What is the purpose of having a double barreled shotgun?
Several years ago, on impulse I got a 12 gauge SxS with a 20" barrel. I have other shotguns so it’s still never been fired. I hate to admit it but, what would you use one for? For home defense I have a Benelli, for skeet I thought you’d need a 24"+ barrel.
Any suggestions?
Tagged with: benelli • gauge • home defense • impulse • quot • shotguns • skeet • sxs
Filed under: double barrel shotgun
The main, in my opinion, value of a double barreled shotgun over other shotguns is that you have a different choke in each side. One side is more suited for those closer shots and the other side will have a bit more choke and be better suited for the further shots. This can be quite advantageous when hunting but can also serve you well when shooting skeet or trap. Another advantage of the double barrel shotgun is its weight. It weighs less than most pump or semi auto shotguns and is less tiring when carried for a long time as when hunting. A third, and in some people’s estimation the most important, feature is the fact that it handles so very nicely.
This is why you so often see professional trap, skeet and sporting clays shooters use an over and under double barrel shotgun as opposed to a semi auto or a pump. The over and under as well as the side by side handle similarly but of course the advantage of the over and under is the fact that you have only one sighting plane with the over and under while you have two with the side by side. In the double barrel race, the over and under is the clear winner but the side by side will always have a certain following. This appeal is, perhaps, more aesthetic than functional. I have a side by side and love it. I can’t afford a nice over and under so I don’t have one. Actually, I never did really want one badly enough to save up my money for one. I guess that makes me a side by side nut.
to blow stuff up? i have one too. I use it for home protection but i bought it just because it is what you think of when your daughter has to bring her guy home for the first time
Ensure that the person is dead with a 2nd shoot…
One of the nicest features of a double is the fact that you can shoot two different chokes with just the flick of a switch. I use mine mostly for grouse, ptarmigan, rabbit, and the occasional round of 5-stand.
You can use it for whatever you want. Some use it for home defense. The operation is simple and can fire two shots with near perfect reliability, far beyond that of a pump gun or an autoloader. I know of a few people that hunt ducks with double barrel guns.
a double barrel shotgun was made for hunting so you’d get a second shot if you missed the first, if shot right, even a AA automatic shotgun can’t keep up with the rate of fire you can have with a double barrel shotgun, literally firing one directly after the other, their great for saving ammo too, some knuckle heads have these semi auto shotguns and blast 6 rounds to get one bird, people experienced with a double barrel will know they only have two chances and try harder to get that bird, getting it in 1 to 2 shots, effectively learning to depend on less rounds to get that bird.
Double barrel shotguns balance bettor in the hands than other types.However the S x S is more difficult to shoot well than an over and under. Many skeet and upland bird hunters prefer a double shotgun.
the main purpose of a double barrled shot gun is so u can have an extra round instead of a magazine u get extra barrel or in case u miss u can have anuther shot good luck
Intimidation… Pure and simple. What is more frightening than looking down the barrel of a 12 gauge… looking down two.
Double-barrel shotguns, like revolvers, are hold-overs from an older time, before that of semi-autos, slides, and pump-actions.
The reason they are still around today, even when their higher-capacity brethren are on the market?
Low cost, simplicity of action, ease of maintenance, and, most importantly, reliability.
Add in a touch of nostalgia, a pinch of tradition, stir, season to taste.
I had to pull both barrels on a turkey that was just out of range for one barrel; so I let both go and got him.
if you hold it just right you can fire both barrels either at the same time or in rapid succession and the shot of both go where you wanted it to. without a 10 gauge 3.5" magnum or a regular 8 gauge, you can’t beat that kind of "instant" firepower.
the double barrel also looks cool. not a valid purpose, but well, it looks cool.
