Which Shotgun?

D

dbgun

New member
How many of you guys/ladies like having that 3rd shell in your shotgun when you bird hunt? I always thought, "Heck, three shells are better than two". I always felt more confident having that third shell. If fact I brought down a lot of birds with the 3rd shell.

This year I hunted (opening weekend of Dove season) with an Over & Under (Mossberg SR) and did just as well as I did the day before with my Remington 11-87. So which do you perfer to hunt with, a Double barrel/Over&Under(2 shells) or a Pump/Semi-Auto shotgun(3 shells)?
 
I have hunted with a Citori O/U for 30 years. I dearly love my A-5s, and hunt with them whenever I can, but I keep going back to the O/U. It just feels right.
 
Citori O/U hunter here, too.
Two shots works for me, if it's more than that - I can always get the dogs tracking it back down... pheasants in Eastern Colorado aren't that smart.
Since I think the gun feels better and shoots exactly like I want it to, I usually don't need the second barrel anyway.
 
When I'm hunting with a pump or double barrel, I tend to be more careful/selective with the first shot. When I use an auto, I tend to take more risks (sky-busting) or rush the first shot, rather than lining it up properly.

I don't think I've ever taken a bird on the third shot with a pump, unless I switched birds in a flock. I have done it with autos though.
 
Most often use an O/U but if I carry a pump (read 780) or semi (read 1100) I do put that third round in the tube. Seldom use it .... and admit that is usually a waste!:D
 
Having third shell is great...

until you shuck the forearm off you O/U trying rack the third shell in!!!

Least the dog didn't comment. :D
 
Companies Like It

Companies that make and sell shotgun shells love that third shot. It increases profits by fifty percent.:D
 
until you shuck the forearm off you O/U trying rack the third shell in!!!
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LOL. I did that on my 2nd shell, the first time I switched from a pump to a semi-auto. Lucky for me, no one was watching.:D
 
shucking a double/ thinking its a pump action...LOL

been there, done that too, no one was watching....:o

I like a pump ( 870 ) for most of my upland hunting. I guess its just what I started with and its like taking an old friend out for a nice walk in the woods when I pick it up...it was my first shotgun and still my favorite 30 years later.
 
Beretta O/U for me on birds (dove, quail, pheasant).

Waterfowling is a different animal. I'll take three shells here with my SBE.
 
I thought the advantage of a OU was you can use two different chokes.
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It is, yes. And some like the balance better. But it's a tradeoff - 2 chokes & 2 shells, or 1 choke & 3 shells. If you're in a lot of birds, that 3rd shell can come in handy, although in reality not too often.
 
Stoeger Uplander 12 Guage SXS.
Nice little gun. BUT.. Not a shotgunner ;) I average 3 birds from a box of 25 shells...

Dad uses a Mossberg 500 and since he never hunts waterfowl he has the tube out. ;) He has a Ruger O/U but doesn't use it much. Got a good deal on it and it is "Trading material" And doesnt want to scratch it.

P.S. Sorta off-topic but anyone had the "fun" of hitting a Sharptail Grouse 5 yards from the end of your 12 guage? I did the other day.... (Lucky hit) and man there wasn't NUTHIN left. Just a explosion of feathers :eek:
 
I very seldom hunt birds (Mrs. Meek dislikes cooking them) but when I do its with an old Ruger Red Label 20 ga. I've shot pumps and semiautos but they are unnecessarily complex, plus the difficulty of only a single choke.
 
Safety Factor

O/U's are also easier to render safe. Open the gun and it pretty much can't go boom. It is also easier to verify weather it is loaded.

Semi's are easier on the shoulder. An autoloader in 20 gauge can be shot all day without much discomfort. In fact, a 12 gauge auto feels softer to me then a 20 gauge O/U.
 
Of my several upland guns in 20 and 12 all but one are Skt and Skt! Quail and pheasant. Believe the open pattern helps more than the idea of a tight choke over distance. Go pattern and see what a F/M or F/IM buys you. Little to nothing depending on the gun. Maybe a F/IC is an idea .. may try that on one with tubes .... which I usually avoid. Screw in a Mod on my single bbls guns and put the rest in the safe.

Yep, ducks I use all three shots at times .... yep, on one duck, or no duck. Then wade out and club him with the butt stock while the dog rolls over laughing.:)
 
i personally think that if you miss with 2 shots, it'll be out of range by the time for the third shot unless you're shooting 3 1/2" magnums. i personally take the third shot out of frustration
 
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