Shooting over and under shotguns

Can anyone tell me which barrel should you fire first when shooting a over and under shotgun? I know that you should shoot you most open choke first and the tighter one for a follow up shot. My Browning Citori came with a modified choke in the bottom barrel and full choke in the top barrel. Is this the proper placement for these chokes? Thanks.

meausoc said:

Can anyone tell me which barrel should you fire first when shooting a over and under shotgun? I know that you should shoot you most open choke first and the tighter one for a follow up shot. My Browning Citori came with a modified choke in the bottom barrel and full choke in the top barrel. Is this the proper placement for these chokes? Thanks.

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Generally yes. The lower barrel in theory will for most people come back straighter with less muzzle rise. I actually go so far as to block the switch portion of the safety on my O/U guns so that they can never shoot the other way. I do it because they can get stuck in the middle and not come off safe, It's a simple reversible modification. I just cut a piece of heavy duty cable tie about 3/16 square and twist it into the safety so that it is held to the under first side. I have guns I've shot thousands of rounds out of for as many as thirty years and never had a problem with the mod. My grouse gun is sk/sk and it is blocked to bottom barrel first.

My Browning Citori came with a modified choke in the bottom barrel and full choke in the top barrel. Is this the proper placement for these chokes? Thanks.

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Depends.

As Miles58 explains, typically you want the bottom barrel to shoot first. Not only does it produce less felt recoil but it results in less wear and tear on the gun.

On a S X S, typically you want the inside barrel to fire first for the same reason.

The reason it depends is that the set up you have is typical for flushing birds such as quail or pheasant, or most clay target games. On driven birds or pass shooting you would want the chokes the other way around.

Thanks for the feedback. What barrel should I use if I am just shooting trap and firing singles?

meausoc said:

Thanks for the feedback. What barrel should I use if I am just shooting trap and firing singles?

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Bottom barrel for the reasons stated.

Your Browning has a locking lug that fits beneath the barrels. Shooting the bottom barrel produces substantially less wear on that lug.

There is a minority of trap shooters that will shoot the top barrel on the idea that it is closer to the line of sight, but they are definitely in the minority.

The so-called "un-singles" duplicate shooting the bottom barrel from a single barreled shotgun.