o/u versus s/s pros and con's

[niall_b73 41]

ok so i am new to the whole shot gun thing and am trying to get things sorted in my head and to understand better the workings of the sport.

 

currently purchased a first shotgun but what i want to know is:

 

1. what is the difference between an under and over and a side by side shotgun (apart from the barrel layout to save myself some slagging) ?

 

2. which is the better, if there is a better and why ?

 

many thanks.

niall_b73

Edited January 4, 2012 by niall_b73

[Millet 4,497]

Get yourself to the clay's and have a look what all the top shooter's are using..which will be O/U..

[paulus 26]

s x s side will make you look like zak dingle or even worse MR TEA POT

[niall_b73 41]

thanks for that.

 

i have (waiting on) a baikal 12g single barrel as a starter gun so as i can get used to it.

 

thinking of purchasing the item below, a clay trap:

http://www.ebay.ie/i...=item43ac44bf22

 

would it be any good as a starter to get some practice in seeing as the season's nearly over or should i look for something a little better.

 

niall_b73

Edited January 4, 2012 by niall_b73

[SportingShooter 0]

Normally I would agree with Millet. However, I've recently had a change of heart...

 

I've a cabinet full of Over/Unders which is what i've used for the majority of my shooting up to now, clays, game, wildfowling whatever. Whenever I've shot clays for a team or with the Welsh squad, it was always with an O/U because its the norm for clays. They're heavier, more pointable, there's a greater range of guns to choose from and thats what they were designed to do.

 

I shoot well with the same gun I use for Clays as I do for game so it always accompanied me in the field as well. However I tend to do much more rough shooting now than I have before and I found the O/U competition gun too heavy and too expensive frankly to carry around all day through brambles.

 

Now, I've never really shot much with a Side by Side apart from the odd trial of a friend's gun now and again plus the old S/S I have that I use when I'm on the shoot, its an old Baikal that is used for shooting things mainly standing still like Squirrels in trees or on feed bins.

 

A mistaken identity cause my latest change of heart. I had recently taken on a gun for a friend while his certificate renewed, a Spanish S/S. It was in its gunslip in the cabinet, as was my normal O/U. You can pretty much guess the rest. Rushing to get out on time, I grabbed the wrong one and ended up with this S/S for the day. I was apprehensive but thought I'll use it and make the best of a bad day. I used it on what was quite a busy day and dropped seven birds with just the one being missed...and i've stuck with the same gun all season with the same results.

 

Never thought I could shoot a S/S but find that so long as I don't think its any different and shoot it the same way I shoot any "Sporter/Game" style shotgun, then the results are exactly the same. Plus its lighter for me to carry around.

 

In answer to the OPs question, I now don't believe either are better or worse than each other. Just different. I learnt to shoot well with an OU but am now on the hunt for a S/S of my own for next season because it suits me when I'm off the clay ground. Simply, try both if you can.

 

SS

[paulus 26]

thanks for that.

 

i have (waiting on) a baikal 12g single barrel as a starter gun so as i can get used to it.

 

thinking of purchasing the item below, a clay trap:

http://www.ebay.ie/i...=item43ac44bf22

 

would it be any good as a starter to get some practice in seeing as the season's nearly over or should i look for something a little better.

 

niall_b73

will be fine you can get one thats like a hand held catapult, easier to carry about

[niall_b73 41]

so then it basically boils down to (and not being afraid to look like zak dingle) your own preference or more so what you have started off with and gotten used to !!

 

thanks for that reply sporting shooter.

 

i dont no why and am not sure but i have it in my head that i personally would like the s/s better.

i guess i will have to sample both first and take it from there.

 

niall_b73

[jackinbox99 41]

Really its all down to personal preference. In general you find that target shooters / clay shooting etc prefer o/u as you get a "better line of sight" on it. And in general you find that field shooters etc... prefer s/s as they are more comfortable to carry around all day etc...

 

In my experience both are as good as each other. I started off with an o/u but now nearly exclusively use a £60 12bore s/s I picked up a few years back. Its very light, fits me perfectly and with its tight fixed chokes im smoking even the highest clays. I certainly get some strange looks from my local clay range as nearly everyone there uses o/u`s.

