O/U v SxS

[Sideshow]

The 30% comment is completely untrue and isn't based on any study. It's all in how you shoot.

I've never competed with O/U although I own a few. Whatever modest trophies I have laying around my office were all with SxS guns. About ten years ago a State skeet championship was won with a Model 21, so I'm not the only person shooting SxS.

I'll give you a few reasons why O/U shotguns are competitively more popular:

1.) High gun shooting aligns your sight straight down a rib of an O/U. If you hold a SxS at your shoulder for a prolonged period of time, your sight picture gets less precise as you're staring across two barrels and a rib.

2.) For very long shots in FITASC and sporting clays, an O/U is going to pattern only high/low for a given distance, whereas a SxS is going to have the patterns drift left/right at various extreme distances which may cause a lost shot under competitive circumstances.

3.) Game guns have traditionally been SxS guns that are lightweight, designed to carry and be at ready position very rapidly. O/U guns have traditionally been designed for clay target events, focusing on heavy guns to moderate recoil and to create a smooth swing. (please don't counterpoint me by posting a woodward O/U and a Model 21 Skeet...yes, there were and are exceptions)

4.) Cost. The better SxS guns by design have to be hand inletted into the head of the action, necessitating high prices. The average to very good O/U has a through-bolted stock made to 98% fit on a CNC, dramatically lowering the price of construction of a Kolar, Perazzi, Krieghoff, Merkel, or Blaser O/U compared to the cost to hand build and inlet a SxS stock that is not through bolted.

5.) Warranty and repair. Pursuant to point 4, if you break the stock on an O/U it is very cheap to make another stock, and the manufacture can use very cheap but appealing wood to over build the stock for clay guns. The $6000 stock on a Perazzi or equivalent may be worthless and unusable if it was a svelt stock without a throughbolt designed for a SxS. A SxS necessitates in most cases, a better piece of wood and if the wrong wood is selected, a more likely warranty cost to the manufacturer.


Those are all objective reasons, but none of them is the "you'll shoot 30% better" hypothesis. Even out of practice, I assure you that I can keep up with the better clay shooters IF we do not have a pre-known menu at a station and we're shooting low gun. Speed of acquisition and instinctive shooting practices all tilt towards SxS guns, premeditated fluid actions on known target trajectories, and at long distances will tilt towards an O/U.

Thanks @rookhawk was ment to say 30% Easter with an over and under.
Not sure why I said hit more. Dyslexia moment
Here’s a quote from an article in “The Field“

“Edward Watson of Dr Watson Shooting adds another factor in the over and under’s favour: the relationship between eyes and barrel conformation. “Shooting is very much a ‘hand to eye’ co-ordination sport,” he says. “Your eyes watch the bird and this feeds information to your brain, which cleverly works out distance, speed and line. The focus on the bird helps this and the harder you focus the better you shoot. If, however, your eyes are prevented in any way from total focus on the target you will miss. With an over and under you have a much better view of the bird when the gun is mounted due to the gun’s single sighting plane. Our eyes are lazy and will always try and look at the closest thing, ie the barrels. And the more the barrels intrude into our vision, even our peripheral vision, the more our eyes will want to look at them and not the bird. And if you look at the barrels and not at the bird you’ll usually miss. That’s why shooting an over and under is 30% easier than with a side by side.” It seems that in the case of over and under or side by side, the over and under wins.“

“OVER AND UNDER OR SIDE BY SIDE: IN CONCLUSION​

Having discussed options of over and under or side by side with hundreds of clients, Wilkin concludes “Those of us that have used side by sides and over and unders, when forced to choose one option, will find the choice difficult. Subjectivity will play a large part, I suspect, far more so than mechanicals.”

