Why do people saw off side by side double barrel shotguns and not Over/Under?

9 Responses

1. John de Witt

   March 4th, 2010 at 3:02 am

   Quite the contrary, SxS shotguns are often more expensive, but O/U’s are a later development, so there was a tradition to begin with. Also, if you’re going to saw off a shotty, it’s because you anticipate using it in a situation in which you’ll need to shoot fast, and the O/U has to open a lot wider (and a little slower) to reload.

2. David S

   March 4th, 2010 at 3:02 am

   Dude you just blew my mind with that question. That’s the best question I have heard in a long time. Lol and I have no idea.

3. chris

   March 4th, 2010 at 3:02 am

   over under shotguns would spread out in a taller direction i guess? The side by side sawed off have more short range effectiveness, and i guess because ppl are not 10 feet tall, theres no need to increase the height of the shot

4. Danes MMA

   March 4th, 2010 at 3:02 am

   I think partially because they are cheaper and also for appearance. The side by side has an old-school badass look that the over/under is lacking

5. Mike F

   March 4th, 2010 at 3:02 am

   That is a good question? side by sides tend to be old style, used more for clay shooting, and therefore easier to get a hold of, Over/unders more of a modern sports/hunting weapon and made to higher quality and cost. Thats my assumption…?

6. METROPOLIS1

   March 4th, 2010 at 3:02 am

   Hmmmmmmm……………..

   I never thought about it…. Even in the movies its either a side by side or a single shot…

   I never seen an under over sawed off…..

   Cant think of any reason why it wouldn’t work…..

   Maybe its because our human eyes are in front and are side by side…. Like the shotgun is looking at us in a menacing way……….?

7. Michael C

   March 4th, 2010 at 3:02 am

   The S/S has been around a LOT longer than the O/U, being popular with stage coach drivers and outlaws in the 19th century, and sawing it off became a natural way of making it more concealable. It wasn’t until after concealable hammers were introduced that O/Us began hitting the market, and by then there were better and cheaper options available to saw off, such as a pump, so the O/Us were relagated to the shotgun sports customers where the ability to have two different chokes became the big selling point. But you are right: Most O/Us are quite expensive, making someone less inclined to take a saw to it (though as shotgun sports become more popular, you can find O/U that won’t break your bank account).

8. Master T

   March 4th, 2010 at 3:02 am

   I sorta like John DeWitt’s answer.

   The over/under requires you to really open it up all the way to stuff a shell in the bottom chamber. With a side-by-side, the break-action does not have to move as far.

   Also, side-by-sides have been around longer than the over-unders. I think the real start of the popularity of over/unders started with John Browning’s Superposed shotgun. Before that, everyone wanted a side-by-side….and they were more popular.

   Another thing is. The cheaper side-by-sides that were manufactured in the 20th century, often featured double triggers. Whereas, the over/unders typically used the single trigger. With the double trigger, it’s possible to use two fingers to fire both barrels at the same time.

   In real life. I have seen more single barrels that were cut down as sawed-off shotguns than double barrels. Cheap guns like that are a favorite for the fools with a pipe saw and a wood rasp. About 3 years ago, I saw some idiot showing off such a weapon to a mutual friend. My friend was not impressed, nor was I. I was so not impressed that I tried to see where the guy walked to…with the intention of "dropping a dime" on his sorry butt to see just how impressed the police would be with that sawed-off shotgun in his backpack. And, for the sake of not wanting to be politically incorrect in this forum, I won’t mention his race here either.

9. LoneWolf

   March 4th, 2010 at 3:02 am

   That is a very good question. I don’t know the correct answer, if there is a correct answer, but I do know that a sawed off SxS, when pointed in the face of an intruder, makes them think you have a shell for both eyes. You can’t really get that when properly shoulder an O/U.

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