Over-Under Tips for an O/U Newbie.

Chestle said:
savagearms.com

How to Find the Perfect Shotgun Fit with Renegauge

Proper shotgun fit is key for consistent and accurate shooting. Renegauge is a fully customizable semi-autos shotgun with LOP, drop and cast adjustments.
savagearms.com savagearms.com

In Savage's instructions on how to set up the Renegauge, there's this little factoid that shows how important getting your eye in the right place really is:

"If the cast is slightly wrong, you’ll tend to miss your shots side to side. If your eyes are misaligned by even a ¼”, that becomes nearly 6 feet at 30-40 yards. Big miss.
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Ok that bit from Savage is way off. Further research from independent sources tells me it wouldn’t be feet it would be inches and probably about 4” at 30 yards
 
I think two concepts may be getting confounded in this thread. The first is the gun's pattern. The second is the fit of the gun. Both factor into good shooting.

Gun patterning has to do with the vertical distribution of the shot relative to the actual aim point, not the subjective aim point that is contingent on gun fit.

Gun fit has to do with where the gun is aimed when you bring it up to your shoulder and look down the barrel ready to shoot at a bird. If you can't see the bead at the end of the barrel, the gun will subjectively shoot low. If you can see the top of the rib or barrel from action to bead, the gun will shoot subjectively high. Similarly, deviations side to side will determine the line of travel of the shot.

Determining the gun's patterning can be done the same way as sighting in a scope or rifle sights. The gun is stabilized on a bench so it is aimed at a specific point. Where the shot hit relative to that aim point is the pattern and is independent of fit.
 
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JohndoeboyNE said:
I get a lot of hunting in during season, and 9 times out of 10 if the bird flushes I down it. I bought my first over-under this year, a Franchi Instinct SL, and I love how the gun feels and mounts on my shoulder, but as far as accuracy is concerned I'm struggling with getting on the birds with the first shot. Typically, I shoot under/over and the 1st shot has been a miss every time so far. I've connected only twice on the upper with the second shot, but that might be more due to dumb luck. I'm running improved cylider on the under and light modified on the upper. I've taken it out to shoot some clays and had moderate success. What are some tips you would have for someone who has been a pump/autoloader hunter that switches to an over-under?
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Is this a 26" or 28" barrel?? My Franchi had a 26" barrel and for whatever reason I had almost the exact problem. I purchased a Franchi with a 28" barrel and the problem went away. I also have a A5 S16 28" and I hit everything with that. Some have told me barrel length should not matter, but I say differently.

If your gun is 26" then I suggest shooting a 28" gun or vise versa and see the results for yourself.
 
The gun may be just too light for you compared to your other gun, and you "poke and shoot" rather than swing. I chased the lightweight 12GA O/U game with a 6lb 4oz Lanber with 26" barrels. It seemed to fit. I compared POA/POI with my other guns and they were similar. I finally did some controlled A-B-C testing on the same targets, same chokes, same day at my sporting clays course with two other guns that I had hunted with. There was no comparison. The Lanber finished a distant third in score. I sold it. My current fair weather pheasant gun is a 12G Win 101 with 28" barrels and foul weather gun is a 12GA Browning Maxus with 28" barrels. Both weigh about 7lbs 1oz. I just swing and shoot them better.

Good luck.
 
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