotgun needs to become an extension of you- this relationship is not necessarily logical, it just 'is'.

Both O/U and S/S have their strengths. I suggest you try a variety of guns and use what suits you best.
 
To my eyes, nothing looks more right than a classic English style SxS double with a slender forestock. A few months ago, I was in Cabelas and I picked up an old Aguirre y Aranzabal open hammer double for around $375. Turned out to be a great shooter.
 
So what I'm getting from all these (Excellent) posts, is definitely 12 gauge. I'm curious about wether or not an over and under with interchangeable barrels would be a good idea? Buy a 12 gauge over under and add barrels as I get the cash. Is that possible with a SxS? do they break apart like that? And why is a single sighting plane good for skeet, but not for upland?
 
SxS and O/U both have single sighting planes. One rib and set of beads on each gun. I've found that if a person isn't that good with a SxS then they are not that great with an O/U either.
 
good question

And why is a single sighting plane good for skeet, but not for upland?
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That is a very good question and one that rarely gets asked.
I'm very curious as to responses.
I was taught to shoot a shotgun Churchill style - my primary use is upland hunting - and within that style the sighting plane is not much of a factor, at least not nearly as much as gun fit. There's no denying, though, that the target games are dominated by O/Us.
I have heard it said that the O/U's dominance is related to the fact that it is more rifle-like than a SXS. I wonder....
Pete
 
I Wish

I wish I could shoot a side-by-side well. To me they are the classiest looking shotguns. While I am not the best shotgunner with any type of gun, I really struggle with side-by-sides. I know, with proper practice and instruction I should be able to. But time is not a luxury I have at this moment.
 
An O/U just looks like a single barrel shotgun when you sight down it. A SxS really has no shooter's advantages other than its classic looks. Kind of makes you want to wear a tweed jacket and knickers when you shoot it.
 
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