Why ,Top or Bottom barrels

[pigeon controller]

This is one of those questions I've always wanted to ask , on all of my shotguns I have the tighter choke on the top barrel and the more open on the bottom, fixed choke, which I fire first. It is easier to load the top barrel so why do we not put the open choke on the top.? Please educate me and do not ridicule me.

[Guest stevo]

I have always put tightest choke in the top ( 9/10 times full or at least 3/4 ) and the more open choke in the bottom , for no other reason I was shown to put them that way round . but you can do it what ever way or combination you fancy , this is why I do it ..... say im decoying for instance . I wait for the bird to commit to my pattern and within a comfortable range , I take my first shot the more open choke ( the bottom barrel in my case ) if I hit it all well and good , if I miss as you are well aware the bird will in nearly all cases try to fly out of danger , which will mostly result in the bird flying away from you , that's when my tighter ( top barrel ) comes in to play as it will give me the tighter pattern needed for a longer shot , like I said I use top /tighter barrel last as I find it easier to sight the bird on longer shots .

 

at the end of the day I don't make much real difference , a semi auto proves that point very well , as we know being a good shot is 50/50 half skill the other half confidence

 

but the above is how I see it , and just my opinion

 

stevo

Edited December 27, 2014 by stevo

[Old farrier]

Hi

Hope this helps the bottom barrel fired first is more central so should in theory give a more direct recoil and less muzzle flip

ou guns have been developed IMO from the live pigeon guns for trap shooting where the tighter choke was a second barrel thing on a going away target

Not so important now with multi chokes and barrel selectors

Although I personally prefer to fire the top barrel on my ou first when game shooting for the ease of loading as you do

Proberably be shot down in flames now

But just my take on it

Hope it helps

All the best

Of

[hawkfanz]

I read somewere years ago that the top barrel shoots higher than bottom,hence on a going away bird that is rising the second shot should be top barrel,but I myself switch selection as required.

[bunnykiller]

Now then boys, hows it going? for me with a fixed choke game gun shooting at driven game, I have 1/4 in the bottom and 3/4 top.

I allways shoot choke first then slack second so that is top first, as the birds are further away with the first shot.

[JDog]

I cannot explain why the manufacturers of over and under shotguns continue to arrange the configuration in this way.

 

However I do know that in side by sides where the more open barrel was fired first it originated in the times of walked up shooting when the quarry might rise quite close to the shooter and the tighter second barrel was fired if the quarry was missed with the first shot and would therefore be further away for the second shot.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Hi

Hope this helps the bottom barrel fired first is more central so should in theory give a more direct recoil and less muzzle flip

ou guns have been developed IMO from the live pigeon guns for trap shooting where the tighter choke was a second barrel thing on a going away target

Not so important now with multi chokes and barrel selectors

Although I personally prefer to fire the top barrel on my ou first when game shooting for the ease of loading as you do

Proberably be shot down in flames now

But just my take on it

Hope it helps

All the best

Of

That's about the sum of it OF, I switch an O/U to top barrel first for Clay Flushes because it is easier to load a single shell in to the top barrel in the heat of things.

 

As you say not so important these days with selectable barrels and multi-chokes, a lot of it is down to habit.

Edited December 28, 2014 by TIGHTCHOKE

[The Essex Hunter]

From what I was told the muzzle flip is caused because the top barrel is above line of centre and wants to rotate the gun.

Where the bottom barrel is more in a direct line with the shoulder....

At a guess top barrel first would have come from DTL as hopefully you only used one round per clay.

 

As it is Xmas I don't want to get in a choke/distance war as this thread is not about that, I use (first) bottom/cyl---top 1/4

for decoying pigeons. If a pair of pigeons are decoying in I tend to shoot the back bird first as by the time the second has got in top gear then the bit of choke works well.

 

The same combo for rough shooting and driven game but with a heaver load, I do what works for me......