That subjectivity varies, naturally, with individuals but perhaps we should be chary of labelling one type of gun as “traditional” and the other as a claybuster’s upstart. Both formats have ancient pedigrees but technical problems gave the side by side a dominance that has disappeared. Thousands of extremely competent shots use side by sides to great effect while others might benefit by changing to an over and under. Whichever type of gun we choose, there’s one overriding factor: we owe it to our quarry to use whatever enables us to do our personal best to kill it cleanly in the best traditions of sportsmanship.“

 

[HankBuck]

Well we’ve shifted to shotguns so I will weigh in.

1) The O/U is more precise than the SxS. There is no arguing that a SxS will cost you birds in competition, but it’s nothing close to 30%. I recent did a very limited test in low gun skeet. I shot 50/50 with my O/U and 49/50 with a double trigger SxS. There is a reason serious competitors with money on the line shoot O/U guns, and it has nothing to do with availability. If the market demanded competition SxS guns we would have them.

2) A SxS game gun requires a slightly different technique than an O/U. A very good overview is ‘The Better Shot’ by Ken Davies. Ken is a died in the wool SxS shooter. There is lots of great info in the book, but the key sensitivity in shooting a SxS well is, the gun needs to fire pretty much as soon as it hits your shoulder. This is desirable with an O/U as well, but the narrow sighting plane is a little more forgiving is you drag it out a bit.

I shoot both, but if I am expected to bust everything, I shoot an O/U. Interestingly, many of my friends in the London trade personally shoot O/U’s.

I rarely shoot for score anymore as I refuse to participant any competition that allows a mounted gun. We have a penchant for dumbing down shotgun games on this side of the pond. Rant over.

WAB, agree Americans took the original “Low Gun” Sporting Clays game and changed it to allow ‘Mounted gun’ and that has resulted in scores going up—-which resulted in courses being made more difficult with father target presentations....it all equals out. I prefer to shoot low gun because I’m more hunter then competitor. Regarding side x sides vs. O/U - for Clays competition the OU or semi autos prevail but the “targets broken” difference might only be 1-3 targets per 100 and while that can be the difference between 1st place and a 5 way tie for 6th - it applies only to clay targets. In hunting situations I doubt there is a quantifiable difference - assuming the shooter is skilled & proficient with their SxS. I’d put it this way: I would gladly sell my OUs if I could shoot SxS’s as well as some of the top British shooters. Plus, a SxS with ejectors can be reloaded much faster then an OC (Under hunting situations) and is preferred for the classic Driven Grouse shoots....that is a true classic hunt that combines tradition, wing shooting skills, fluid gun mount, and reloading abilities.....All of which I am lacking!!!

 

[HankBuck]

Ah, at last something I know a little about. I have owned and shot a fair bit with both O/U and SxS double rifles and here are my conclusions with both of these so far:
1. No appreciable difference in accuracy, once both are fired with ammunition that suits their regulation they are equally accurate. The sighting plane does not seem to be a factor, and remember that doubles are not meant to be tack drivers.
2. Speed of loading - no appreciable difference.
3. Handling - they do sit in the hands differently. I don’t think one is better than the other, it is just personal preference. I find the O/U feels as if it will handle faster, and the barrels don’t burn you as much as a SxS.
4. Mechanism and reliability. This is a big one. The barrels of the O/U obviously sit at different distances above the pivot line and the top barrel exerts roughly double the opening moment about the pivot point as the bottom one does. Doubles, especially in large calibres, exert massive forces and this translates to large turning moments that work to open the action. Where the action isn’t strong enough the breach can pivot up and open. This happened to my O/U double repeatedly and I have since discovered two other identical cases.
Sure, you could engineer the action to be strong enough, and a third lockup between the breach and fences it a good improvement, but SxS doubles are far less prone to this effect, especially if they have a third lockup like the Heym cross bolt. In this case there is virtually no chance of accidental opening at all.
5. Looks. The SxS is in my view the more classic and elegant, especially in an African context. The O/U is beach worthy as TT says, but looks out of place with a pith helmet!

