Why Over and Under?

[AAShooter]

Wouldn't they both be skeet chkokes?

Depends on shooter preference.

[FLIGHT762]

Because they look sexy AF!

And because they are classy and traditional. Skeet is like good all about being proper and classy sport.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This! Having two separate firing systems allows for two separate chokes for shot 1 and shot 2. Also, should you have a problem with one, you might still be able to shoot the other. It is very easy to verify the barrels are clear of obstructions--great when shooting unreliable reloads. Finally, you can buy a combo set that provides a single barrel for things like singles trap, and handicap trap as well as a set of double barrels for shooting doubles.

And this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I just got a new Browning 725 30" Sporting version out of jail last Tuesday. I went out on Wednesday and shot 4 rounds of Skeet, although I bought it more for Sporting Clays. It was sweet shooting even with the 30" barrels. Finally decided to buy something nice.

I'm going to break it in during Dove season in a couple of weeks.

[Thefeeder]

Newbie Question. Please forgive me...

But what are the benefits of an Over and Under shotgun for skeet, etc? Why an Over/Under vs. say, a single barrel semi-auto? Or is it simply a preference/style thing? Always did love the way Over/Unders look and some are really works of art. Have yet to shoot one though.

Reality....you shoot better if you feel your a better shooter.

The best shotgun is the one YOU feel comfortable with shooting.

Confidence is a big plus in all sports because it lets your subconscious take over.

[steve91104]

Lots of posts explaining why two barrels are preferred over one. But why choose over and under instead of two barrels side by side?

[AAShooter]

The best answer I can offer is better vision. You can see better with barrels stacked rather than side-by-side. The US likes over-and-unders while Europe favors side-by-sides.

[BigDogatPlay]

The best answer I can offer is better vision. You can see better with barrels stacked rather than side-by-side.

^^^This^^^ and that SxS guns offer something of a geometry problem for your eyes to resolve that O/U and single barrel guns don't.

Your visual plane is down the rib as it should be, but the barrels are off to each side. Even if they are well regulated to each other the barrels are still starting off the visual plane and you have to learn to resolve that with your swing and lead. I've seen good single barrel and O/U shooters struggle with a SxS.

[glug]

Phil Bourjaily just answered this on Gun Nuts this week. He said he preferred an over-under to a semi-auto because it's easier to collect the spent brass for reloading. I'm sure there are other reasons too but that made sense to me.

[Capybara]

I have shot both for trap and sporting clays.

#1. that nobody mentioned - CLEANING! My semi-auto isn't that hard to clean but it takes a while and is a bit of a PITA. O/U, remove the forearm, snap it open, remove the barrel assembly, takes about 2 seconds.

#2. Separate chokes for trap and SC. Love this feature, really nice for long distance follow ups or when shooting doubles.

3. Reliability - hardly any moving parts versus a semi with all of it's parts and gas tube. Even a pump has a lot more moving parts. More moving parts generally = less reliability.

4. Balance - Follow through is tremendously important when shooting clays or hunting and the extra forward weight of an O/U helps me a lot of with more effective follow through.

When it all comes down to it, none of this matters, I see plenty of clays shooters with semis and pumps who shoot really well, an O/U won't make you a better shooter, it really comes down to skills. Some of us just prefer an O/U for these little reasons.

[CK_32]

IM AWESOME!!!

^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^

Oh sorry I saw everyone else doing it got a little excited