When double barrels were first invented, the only other shotguns out there were single shots. So you instantly had twice as many chances to hit your target. (If you shoot like I do, you need that second shot). I have a neat old 16 gauge double that I hunt doves with. The right barrel is a tighter choke than the left, so I shoot the left barrel first when the dove is close, and then the right barrel as the dove flies away. I think my gun’s defective, though, because from my experience, I think both barrels have a bird-size and -shape hole in the middle of the pattern.
If you look, theyre usually choked differently. typically, one barrel is a full choke, and one is a modified. one trigger hits the modified side, and the other hits the full side. since you never know how close your bird is going to be, you can select the spread. close up=hit the rear trigger for the modified side. if its going to be a fairly long shot, hit the front trigger for the full choked barrel and you get a tighter pattern, and a better hit. they are an older design, predating automatics. theyre very reliable. you can make one heck of a quick second shot, just in case. good for cowboy action shooting. and theyre intimidating as hell.
Doubles, whether side by each, or one on top are designed for bird hunting. They are lighter to carry afield, swing faster, and allow you to have a system that has a more open choke for your first shot, and with a miss on it, a more fully choked and better range with the second shot.
I hunt with a double barrel 12 gauge LC Smith. It sports two triggers, and I usually have two different loads it the barrels.
I can run 8 shot in my left barrel utilizing the cylinder bore. This gives me a nice open choke for a short pheasant. The second #6 or 5 shot can be fired from the right barrel, modified choke, for longer hits, on bunnies in the brush. I can choose which goes off by pulling the appropriate trigger.
In a modern double, chokes are screw in so you can set the gun up as you like, for even more flexibility.
As a purely survival gun, a double can hold a small game load in one barrel, and a buck shot or slug in the second for big game.
I think they point better, are lighter, and shoot two shots faster than an auto; you seldom get more than that.
They are not throwbacks from another time, nor are revolvers. Autos have their place, but are generally heavier, and longer due to an 8 to 10 inch receiver.
You keep your auto’s and pumps. Mine is over 30 years old, and has seen lots of service. There is nothing to break, so it will see another 30. NEVER A JAM!!!
I own a Bennelli M1 Tactical, and use it for Turkey, Goose and Bear. I use the SxS for upland game, and have taken Deer in upstate New York where you can’t hunt Deer with a rifle.
The Benelli weighs almost twice as much as the LC, and is just as long. The Benelli sports a 21 inch Barrel, and my LC, a 30 inch. It is a far more practical set up for hunting.
Doubles survive because they are practical, and light. And with the exception of a few crap brands, they run double or mor of what an auto costs. So dont believe they a cheap. Even a Stoger is about 500 for a double. A new LC smith, field is 2 grand. A new Smith and Wesson double 3000, and dont even ask what a Kimber or Winchester SxS is running. You cant afford it if you have to ask.
Hope you start shooting that 20 and see its value.
I’ts a cheap alternative to a semi-auto for dove and turkey. I got mine for 225$
You can use it for Everything.* Home defense, Skeet, Trap, Small Game or Big Game Hunting…
Just sell it to a friend or pawn it. No use in having a gun you don’t use.
because you can put two different choke tubes in each barrel
its used a lot when your doing any type of shooting sports- skeet, trap, modified trap, wobble trap, etc…
especially when your shooting doubles- because you’ll need a different choke to shoot the bird when it’s at a different distance away. you interchange the choke tubes for when your shooting under different conditions.
it’s also used a lot in bird hunting- bobwhite, quail, dove, pheasant- again because of the interchangeable choke tubes
added———————–
actually, Ben, a o/u or a side-by-side is WAY more expensive than a semi-auto. my boyfriends o/u cost over $1,200 and a very very very very nice o/u can cost over $12,000 (trust me, i’m looking into getting one and they are NO WHERE near cheap)
simply put, they are NOT a cheap alternative to a semi-auto and there are less parts that can break than compared to a semi-auto
in hunting, the advantage is if you miss the game with the first shot the left barrel is slightly smaller to concentrate the pellets more.
happy hunting
It’s a question maker.