So while shopping for shotguns. Most modern clay guns are O/U or semis. I know the answer is probably stupid simple. But why did SxS shottys go the way of the dodo when it comes to clay games?

It's due our visual ability to point a gun -- sighting along one barrel is easier than two. When speed of getting the barrel towards the target counts, a SxS can confuse our noggins. Do we point with the left barrel, the right barrel, or the bead in the middle? There isn't such ambiguity with a single barrel and a sighting bead in the middle of that one barrel.

A SxS does work fine as a close-ish range shotgun for wing shooting. There are SxS events in state/regional/national sporting clays tournaments. The scores in the SxS events tend to be a little lower than those with O/U shotguns.

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Somewhat related to your other thread, quality SxS shotguns are expensive. More expensive than O/U. Take a look at Winchester Model 21 shotguns that are in good shape. Around here, the Model 21 is the SxS of choice for top people competing in that event for the state clays tourney.

^ Never thought about it that way, thanks for the knowledge.

SXS shotguns also suffer from a bit of an ergonomics issue - either the forearm is SUPER beefy, or it's small enough that in any normal kind of grip, your fingers touch the barrels - which is OK if you're hunting pheasant in the old country (not much shooting), but not ideal if you're going to put 100 rounds downrange in a short period of time (like, say, practicing clay games).

The horizontal sight plane works great, imo, for low flying, fleeing or crossing birds flying horizontally. I shoot a SxS for quail amd pheasant. Like Fritz said, a good SxS whose barrels share the same POI can get pretty expensive. You don't need a Parker or Model 21 or H&H but most of anything you'll find under $1000 is pretty cheaply made. Certainly not something you'd expect to be able to put thousands of rounds through. Many SxSs are still double trigger guns as well, which is not good for clays.

I think one could have reasonably similar results shooting skeet with a SxS as with an OU or Auto but the other clays games would be more difficult.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

A SxS does work fine as a close-ish range shotgun for wing shooting. There are SxS events in state/regional/national sporting clays tournaments.

*****
Somewhat related to your other thread, quality SxS shotguns are expensive. More expensive than O/U. Take a look at Winchester Model 21 shotguns that are in good shape. Around here, the Model 21 is the SxS of choice for top people competing in that event for the state clays tourney.

I quit shooting a pump early in my shooting. Maybe 5 or 6 years. Now for the last 50 or so I've been shooting a double. Most of that a Browning and now more recently a M21. I couldn't hit much with the Remington because I just couldn't hit anything. Part of it was related to the 20 gauge and me always thinking I still had another 4 shots if I missed with that first one. Bad thinking.

So I moved on to the Browning 12. It did seem to point better for me and resulted in significantly more hits. It shocked my poor father who didn't like doubles. My advice is that if you can do it, try different action types. And stock shapes, etc.

Many gun guys want to buy one gun and just shoot it forever. You'll hear that advice, don't sell a gun. Better advice is to find one you can shoot well. Don't always go for a long barrel. I traded a 28" for a 26" double.

Then the cost issue. Yes, a premium brand double will cost a bunch more. Big deal. Who wants a cheap shotgun anyhow. Better to have one that you can shoot well and keep forever because it works so well.

The above poster was correct that most serious competitors shoot over and unders or autos. But I'd guess none of them are on their first shotgun either.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
The above poster was correct that most serious competitors shoot over and unders or autos. But I'd guess none of them are on their first shotgun either.

It's been a handful of years since I've shot in big clays tournaments, due to emphasizing rifle competitions.

At the weekly sporting clays tourneys, at least 95% of the shooters used O/Us -- the rest using Beretta, Benelli, or Winchester semi-autos. At the annual state sporting clays, 5-stand, and FITASC events the semi-auto users probably dropped to 2-3% at most. I don't recall anyone placing in the top 5 of any event with a semi-auto.

At the national/international levels of sporting clays, there are a few guys who win with semi-autos, but it's not the norm.

I don't recall anyone shooting anywhere near the top of heap in our state skeet tourneys with a semi-auto. A few guys did fine with their semi-autos in trap -- all the while pissing off the wound-way-too-tight trap shooters who sneer at ejected shells.

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Especially in sporting clays, many shooters own an admirable fleet of shotguns. Many have bought/sold/traded shotguns at the pace most of us go through ballpoint pens. So yeah, not their first shotgun.

I started the shotgun game with my Dad's 1948 Winchester Model 12 pump. After trying many dozens of shotguns, I found that Browning 525/625 Sporting shotguns fit me to a T. And then I started competing. I took my 12/20/28 gauge 525s to Master Class and winning a few clays tourneys, and resisted the temptation to spend the coin for a Perazzi, Krieghoff, or Beretta SO/DT. I also resisted the urge for a M21 SxS for those 1 or 2 events per year. There were only a very few of us Masters who competed with what was essentially our first O/U shotguns.

As is so often stated, fit is so critical to shotgun performance. A guy with a beat up old Mossberg that fits him will likely shoot better than with a gold-inlayed Beretta SO5 that just doesn't feel right.

I happen to have a 12 guage SxS, a CZ Sharp Tail Target and I've shot Skeet and Trap with it. What I have learned is that with a SxS you MUST shoot the Rib, not the Barrel. Do that and you can bust clays just as well as you can with an Over/Under. BTW, have both Browning and Beretta O/U shotguns and the only defect I have identified with the CZ SxS is that the stock needs just a bit more drop at the butt pad to fit me perfectly. Basically I have to remember to carry it a bit high on my shoulder to hit well.

I will also note that there are Skeet Competitions that are SxS ONLY, you either shoot a Fud Gun or you sit and watch the show.

Here in Yoorup we STILL shoot clays with SxS shotguns, black powder/flintlocks, though, since it is part of the MLAGB and MLAIC competiiton.

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:
Here in Yoorup we STILL shoot clays with SxS shotguns, black powder/flintlocks, though, since it is part of the MLAGB and MLAIC competiiton.

One of the best Skeet shooters at my range got it into his head that he wanted to try some real Black Powder loads for Skeet. So, he loaded up a box of 12 gage with 3 Drams of Swiss Black Powder and got his Stoeger Coach Gun out of his safe. Two things were evident very quickly. One was that Black Powder produces a BAHOOMING reports that was heard nearly 1/2 mile away at the Rifle range. The second was that hitting a true pair is rather difficult when you are trying to see the bird thru a cloud of white smoke.