Kevin, gonna challenge your point #2. - speed of reloading a SxS vs. OU, assuming both have ejectors how could a SxS Not be faster? It’s break action only requires the barrels to be opened (move) 1/2 the distance that an OU requires. Watching some shooting driven Grouse in Europe the reloading speed is impressive, obviously takes practice but the SxS lends itself to a fast reload. I would venture that a well practiced SxS shooter could get off 4 shots faster then someone operating a Bolt Action could fire 3.....Not that I could do it but some of those British shooters could.

 

[Fixfire]

I shoot low gun for clays as well. According to @HankBuck it's extremely low being held across my body at the waist. He said I could break about 10% more clays with a higher mount, and he's probably right. But I rarely walk through the field with the gun mounted looking for birds. If I know a shot is likely to present, of course I'll have it in the pocket of my shoulder, but until then it's normally being held in both hands at my waist.

When hunting under a pointer - particular with Quail, there is plenty of time to mount the gun. Not so here in Pa. with Grouse.

 

[HankBuck]

I completely understand and have my fair share of birds that have fallen for me. But most of the time is spent walking, not stalking like Elmer Fudd looking for wabbits.

BeeMaa, you shoot & practice Clays like a Hunter should - as close to real hunting situations as possible....and Low gun is a part of that. Some shooters can’t hit a thing unless they preMount their gun and that will always hinder hunting results. The shooters with the best gun mounts I’ve seen always look “slow” because they are so smooth and efficient - effortless. Also, the less movement during the gun mount the more consistent the shooting will be. It’s Not how low someone holds the gun as much as how many “directions” the gun moves while mounting: if the gun is canted, held cross chest, barrel pointed left or right - that must All be “straightened out” by the time the gun gets up to the shoulder and pointed towards the target. When I watch Top shooters (and I am Not one) their gun is already pointing towards the general area of the target before mounting begins, it’s also never canted, and parallel to the ground - come straight up in one smooth motion and gets pulled into the shoulder while touching cheek at same time. Now, it sounds so simple - so why can’t I do that??

 

[Altitude sickness]

“When hunting under a pointer - particular with Quail, there is plenty of time to mount the gun. Not so here in Pa. with Grouse.”

Same here. I prefer 20” barrels for Sept grouse

30” barrels, particularly in cover woodcock prefer are 10” too long :>))))

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

When hunting under a pointer - particular with Quail, there is plenty of time to mount the gun. Not so here in Pa. with Grouse.

For those unfamiliar with Ruff Grouse found in the northern USA and southern Canada, they are:
1. So naturally camouflaged that one can step right next to where they sit on the forrest floor.
2. When one does step almost on top of a Ruff Grouse, suddenly and I mean suddenly they explode into the air rising seemingly straight up!
3. While the startled hunter is shouldering his gun, Sir Grouse has leveled off in flight at eye level to maybe 10 feet high. That should be great except in a half second or so, when he is but 10 yards distance from your muzzles, there are at least two trees acting as nature's armor between you and him.

Ruffed grouse - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I prefer a light 16 gauge AH Fox when in his domain. Relating this to double rifles, I have owned and shot Heym, Krieghoff, Merkel, Chaupis, and Blaser double rifles. The Krieghoff isn't bad, but my trusty Heym 458 and ugly Blazer 375 handle or have the easiest "movement of inertia" closest to a fine handling light SxS bird gun.

PS, I had a couple of English guns that handled even better than Miss Fox but I let them go to another caretaker. I do still have an early Henry Atkin eight pound 10 gauge that feels like magic in my hands. Henry isn't a grouse gun but he has downed a few pheasant.

Good shooting to all!

 

[Red Leg]

Kevin, gonna challenge your point #2. - speed of reloading a SxS vs. OU, assuming both have ejectors how could a SxS Not be faster? It’s break action only requires the barrels to be opened (move) 1/2 the distance that an OU requires. Watching some shooting driven Grouse in Europe the reloading speed is impressive, obviously takes practice but the SxS lends itself to a fast reload. I would venture that a well practiced SxS shooter could get off 4 shots faster then someone operating a Bolt Action could fire 3.....Not that I could do it but some of those British shooters could.

