SBS v O/U

[Sidebyside]

More often than not, the S/H SBSs i've seen are double trigger, whereas most S/H O/Us seem to be single trigger.

Maybe the trigger set-up also affects their appeal?

in my case it does, i hate double triggers, i would love a silver hawk

Man up ,

so you would not want this
https://www.guntrader.uk/Guns-For-Sale/ ... 7161431001

That is a nice gun , but seems light for a 3" chambered side by side .

[Bushdog]

I have a Silver Hawk which I use specifically as my clay gun - (mine, unlike the one on Leadpig's picture has a pistol grip and semi-beavertail fore-end). It was the nicest heaviest modern SxS I could find for clay shooting and has interchangeable chokes, single trigger and a reasonably straight rib - so has most of the features of o/u clay guns (except the barrel orientation). To be honest, I wish it had 30" or 32" barrels and was built a little more heavily - not so much for comfort of shooting, more for maintaining a good swing.

I'd love an old H&H pigeon gun as a clay shooter - I just cannot warm to O/Us at all - I'm another one who will happily take any unwanted quality English SxSs off your hands.

I have been using a nice boxlock NE Army and Navy for the last few years, but could do with an ejector model of the same fit, balance and quality, so that I am less often caught mucking about reloading when a flurry of birds are going over.

I grew up with double triggers and prefer the instant choice in choke they offer (I struggle with the selector on the Beretta - OK for clays where I know whats coming, but in the field it always seems to be the wrong way around - which is why I don't use it for game shooting).

I have gone one further and bought a SxS rifle, too.

[flintlok]

I really like double barrel quality side by side in rifle or shotgun. There's nothing like it in my opinion. They are essentially two guns with a shared block and provide for a easy follow up shot. The guns can be tailor made for light loads as lightweights or heavier loads. In the US reloaders love to "Magnumize" everything so the commercial shotguns by US gun makers tend to be overbuilt for those fellows whose shotgun look like flame throwers at twilight. Those guns tend to feel heavy, clunky, and slow. The action on a quality double gun cans be designed to manage any charge.

[thibben]

There is a place for either, I find clays with an U/O suits me but the best game shooting I've ever had was with a borrowed AYA 25 with the pointed rib (Churchill rib?)

Also, when you look at a 'quality' gun then the SbS just looks the part. If you have a few minute have a gander at this?: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qUXoNUzAyvk just magic!

I would love a double rifle, after firing Bushdogs, would REALLY like a double rifle (perhaps a bit smaller calibre )

Terry

[The_Dogge]

SbS are built to be carried a lot and shot a little, for that sort of thing they are a viable option.

I don't entirely agree with that , my main gun is a Henry Monk sbs, it weighs just over 8 and a half pounds with 30" barrels , bored half and full choke, I use it for game and clays , I can put 150 cartridges through it without any recoil problem , I admit it is heavier than your standard game gum which usually weigh between 6 and 7 pounds but still gets carried a few miles when game shooting .

Ah well a Henry Monk could be of a vintage where they were intended to be clay guns, so maybe a heavier build due to that?

I actually won my club SbS trophy a couple of years ago, using my AyA Yeoman with blackpowder cartridges for a laugh! Encouraged by this I bought a lovely looking nearly new 20g SbS with a single trigger and multichokes, which as far as I could tell fitted me, patterned just where I expected, and I couldn't hit a barn from the inside with!
It kicked surprisingly hard for a small bore I thought, it's a fading memory now, I have no use for a gun I can't shoot.

The craziest idea of a SbS I have seen must be the Zabala Canardier, 3 1/2" chambers and the ability to fire both barrels at once these guys reckon that translates to 111ftlb recoil energy! http://shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=350175

[Sidebyside]

I bought a lovely looking nearly new 20g SbS with a single trigger and multichokes, which as far as I could tell fitted me, patterned just where I expected, and I couldn't hit a barn from the inside with!
It kicked surprisingly hard for a small bore I thought, it's a fading memory now, I have no use for a gun I can't shoot.

It is strange you mentioning the 20bore ,I have had two and both seemed very savage when it came to recoil , both were nice looking guns but mules to shoot even with a light load , I do have a 16 bore sbs which is so friendly to the shoulder and as damn near as affective as a good 12 bore game gun , pity the cartridges are so dear for it .

[Bushdog]

I agree - I think the 16 is a much kinder cartridge than any 20 I have ever shot.

The other nice thing with 16 bore is that people occasionally come across a batch of old cartridges that they want to get rid of - I just got 4+ boxes of Eley GP 16s from a fellow member of my shoot - he did not want any money for them, but asked that I donate to H4H instead (which I have gladly done!).

I think the modern loads used in the 20 are too much for the size and weight of the guns (not over-pressure, just a lot of recoil in a light gun). I plan to keep my old J Blanch 16 for when I get too wonky to use my 12. I took it for a walk in the woods yesterday - it is a joy to carry. Sadly all my dogs put up for me was woodcock and pheasant, which I don't shoot on Sundays (don't shoot woodcock at all, now, as they seem to be declining - just offer up my gun and say bang!!) (I'd only miss in any case ).

[Sidebyside]

I agree - I think the 16 is a much kinder cartridge than any 20 I have ever shot.

The other nice thing with 16 bore is that people occasionally come across a batch of old cartridges that they want to get rid of - I just got 4+ boxes of Eley GP 16s from a fellow member of my shoot - he did not want any money for them, but asked that I donate to H4H instead (which I have gladly done!).

I think the modern loads used in the 20 are too much for the size and weight of the guns (not over-pressure, just a lot of recoil in a light gun). I plan to keep my old J Blanch 16 for when I get too wonky to use my 12. I took it for a walk in the woods yesterday - it is a joy to carry. Sadly all my dogs put up for me was woodcock and pheasant, which I don't shoot on Sundays (don't shoot woodcock at all, now, as they seem to be declining - just offer up my gun and say bang!!) (I'd only miss in any case ).

I too have come across odd sales of 16 bore cartridges , the annoying thing is I sold my old 16 and then sold the cartridges , a month later I bought another 16bore I do have an lot of respect for the 16 bore .

[The_Dogge]

As you may have seen OldFarmer on here has a 14 bore, that was tricky to get cartridges for...

[Bushdog]

No - I obviously missed that!

Does anyone even make cases for a 14 bore?

[The_Dogge]

No - I obviously missed that!

Does anyone even make cases for a 14 bore?

it's discussed in this thread viewtopic.php?f=66&t=6576&p=54417&hilit=14+bore#p54417
He's firing it in his profile pic I think, but I cant find a full size version of it.

I don't think you can get 14 bore hulls, think he had the chambers sleeved to use 16 bore carts, before that he just used 16 bore with a bit of tape around them!

[Bushdog]

Cheers for that - very interesting.

[robg]

ive got both equaly useless with either

[Sidebyside]

No - I obviously missed that!

Does anyone even make cases for a 14 bore?

it's discussed in this thread viewtopic.php?f=66&t=6576&p=54417&hilit=14+bore#p54417
He's firing it in his profile pic I think, but I cant find a full size version of it.

I don't think you can get 14 bore hulls, think he had the chambers sleeved to use 16 bore carts, before that he just used 16 bore with a bit of tape around them!

[Bushdog]

Again - cheers for the pictures - most interesting