Shooting Over/Under

flyfish76

Member
Just bought my first over/under and have been thinking about shooting theories. What is the general opinion about which barrel to shoot first top or bottom? Also, do most like to shoot the same choke in both barrels, or do you place a more constricted choke in the barrel that fires second i.e. improved first followed by modified? Does your opinion change for hunting versus shooting clays? Thanks for the help.
 

weagle

Senior Member
In general,

The bottom barrel is fired first. It's more in line with the center of the stock and gives a little less muzzle flip for a faster follow up shot.

The bottom barrel is usually the more open choke. theory being on a quick flushing bird the first shot will be closer and the second shot more distant. Incomer's allow more time for the shot and it's usually simple to switch to the top barrel first.

Usually the barrels of fixed choke guns are a combination of chokes ie: full over modified, modified over IC etc.

Many clay target shooters change chokes often depending on the target presentation. I prefer to just use fairly tight chokes and concentrate on the target.

There are literally thousands of pages of web content regarding which choke/chokes are the best for the various applications.

Check out shotgunworld.com for pages and pages of opinion.... but don't get too caught up in choke selection. Just keep your head on the stock and concentrate on the target.

Weagle
 
In general,

The bottom barrel is fired first. It's more in line with the center of the stock and gives a little less muzzle flip for a faster follow up shot.

The bottom barrel is usually the more open choke. theory being on a quick flushing bird the first shot will be closer and the second shot more distant. Incomer's allow more time for the shot and it's usually simple to switch to the top barrel first.
Weagle

Weagle is correct ---

As far as he goes--- ::ke:

The bottom barrel is usually the more open choke ---if that is what the situation calls for. For driven birds (birds flushed toward you) you will typically have the tighter choke in the bottom. Likewise, for decoying ducks, it wouldn't be unusual to have the tighter choke in the bottom. Likewise, shooting doves, where most of your shots are some form of incoming or crossing shot, it wouldn't be unusual to have the tighter choke in the bottom.

Over the years, I've gravitated to tighter chokes for dove hunting, which is about all the bird hunting I do now. Still that's a situational decision -- I don't have a good dog now to pick up those birds that I just nick and that fly on for 75 yards. Right now I want to kill them dead, or let them go. Point being there really isn't a pat answer.

As far as sporting clays, most shooters do as Weagle does --put in the two chokes they are comfortable with, and leave them there except for the occasional situation that requires something different. In sporting clays, you are going to miss very few birds because of the choke.



Like a lot of things regarding shooting it's easy to over think it.

It is a fact that firing the top barrel first on a regular basis will cause undo wear on the action, especially a Browning type action. Some other type actions not so much. Even that said, some trap shooters will fire the top barrel, but in that case it's not because of the choice of chokes.
 

LKennamer

Senior Member
Good points!

I too find it is best to shoot the bottom barrel first, but which choke is there depends on what type of shooting I am doing. The only exception is my turkey gun, which is fixed choke and I shoot the top barrel first since it is the full barrel. That is usually the only barrel that gets dirty anyway!
 

miles58

Banned yankee
I have fixed all my O/U guns that I shoot such that the bottom barrel always shoots first and the selector cannot be fired first, nor can the selector get stuck between barrels so that it won't shoot. I am a grouse hunter, and that affects my needs a lot.

Dave
 

the r.o.c.

Senior Member
good info, i just bought a yildiz trap 20 o/u. i might shoot a few clays buy will use it mostly for rabbit. but very informative. thanks
 

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Jester896

Senior Clown
some trap guns are single barrel and it is more centered in the gun. I shoot bottom first when shooting birds or skeet and mostly top when shooting trap with my O/Us
 

The Rodney

Senior Member
Honestly... if you pattern each barrell you will see no diiference. Tradition is lower barrell first with a mroe open choke. On your tang you can quickly slide to shoot the top barrell first if the target presents at a greater range. Hunters and especially sporting clays folks will actually load different rounds in each barrell when the occasion calls. I shot doves last year with #8 through a IC and 7.5 high brass through a mod. Lethal. My 2 cents are to think about your shooting environment and decide choke/load for each barrell.
 

Jester896

Senior Clown
here is an idea...go to the skeet range...shoot both ways...try to just break the front off of the clay so that you can use your follow up with the larger piece...see which way is easier...bottom or top first...
 
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