WAB, agree Americans took the original “Low Gun” Sporting Clays game and changed it to allow ‘Mounted gun’ and that has resulted in scores going up—-which resulted in courses being made more difficult with father target presentations....it all equals out. I prefer to shoot low gun because I’m more hunter then competitor. Regarding side x sides vs. O/U - for Clays competition the OU or semi autos prevail but the “targets broken” difference might only be 1-3 targets per 100 and while that can be the difference between 1st place and a 5 way tie for 6th - it applies only to clay targets. In hunting situations I doubt there is a quantifiable difference - assuming the shooter is skilled & proficient with their SxS. I’d put it this way: I would gladly sell my OUs if I could shoot SxS’s as well as some of the top British shooters. Plus, a SxS with ejectors can be reloaded much faster then an OC (Under hunting situations) and is preferred for the classic Driven Grouse shoots....that is a true classic hunt that combines tradition, wing shooting skills, fluid gun mount, and reloading abilities.....All of which I am lacking!!!

I shoot both SxS's and OU's regularly. The manual of arms for reload is simply slightly different, and I can detect no difference in my speed of reload. I would add I have shot thousands of driven pheasants using both, and have never felt at a disadvantage with either. Most SxS's, unless assisted opening are typically harder to open than the usual OU. If they are assisted opening, they are harder to lock. That drives time as much or more than a few inches of opening angle. In truly classic driven grouse hunts, the shooter isn't reloading. He is using a matched pair and the loader or secretatario is doing the reload and so type of gun doesn't matter. I am personally convinced the reason SxS's are so common has more to do with tradition than any speed advantage.

Like @WAB I hate what we have done to clays, and I won't shoot it competitively any longer. Like in skeet, guns have turned into mechanical apparatuses more appropriate to a rehab center than a shooting range. I find few thing more annoying than sharing a stand with adjustable combs, butt plates at strange angles, those spinning choke tubes, and contorted stances. In Northern VA a group of us shot every weekend with traditional guns when we weren't shooting box birds. That group would easily outscore anyone but a true, in practice, competition shooter.

Finally, with respect to the good Dr. Watson, I also disagree, again based upon my experience, that a target, feathered or clay, is meaningfully more visible or easier to acquire with an OU. Flyers, particularly box birds, are the most challenging shotgun game. Often real stakes are involved. I, as have many others, have won and lost about equally with SxS's and OU's. I am focused on the bird, not the barrels. Below are my pre-WWI William Cashmore and pre-WWII Gebruder Merkel. I am pretty sure both have paid for themselves.

 

[WAB]

BeeMaa, you shoot & practice Clays like a Hunter should - as close to real hunting situations as possible....and Low gun is a part of that. Some shooters can’t hit a thing unless they preMount their gun and that will always hinder hunting results. The shooters with the best gun mounts I’ve seen always look “slow” because they are so smooth and efficient - effortless. Also, the less movement during the gun mount the more consistent the shooting will be. It’s Not how low someone holds the gun as much as how many “directions” the gun moves while mounting: if the gun is canted, held cross chest, barrel pointed left or right - that must All be “straightened out” by the time the gun gets up to the shoulder and pointed towards the target. When I watch Top shooters (and I am Not one) their gun is already pointing towards the general area of the target before mounting begins, it’s also never canted, and parallel to the ground - come straight up in one smooth motion and gets pulled into the shoulder while touching cheek at same time. Now, it sounds so simple - so why can’t I do that??

IMO the most effective way to work on gun mount is facing a mirror, dry firing at your own eye. Remember, the trigger hand is just along for the ride and should not be a force in the mount. With a good mount the barrel comes smoothly up to the target with no dips. If the barrels dip in the way up your trigger hand has misbehaved.

