What do you like better in field/hunting ,O/U or SxS?

[captrakshitsharma]

OT.

An SBBL has its place. Where it excels is in the handling department and being a knockabout inexpensive shotgun in rough terrains. A friend of mine who writes for many European journals has customised,mostly stock work, his IZH-18 and he says it's right up there. I am not saying that it's better than pricier SXSs and O/Us but it's not without it's merits.

Best-
Vikram

I see what you are saying Vikram .The disadvantage of not having a second shot sure will miss a few birds. The original intent of my post was to get perspectives and views of people who have had the opportunity of hunting in the pre hunting ban era or the members who reside in countries where hunting is still pursued as a sport. I was always intrigued by the fact that most field shooters swear by and use SxS in field even if they own an over under.I had noted this specifically with the senior lot. It had got me thinking what is the reason is there some mystery to it or is it just nostalgia , style statement or the good looks of a nice SxS that gets the same people who use O/U's on range and when shooting competitively to use SxS on field when shooting real birds.

[The Doc]

An SBBL has its place. Where it excels is in the handling department and being a knockabout inexpensive shotgun in rough terrains. A friend of mine who writes for many European journals has customised,mostly stock work, his IZH-18 and he says it's right up there. I am not saying that it's better than pricier SXSs and O/Us but it's not without it's merits.

+1 Vikram, I couldn't agree more .

best,
Rp.

[Vikram]

Doc,

This friend lives in Greece and hunts in those rocky hilly terrain. Not that he can't afford the pricier guns, he has become a champion of sorts for the inexpensive Baikal guns.Not in their original form but refinished barrels, polished internals and trimming of the wood work. The design of the Baikal actions is quite neat it seems and the steel is very good too,both very suitable for customisation.


Best-
Vikram

[TwoRivers]

Those merits are obviously lighter weight, and the lower price. If the situation will never require a second shot, or a more open choke, they surely will fit the requirement. But they do lack versatility, compared to doubles and repeaters.

[captrakshitsharma]

I reckon that being the reason why they never sold much. My brain photo associates a shot gun with nothing else but a SxS double and i am sure it does for a lot of other people.

[TwoRivers]

They certainly didn't sell to those who could afford a double. Unless they wanted something to be stood in the barn corner, gathering dust, ready for any varmint that might wander in.

[shooter]

My brain photo associates a shot gun with nothing else but a SxS double and i am sure it does for a lot of other people

See any gun-seller website and you will see more o/u than sxs.

Ditto for SBBl vsDBBL.
I think approx 95% of the shotguns sold are dbbl.

And as two rivers rightly pointed out even their use isnt for the field.

The only SBBL hammers with looong barrels that seem to be selling for some money are the big bore guns. (read 8 and above)

[captrakshitsharma]

Shooter do you get to go out and indulge in field sports in UK. When you do what do you prefer???

[shooter]

hooter do you get to go out and indulge in field sports in UK. When you do what do you prefer???

Please read this in conjunction with my earlier post on page 2 post 6 of this thread.

I am sorry for my oblique references.
I do indulge in a tiny bit of field sports here but less than how much many others do.

we have a joke calling pheasants rhode island reds or red leghorns. So what i meant was pheasant shoot.

While the traditional images of english gentlemen using sxs in the field fill the internet, the truth is that most shoots one goes to, one finds many more o/u than sxs.

If one goes to an exceptionally posh estate where only the royalty and aristocracy shoots, then one may see a lot of sxs purdeys etc but those are a very minor number of people.

A big chunk will use an o/u.

As i wrote i shoot least bad with my o/u, when i shoot driven shoots, i have paid money for the day and dont want to miss.
I have been on shoots varying between 3 guns to 15 guns (thats the range of 99% of shoots in Britain).
Big or small, rich or poor, o/u rule in fieldsports.

Beretta o/u field model is very light with a straight stock.

With all due respect, due to lack of fieldsports in India, compounded with a lack of new guns (imports stopped in mid 80's) a thread about field sport preferences becomes just a table discussion.

If there are any old timers, they belong to the era of sxs or even people from the 'grey era' of shooting (big game ban and birds only allowed etc), the fieldsports werent formally organised big events.

I am glad you brought up this topic and i suggest you also add a poll to it. This will enable users to see the results at a glance.

regards
shooter.

[shooter]

please see some pics i have uploaded to see guns used in the field.

[winnie_the_pooh]

Vikram,

Any chance of posting photos of the single barrel your friend uses?

[xl_target]

Just to interject some discord into this thread; the best selling shot gun in the world is the Remintgon Model 870, a measly pump! In 2009, the 10,000,000th (yes that is 10 million) 870 left the factory. In america, in the field, it is probably the most common shotgun seen. While on the trap fields, you will see a preponderance of auto and O/U's, while hunting here you will invariably see a pump (followed by autos).

Note that I am just making an observation here. The thread title did say "field/hunting". Cultural differences in firearm selection are interesting to see.

[captrakshitsharma]

Indeed is... in india the word shotgun brings out the pictures of a SxS double.... We of course are way behind the world in terms of gun ownership and our firearm industry and market has not evolved.

[shooter]

Just to interject some discord into this thread; the best selling shot gun in the world is the Remintgon Model 870, a measly pump! In 2009, the 10,000,000th (yes that is 10 million) 870 left the factory. In america, in the field, it is probably the most common shotgun seen. While on the trap fields, you will see a preponderance of auto and O/U's, while hunting here you will invariably see a pump (followed by autos).

Note that I am just making an observation here. The thread title did say "field/hunting". Cultural differences in firearm selection are interesting to see.

Very true.
Even in american skeet the remington auto is very commonly seen (compared to the continent).
Please also go through the magazine link vikram provided recently.
There isnt much high volume shooting done in america traditionally. So a pump will suffice.
Traditionally high volume shooting was done in UK.
And this is a big factor for choice.

[Vikram]

Vikram,

Any chance of posting photos of the single barrel your friend uses?

Winnie, I will try to get hold of them.





Best-
Vikram