 

TEH

[welshwarrior]

Hi

Hope this helps the bottom barrel fired first is more central so should in theory give a more direct recoil and less muzzle flip

ou guns have been developed IMO from the live pigeon guns for trap shooting where the tighter choke was a second barrel thing on a going away target

Not so important now with multi chokes and barrel selectors

Although I personally prefer to fire the top barrel on my ou first when game shooting for the ease of loading as you do

Proberably be shot down in flames now

But just my take on it

Hope it helps

All the best

Of

Well put and correct, However I find no major difference in reloading the bottom barrel over the top so always shoot bottom first from habit.

 

About a year ago I did a highly non scientific survey to see if people could tell the difference. Most top shots (a few GB) being honest and experienced shots said they couldn't tell the difference, a fair few novices did but on a "blind test" normally got it wrong. Yes mechanics is sound but does not make a significant difference to normal people it turns into a habit.

[pigeon controller]

Thanks for all your replies , I have changed the configuration on my gun and will let you know the result after tomorrow's pigeon shoot.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Thanks for all your replies , I have changed the configuration on my gun and will let you know the result after tomorrow's pigeon shoot.

 

So if you only come in with a couple of pigeons it will be OUR fault!

[Guest stevo]

Cheers for that old farrier . Like i said in my post . I have real idea as to the reason why its done that way . I just done it that way because my dad showed me and said "thats how you do it son" . So i just went with it .

 

So well said mate

[fenboy]

 

So if you only come in with a couple of pigeons it will be OUR fault!

As if the mighty PC will only shoot a couple of pigeons !

[dead eye alan]

Thanks for all your replies , I have changed the configuration on my gun and will let you know the result after tomorrow's pigeon shoot.

 

If it ain't broke don't mend it. you do quiet well as you are y change it.

[scotslad]

Old farrier was spot on. As a game shot i always wondered why more folk dinae use the top barrel first, never acually shot an O/U myself but found it a PITA to load them when not used to them compared to the SxS i'm used too

 

Out of courisity does anyone know why on a SxS its always the left hand barrell that fires first? Is there a reason?

 

 

I know some of the old paired SxS shotguns actually have the tighter choke in the oppisate barrel from No. 1 gun to No.2 gun (or u sometimes got an exra set off barrells).

The idea being they were designed for driven grouse so ur first shot would actually be further away, 2 nd shot more open barrell, 3rd shot behind closer and 4th shot further away (so ur 2nd 2 shots behind would be the more standard choke set up) But of course they would normally have double triggers so u can still select barell for each shot

[snow white]

Hi scotslad.on my three game guns it's the right barrel that shoots first.

[JDog]

I have never known a s x s shoot the left barrel first.

[welshwarrior]

I have never known a s x s shoot the left barrel first.

A true left hand gun may but not seen a right hander that does, the front trigger fires the right barrel.

I did have a client who fire the rear trigger first his argument was the second barrel was more instinctive and the gun fitted better to the front trigger.

[wymberley]

There's nothing new under the sun. Churchill made a 'One armed man' gun' which wasn't too surprising after WW2. I had one which was made for an army major who'd lost his left arm. Changing your grip wasn't on so it was a full pistol grip. Similarly, changing triggers was not too easy so it was fitted with what was eventually called a 'twin trigger' mechanism. This could be cancelled by a small lever, but when operational either trigger could fire either barrel, but firing the appropriate barrel (eg, rear trigger, left barrel) first.

[HDAV]

At a guess top barrel first would have come from DTL as hopefully you only used one round per clay.

That is the reverse of correct! DTL is full use of the gun. 3 points for first barrel kill, 2 for second. Open bottom barrel first tighter top barrel second same as all other trap disciplines. ABT, UT, OT, DT

 

Single barrel is ATA rules and most use a single barrel gun.

Edited December 28, 2014 by HDAV

[Gunman]

Simple answer is ,its because that's the way it is .Just as the vast majority of side by sides are open right and choked left . It is just the way the design developed and became the norm before the days of multi chokes and single selective triggers .

[scotslad]

Apologies i got my right and lefts muddled up that's wot happens when i take off my wellies with the L,R marked on the turnovers.

 

Just wondered if there was some sort of reason or something to do with etiquitte? Thought when a few knowledgable blokes reading was a good time to ask.

Cheers