 

[WAB]

For those unfamiliar with Ruff Grouse found in the northern USA and southern Canada, they are:
1. So naturally camouflaged that one can step right next to where they sit on the forrest floor.
2. When one does step almost on top of a Ruff Grouse, suddenly and I mean suddenly they explode into the air rising seemingly straight up!
3. While the startled hunter is shouldering his gun, Sir Grouse has leveled off in flight at eye level to maybe 10 feet high. That should be great except in a half second or so, when he is but 10 yards distance from your muzzles, there are at least two trees acting as nature's armor between you and him.

Ruffed grouse - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I prefer a light 16 gauge AH Fox when in his domain. Relating this to double rifles, I have owned and shot Heym, Krieghoff, Merkel, Chaupis, and Blaser double rifles. The Krieghoff isn't bad, but my trusty Heym 458 and ugly Blazer 375 handle or have the easiest "movement of inertia" closest to a fine handling light SxS bird gun.

PS, I had a couple of English guns that handled even better than Miss Fox but I let them go to another caretaker. I do still have an early Henry Atkin eight pound 10 gauge that feels like magic in my hands. Henry isn't a grouse gun but he has downed a few pheasant.

Good shooting to all!

You are spot on! I was privileged to enjoy some of the very best grouse and woodcock hunting when I lived in New Brunswick. I still have the maps showing my secret coverts! I shot an O frame Greener with 25” tubes for that game.

 

[HankBuck]

IMO the most effective way to work on gun mount is facing a mirror, dry firing at your own eye. Remember, the trigger hand is just along for the ride and should not be a force in the mount. With a good mount the barrel comes smoothly up to the target with no dips. If the barrels dip in the way up your trigger hand has misbehaved.

WAB, you must have the patience of a Saint - practicing in front of a mirror?
That’s great or combing my hair and checking to see if I’m looking any older but too boring to practice anything....

 

[WAB]

WAB, you must have the patience of a Saint - practicing in front of a mirror?
That’s great or combing my hair and checking to see if I’m looking any older but too boring to practice anything....

Well I was shooting 10,000+ shells a season at the time, and gun mount was paramount to winning. Between the mirror and mounting to track lines (wall/wall, wall/ceiling), I’m sure I dry fired 4x what I live fired. Proper stance and mount does not come without work. Learning how your eyes work and using that to your advantage is a true game changer. I will always appreciate Ken Davies for teaching me that.

 

[Red Leg]

Well I was shooting 10,000+ shells a season at the time, and gun mount was paramount to winning. Between the mirror and mounting to track lines (wall/wall, wall/ceiling), I’m sure I dry fired 4x what I live fired. Proper stance and mount does not come without work. Learning how your eyes work and using that to your advantage is a true game changer. I will always appreciate Ken Davies for teaching me that.

One final nuance with respect to mount - step toward the shot and not toward the bird. With clays and using a low gun, I usually pre-step toward the engagement area and turn the upper body and head to pick up the target. That can be more difficult with true pairs, but even there, with a properly set up course, there is usually a general area of convergence to address for the eventual shots.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Well I was shooting 10,000+ shells a season at the time, and gun mount was paramount to winning. Between the mirror and mounting to track lines (wall/wall, wall/ceiling), I’m sure I dry fired 4x what I live fired. Proper stance and mount does not come without work. Learning how your eyes work and using that to your advantage is a true game changer. I will always appreciate Ken Davies for teaching me that.

Agreed! When I was shooting competitive scores in High Power rifle and Bullseye (now “Precision) Pistol matches, I was dry firing 10 to 100 shots for every shot fired in a match. Correct dry fire engrained in my subconscious what my mind and body needed to do to hit a X in the center of the 10-ring.

In the military we train and train and train again. It has been over 25 years since I entered into a retired duty status but I can still field strip, lightly clean, lube and reassemble an M-16 or AR-15 blindfolded. Presently I often dry fire my 1911 Commander-size carry guns and double rifles. For the doubles, I load with inert/dummy rounds, shoulder the rifle, obtain sight alignment with iron sights, obtain proper sight picture (sights on target kill zone), fire, reload and fire again.

