Which Barrel First For Over/Under

Which barrel first for Over/Under

  • Top

    Votes: 4 14.3%

  • Bottom

    Votes: 24 85.7%
  • Total voters
    28
Try one Munster and you might be hooked. All my SxS that have single triggers, two shot automatics, deadly there are. Most are works of craftmanship and become guns to pass down. There are a number of SxS fans on here.
 
Wind River said:
Try one Munster and you might be hooked. All my SxS that have single triggers, two shot automatics, deadly there are. Most are works of craftmanship and become guns to pass down. There are a number of SxS fans on here.
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Maybe someday. I just ventured into the world of an O/U for the first time so maybe after I shoot that gun exclusively for 15 years I might pick up a SxS.

My dad has an old 16 gauge SxS that he got in a trade from an old hunting buddy about 40 years ago. But the gun has a warped barrel. The barrels straight but it has a wave in it about halfway down. I told him it'd be a perfect gun to saw the barrel off and put a pistol grip on 😂
 
SXS that have a NON selective single trigger shoot the rt barrel first. SXS carry a whole lot nicer than an OU. An OU carries like a single barrel gun, not nearly as comfortable. It is extremely hard to find a 12 SXS as light as an OU. I used to have a Dakin SXS 12 that was 5 lb 3 oz. I would give about anything to have that gun back.
 
I’ve been shooting double trigger SxS’s for at least 15 years. The front trigger usually fires the right or more open choked barrel first. I’ve never had a double because I pulled both triggers at the same time! Most doubles occur because of mechanical issues when the recoil causes the second barrels sear to slip.
I like double triggers because I can select the more tightly choked barrel to shoot at a more distant bird.
 
I will give another reason why the bottom barrel should be fired first.

Last week, I did a gun fitting with pattern testing for a young man who shoots trap in the High School Clay Target League.

This young man shoots left handed and is left eye dominant. He was shooting an SKB TT-15 Double Trap (over/under).

I noted that he initially canted the gun such that the lower barrel patterned several inches to the right of the point of aim at 16 yards.

Thinking about that, the upper barrel shows Point of Aim = Point of Impact, but the lower barrel does not at 16 yards.

An error such as this will be exacerbated as range increases.

Another reason to fire the lower barrel first is that any error in your gun mount or technique is more pronounced in the pattern of the lower barrel.

In other words, the upper barrel is more accurate and should be used on your longer shots.
 
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Munster927 said:
Yeah my dad's reasoning behind top first is that he believes it's easier to load a 3rd shell for a quick follow up in the top barrel versus bottom barrel.
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So I felt the same way but got a unpleasant surprise when I broke the action barely enough to reload the top barrel and then it didn't recock. I did it 3x just to validate what was happening.
 
I always go with the bottom barrel first—it just feels more natural and helps with recoil control. That extra stability on the second shot makes a difference, especially in quick follow-ups. Patterning your gun with different chokes can also fine-tune your setup. A buddy of mine from Coon Rapids MN conceal carry classes once mentioned how muscle memory plays into this, and I’ve definitely noticed that with my shooting.
 
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airmedic1 said:
I’ve been shooting double trigger SxS’s for at least 15 years. The front trigger usually fires the right or more open choked barrel first. I’ve never had a double because I pulled both triggers at the same time! Most doubles occur because of mechanical issues when the recoil causes the second barrels sear to slip.
I like double triggers because I can select the more tightly choked barrel to shoot at a more distant bird.
Click to expand...
I bought a SKS Ithaca 20 ga with a single trigger because I didn’t have a SxS. Love that shotgun. When I started looking for my next SxS I decided I wanted double triggers. Ended up with a FAIR Iside 16 ga with double triggers. First hunt I took it on sealed the deal for me. I needed that tighter choked barrel a time or two. Being able to just slide back to that trigger was perfect. I ended up buying two Marlin model 90s in 16 ga because they had double triggers. Can’t wait to shoot it now.
 
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