[SportingShooter 0]

Really its all down to personal preference. In general you find that target shooters / clay shooting etc prefer o/u as you get a "better line of sight" on it. And in general you find that field shooters etc... prefer s/s as they are more comfortable to carry around all day etc...

 

In my experience both are as good as each other. I started off with an o/u but now nearly exclusively use a £60 12bore s/s I picked up a few years back. Its very light, fits me perfectly and with its tight fixed chokes im smoking even the highest clays. I certainly get some strange looks from my local clay range as nearly everyone there uses o/u`s.

 

Looking at your list of guns, the same S/S is the one I mention in my post

[jackinbox99 41]

Really its all down to personal preference. In general you find that target shooters / clay shooting etc prefer o/u as you get a "better line of sight" on it. And in general you find that field shooters etc... prefer s/s as they are more comfortable to carry around all day etc...

 

In my experience both are as good as each other. I started off with an o/u but now nearly exclusively use a £60 12bore s/s I picked up a few years back. Its very light, fits me perfectly and with its tight fixed chokes im smoking even the highest clays. I certainly get some strange looks from my local clay range as nearly everyone there uses o/u`s.

 

Looking at your list of guns, the same S/S is the one I mention in my post

 

Yep! Its a cracking gun. Another thing is, because it was only a cheapie, i seem to be more happy using it without worrying about anything. I was worried about recoil when I got it, but i get much less felt recoil from it than I do my o/u`s.

[SportingShooter 0]

Really its all down to personal preference. In general you find that target shooters / clay shooting etc prefer o/u as you get a "better line of sight" on it. And in general you find that field shooters etc... prefer s/s as they are more comfortable to carry around all day etc...

 

In my experience both are as good as each other. I started off with an o/u but now nearly exclusively use a £60 12bore s/s I picked up a few years back. Its very light, fits me perfectly and with its tight fixed chokes im smoking even the highest clays. I certainly get some strange looks from my local clay range as nearly everyone there uses o/u`s.

 

Looking at your list of guns, the same S/S is the one I mention in my post

 

Yep! Its a cracking gun. Another thing is, because it was only a cheapie, i seem to be more happy using it without worrying about anything. I was worried about recoil when I got it, but i get much less felt recoil from it than I do my o/u`s.

 

I'm quite a stocky guy anyway so recoil was never a problem, but now you mention it, I haven't noticed any perceived recoil at all with the S/S.

 

I don't shoot heavy loads through it either which helps. 28gr of 7s does me for everything. Much to the dismay of my fellow guns still shooting off the stocks of Eley Grand Prix 32g 6s they bought years ago...

[tegater 789]

I use a s/s for game and rough shooting because its lighter for carrying about, and an o/u for clays because its heavier, so less recoil.

 

My 28 and 20 are both o/u, because I couldn't afford the models I wanted in s/s.

 

I think they both have their pros and cons, but only a vain person would worry about image!!

[jackinbox99 41]

I'm quite a stocky guy anyway so recoil was never a problem, but now you mention it, I haven't noticed any perceived recoil at all with the S/S.

 

I don't shoot heavy loads through it either which helps. 28gr of 7s does me for everything. Much to the dismay of my fellow guns still shooting off the stocks of Eley Grand Prix 32g 6s they bought years ago...

 

Yep, ive only been shooting 28gr 7.5`s in mine. Only problem I did have was the spring for barrel no.2 got a bit weak. I think it was because the gun hadnt been used much over recent years, (its a 1972 model), then I totally hammered it, putting about 1000 cartridges through it in the first couple of weeks of owning it.

[paulus 26]

its funny how you find a particular gun that seems to suite you better any other, i shot for a long time with an aya no2, then about 6 years ago i purchased an o/u 20 for my lad at christmas, after 4 years he moved onto a 12g, i carnt remember why but i took this little 20g out one day and bingo i felt really at home with it and shot aswell if not better than ive ever shot. i now use nothing else but the o/u 20g

[dedger 16]

I shot rough with an old AYA 12g s/s for years, it was light, comfortable and I hardly ever missed my quarry with it. Then one day I decided to trade it in for a 20g o/u,even though it is a good gun and I probably get the same results I don't half miss my old gun, in fact when I get a bigger storage cabinet(mines full), I am going to get another.