PS: Never ever dry fire with any live rounds anywhere near your weapon! Accidents can and will happen!

 

[Zambezi]

Thanks for the contributions, I have learned a lot about shotgun O/U v SxS and maybe I'll make use of that someday.

The reason for me placing the thread is that I accidentally wash my pants with my lotto win check in it so I was musing whether there is a reason that SxS is "better" than O/U in DG calibres. IF I ever decided on getting a DR it just seems logical (read cost efficient) to get something in O/U. I have learned that a double trigger mechanism is a must in this configuration.

Being a lefty I'd probably have the added expense but it would still be cheaper than a standard SxS even with all the fitting required.

 

[Red Leg]

For those unfamiliar with Ruff Grouse found in the northern USA and southern Canada, they are:
1. So naturally camouflaged that one can step right next to where they sit on the forrest floor.
2. When one does step almost on top of a Ruff Grouse, suddenly and I mean suddenly they explode into the air rising seemingly straight up!
3. While the startled hunter is shouldering his gun, Sir Grouse has leveled off in flight at eye level to maybe 10 feet high. That should be great except in a half second or so, when he is but 10 yards distance from your muzzles, there are at least two trees acting as nature's armor between you and him.

Ruffed grouse - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I prefer a light 16 gauge AH Fox when in his domain. Relating this to double rifles, I have owned and shot Heym, Krieghoff, Merkel, Chaupis, and Blaser double rifles. The Krieghoff isn't bad, but my trusty Heym 458 and ugly Blazer 375 handle or have the easiest "movement of inertia" closest to a fine handling light SxS bird gun.

PS, I had a couple of English guns that handled even better than Miss Fox but I let them go to another caretaker. I do still have an early Henry Atkin eight pound 10 gauge that feels like magic in my hands. Henry isn't a grouse gun but he has downed a few pheasant.

Good shooting to all!

My only real experience with ruffed grouse was in West VA. For about ten years, I was part of a deer lease on the west side of the valley. My vizsla was pretty good with them, but because of her color, I would not take her out when anyone else was hunting deer on the lease . We would get a couple of late season hunts every year. The limit was four and on a typical hunt, I would be lucky to get that many flushes. My best day was three birds. I have a little open choked William Atkinson 20 bore that was perfect for them even with 28" barrels. I still use it often on quail.

I personally think one of the most demanding upland birds is the sharptail grouse. Even with good pointers, the typical flush will be at 25 to 30 yards and the bird will be moving like a hard driver exiting the pigeon ring. 1 1/8 ounce field loads are fine, but tighter chokes are a must.

 

[Altitude sickness]

20 or 28 is perfect for “Pats”

Your only shooting 20 yards, 30 max at grouse

 

[BeeMaa]

When hunting under a pointer - particular with Quail, there is plenty of time to mount the gun. Not so here in Pa. with Grouse.

I hunted ruffed grouse with my Grandfather as a young teenager. As I was stepping over a fallen tree and just before my foot came down...a grouse flushed scaring the absolute crap out of me. I fell backwards but was able to keep the Browning A5 from touching the ground. As usual my Grandfather plucked it from the sky with his O/U 20 bore. Serves that grouse right for scaring me.

They are fast movers and I've not been hunting them since he passed. I should get back to doing that. Cheers.

 

[rookhawk]

WAB, agree Americans took the original “Low Gun” Sporting Clays game and changed it to allow ‘Mounted gun’ and that has resulted in scores going up—-which resulted in courses being made more difficult with father target presentations....it all equals out. I prefer to shoot low gun because I’m more hunter then competitor. Regarding side x sides vs. O/U - for Clays competition the OU or semi autos prevail but the “targets broken” difference might only be 1-3 targets per 100 and while that can be the difference between 1st place and a 5 way tie for 6th - it applies only to clay targets. In hunting situations I doubt there is a quantifiable difference - assuming the shooter is skilled & proficient with their SxS. I’d put it this way: I would gladly sell my OUs if I could shoot SxS’s as well as some of the top British shooters. Plus, a SxS with ejectors can be reloaded much faster then an OC (Under hunting situations) and is preferred for the classic Driven Grouse shoots....that is a true classic hunt that combines tradition, wing shooting skills, fluid gun mount, and reloading abilities.....All of which I am lacking!!!

