Advantage of using a double barrel for pheasant hunting?

[GSP4ME]

That is one of the many reasons I love the dog training in the summer Shoot lots and lots of birds over the dogs, Keeps the hunting season going all year round

[TylerS]

all this talk about bird dogs, and shooting. Is it hunting season yet.....

Sigh...I wish...

[Tom7227]

No one has made the correct point yet.

There will not be any 'bargains' at the DNR gun auction this Saturday. Folks who make a living dealing guns will be there and make sure of that. I believe that many times in the past there have been folks who observe that some of the guns go for retail or even above.

[Gordie]

Seems like a lot of work to shoot a double barrel

I'd rather shoot my five and have my dog bring all five of them back to hand and be done for the day sorry, couldn't resist.

Glad I read thru these as this where I was going

I know its not pheasants but I had the side by side 16 with duck hunting last year in NoDak and when we got to shore the DNR was there to check us out he checked our guns for plugs and I didnt hand him the 16 he looks at it grabs it off the floor and set it down really quick looks up and say: I know thats good" but I would like to see those shells.

Joeys says you mean these pretty purple ones and hands them to him and he smile again and says I didnt think they made steel for these.

I like my sbs 16 its just a lot of fun to shoot this gun kinda heavy but fun to shoot.

[gspman]

I have a pump, semi-autos, a nice over/under and a very nice semi-custom made double triggered side by side.

Keep in mind that there is more to balance and handling than just having the balance point in a certain spot. A 2x4 is well balanced but handles... well... like a 2x4. What you want is most of the weight of the gun between the hands when you hold it and then just a little more weight out toward the muzzle for a smoother swing. That's where a o/u or sxs, if well made, can have an advantage.

Regarding weight: You want a gun that is light enough to carry but there is a point where too little weight contributes to poor shooting as the gun is so light that you don't move it smoothly and it also doesn't swing smoothly and tends to stop swinging on the follow through.

Generally speaking an o/u or sxs, if it is made right, is a better balanced and handling gun and can be a lighter gun sometimes too. It may be more reliable but not always and there is nothing more aggravating than a "fancy pants" gun that doesn't go bang when you want it to. Having the choice of 2 chokes is overrated IMHO. Most people shoot both barrels in the same order in all scenarios so to me that's just not an advantage. For true choice of choke you need a double triggered gun. Most people don't have that. Plus you still need the presence of mind to pull the back trigger first on a long flushing bird. The barrel selector on a safety just does not work well when hunting in my experience. FYI, the majority of birds are shot within 25-30yds of the gun. For a 12ga that is I/C range. My o/u and sxs are usually choked cyl and i/c or l/m to optimize for the majority of scenarios.

Semi-autos can be reasonably well balanced too. But the weight is usually spread further out so the handling isn't quite as nice. Some brands are more reliable than others. I have a Beretta A391 that is very reliable and I hardly ever clean it. You have the advantage of more than 2 shots but really see no reason to have more than 3 shells in a gun when bird hunting. Many autoloaders come with stock shims so you can adjust for cast and drop as well. My autoloader is my go to gun. It is light enough for me to carry all day but soft shooting enough for sporting clays games. I use it almost all the time and love it. I think a good autoloader is about the best all-round option out there for most men, women, children that shoot.

Pumps are... well... pumps. They work. They take a beating. They work. You don't need to clean them. They work. They can shoot almost any load. They work. You can do anything with them. They are like a Swiss Army Knife. They can do lots of stuff but do none of it really well. Having said that I had a couple pumps that I still wish I had. They are what I grew up with.

There is no advantage to an o/u or sxs over the others unless that o/u or sxs works really well for you. Just pick a gun of any type that fits and handles and get really good with it.

[R. Miller]

I love the two chokes and think side by sides and O/Us just look cool too.

[raymondk]

less birds to clean when your gun is empty and the bird is still flying.

[brad coin]

If you do go with non 12 gauge double either SXS or O/U make sure that it is not a generic receiver and stock/foregrip.

there are alot of gun mfg's especially in the under $1200 range that will sell you a 20/16/28 gauge with barrels in those gauges but mounted on the same size receiver has a 12 gauge and not scaled down.

alot of the reason your going with a smaller gauge is for faster handling and less weight,, if your only saving an ounce might has well tote the 12 gauge some expensive sets will give you two sets of barrels with different gauges but alot of them are not balanced so you get that "between the hands" feel.

I carry a double because I like the beauty and feel of them like fly fisherman who still fish with split bamboo rods,,however if bottom line your out there for the meat take home then no reason to switch from a reliable pump or automatic

[Boon525]

I have a double and an 870, I still shoot in the field better with the 870, my double is heavier and better when I shoot trap....when ever I'm picking a gun to use in foul weather, mud, dust, or as a canoe paddle..it's always the 870. Love the double but it still has only 2 shells...

[Jarrod32]

Reading through these posts, I guess the answer is "to each their own". Everyone gets to use the gun they want, for their own reasons. I happen to love my O/U for pheasant hunting (for many of the reasons already covered in this thread). And my buddies and I tend to stay legal for waterfowl even when pheasant hunting (lots of ducks around here in northern South Dakota), so I would never have more than three shots anyway.

When strictly waterfowl hunting, I do like my pump and the third shot...useful for paying "insurance" on the birds that are coming down wounded. But the O/U is just fine for pheasant hunting...and it is rare when I need the third shot that I don't have.