In actual hunting situations, in "walk-up" or "rough shooting", I 100% guarantee you that a competent SxS shooter on average will kill more birds than a competent O/U shooter.

How can I make such an outrageous claim with utter confidence? The guns are different and their differences have logical benefits.

Walking all day, the lightest gun is going to get to your face the fastest.

1.) On the average, SxS guns are a pound lighter than O/U guns. (taking in all types of each gun as a blended average)

2.) SxS guns are most frequently found as game guns, with ideal stock proportions to come up to the face swiftly for a shot. O/U guns are most frequently sold as clays guns or as "hybrid do-alls", the do-alls best exemplified by the Browning Superposed and Beretta 686 series.

You may hate hearing it if you're an O/U die-hard, but I assure you the best among you will get smoked by hunting companions with SxS guns of equal or lesser skill. After 1-2 hours of walking, an O/U owner is side carrying their heavy gun, or cradle carrying it, or has it over shoulder. Meanwhile, an average SxS shooter is still able to walk in ready position, ensuring a shot gets off 1-2 seconds faster, which makes all his shots 15-30 yards whereas the O/U guy is taking a shot at 35-50 yards.

Are there exceptions to this generalized truth? Sure there are. You can buy a woodward O/U, or a classic boss 20 bore O/U, and mop up birds with a spritely carrying O/U game gun, but O/U game guns are truly rare things. We have a few O/U game guns over here that are also exceptions, the old Orvis Uplander 20 bore guns built on 686 series Beretta actions with English straight grips are only 6lb guns, whereas the identical actioned Beretta branded 686 of today is nearly 7lbs.

 

[WAB]

In actual hunting situations, in "walk-up" or "rough shooting", I 100% guarantee you that a competent SxS shooter on average will kill more birds than a competent O/U shooter.

How can I make such an outrageous claim with utter confidence? The guns are different and their differences have logical benefits.

Walking all day, the lightest gun is going to get to your face the fastest.

1.) On the average, SxS guns are a pound lighter than O/U guns. (taking in all types of each gun as a blended average)

2.) SxS guns are most frequently found as game guns, with ideal stock proportions to come up to the face swiftly for a shot. O/U guns are most frequently sold as clays guns or as "hybrid do-alls", the do-alls best exemplified by the Browning Superposed and Beretta 686 series.

You may hate hearing it if you're an O/U die-hard, but I assure you the best among you will get smoked by hunting companions with SxS guns of equal or lesser skill. After 1-2 hours of walking, an O/U owner is side carrying their heavy gun, or cradle carrying it, or has it over shoulder. Meanwhile, an average SxS shooter is still able to walk in ready position, ensuring a shot gets off 1-2 seconds faster, which makes all his shots 15-30 yards whereas the O/U guy is taking a shot at 35-50 yards.

Are there exceptions to this generalized truth? Sure there are. You can buy a woodward O/U, or a classic boss 20 bore O/U, and mop up birds with a spritely carrying O/U game gun, but O/U game guns are truly rare things. We have a few O/U game guns over here that are also exceptions, the old Orvis Uplander 20 bore guns built on 686 series Beretta actions with English straight grips are only 6lb guns, whereas the identical actioned Beretta branded 686 of today is nearly 7lbs.

Bold statements and gross generalizations to be sure. I have shot game with some of the finest British game shots. Shooting instructors of the absolute highest pedigree. They are about evenly divided on which barrel configuration they feel is superior on game. Bottom line, shoot what you enjoy. I enjoy both and use both.