Skeet with a SxS

the spank said:
What I have experienced in my very limited experience with S x S's is the forends are very uncomftorable for my big hands. I love the look of the splinter style forends some wear but they are horrible for me to hang onto. I just do not care for the feel of the barrels in my hand as the forend barely fills my palm. I find it awkward and I am not really fond of the look of the larger forends that come up and wrap around the barrel edges. On some guns they look alright but not on others?
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I actually find myself cupping the for end in my hand,rather than wrapping my hands around the fore end and barrels.
 
the spank said:
I think by nature of their design thats the way they were intended to be shot but you would think there would be an awful recoil that way with a field load? Or am I way off in my thinking in that dept?
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I am only shooting a 20 gauge, and I only use 1 oz 2-3/4" loads, and the recoil isn't bad at all, even with the wooden butt plate. My 5-1/2lb 625 Feather in 20 gauge produces more felt recoil.
 
Why do you think your front hand controls recoil? I barely hold onto the forend of any shotgun, it just basically rests on my hand.

In theory that dinky little splinter forend is upposed to put your hand closer to the line of the barrels so it point more naturally. I have also read both hands should be about the same distance below the bores, so it makes sense a straight english stock requires a splinter and a pistol grip requires a beefier beavertail forend.

Biggest problem I find with a splinter is hot fingers. Pretty much have to wear a glove if doing any amount of shooting.
 
Scar270 said:
Why do you think your front hand controls recoil? I barely hold onto the forend of any shotgun, it just basically rests on my hand.

In theory that dinky little splinter forend is upposed to put your hand closer to the line of the barrels so it point more naturally. I have also read both hands should be about the same distance below the bores, so it makes sense a straight english stock requires a splinter and a pistol grip requires a beefier beavertail forend.

Biggest problem I find with a splinter is hot fingers. Pretty much have to wear a glove if doing any amount of shooting.
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Even with a beavertail I manage to burn my fingers on a SxS.
 
[QUOTEBiggest problem I find with a splinter is hot fingers. Pretty much have to wear a glove if doing any amount of shooting. ][/QUOTE]

I learned that shooting sporting clays on a hot day.
 
ninepointer said:
I shoot (recreationally) 5-stand and skeet with my Ithaca Model 100 SxS. Its light even for a field gun, but with my 7/8 oz. reloads I can shoot clays with it all day.

In terms of scores, choice of gun type is for many of us a matter of, "It ain't the arrow that counts, its the Indian." No different than for me in golf it wouldn't matter if I'm using a set of garage sale clubs or latest, greatest and most expensive clubs used by the pros. In both cases (gun & golf clubs) fit still matters of course.

At the competition level however, I do believe that there is something about the geometry and dynamics of an O/U than can make the difference between a score of 499 and 500.

EDIT: I'm not advocating cheap guns, as they will disappoint you sooner or later if you do a lot of target shooting.
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I too shot skeet recreationally in the 1960s, my 12 gauge gun was a Winchester M97 with the choke sawn off, no bead, ran 216 birds with it. Next was a M42 Winchester .410 ran several 98s, but the century eluded me until I tried my old Lefever sidelock with Savage four tenner tubes, then a couple of 100s. That heavy Lefever side by side smoothed out my swing. Sold the M42 and bought a car with the proceeds!
 
Scar270 said:
Why do you think your front hand controls recoil? I barely hold onto the forend of any shotgun, it just basically rests on my hand.

In theory that dinky little splinter forend is upposed to put your hand closer to the line of the barrels so it point more naturally. I have also read both hands should be about the same distance below the bores, so it makes sense a straight english stock requires a splinter and a pistol grip requires a beefier beavertail forend.

Biggest problem I find with a splinter is hot fingers. Pretty much have to wear a glove if doing any amount of shooting.
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Not so much controls as aids. Even though my grip on my forend is light I thought maybe with a splinter forend just laying on your palm you may experience a bit more felt recoil from a little extra muzzle lift? I probably haven't shot 30 rounds from a SxS in my life and it has been at least 30 years since then. I love the look of them, especially of a quality built version but not from a shooters standpoint. I don't care for the sight picture of them.
 
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If you want to shoot a SxS w/ splitner forend at targets, Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co. ( CSMC Larry Galazan ) makes a nice leather handguard ( either weighted or plain ) that slips on ... they are very often seen at driven shoots in the U.K. and Spain and at Live Pigeon shoots. You'd be surprised at how many of the top Live Pigeon shooters still use SxS's ... and a few of those, hammer guns at that.

I have no problem with the single sighting plane being advantageous for clay target work, but for me anyway, the SxS still reigns top notch for upland field shooting. The "sight picture" , straight stocks and double triggers all take a little getting used to, but once you do, nothing beats them for me in the field.

Spank ... 30 rounds more than 30 years ago, yikes ! ... you owe it to yourself to advance your well-rounded shooting career a little further than that ! ;)
 
I never had an issue with splinter forends myself, but I tend to use gloves when I shoot to keep the salts and oils from my hands off the stocks of my guns.
Not a fan of beavertail forends but have a few guns with them.
Cat
 
Before upland season starts every year, I shoot a couple rounds of skeet with my SXS's... I always shoot better than average scores... you would think that I would "clue in."
 
Every time I see this thread drift by in my feed I think "Skeet with a SKS" ??? Well that sounds dangerous.

Then I reread it. f:P:2:
 
100 years back, SxS were popular and still are in Britain and other traditional places.
The problem for using SxS in skeet is that barrels may cover your bird on the middle stations and can throw a shooter off due to changing reference points for high and low house birds because of side by side orientation of the barrels.
I'm glad you shoot it well though. Keep it!

stubblejumper said:
I normally shoot skeet with either a 20 or 28 gauge O/U, but with the bird season approaching, I thought that I should do some practicing with the AYA #2 in 20 gauge that I purchased from Prophet River a short time ago. I had only shot the gun at skeet once before, so I wasn't expecting to shoot my normal scores, but after a 24 on my first round, the second round went clean for a 49/50. The gun is just a pleasure to shoot, and I look forward to using it on some pheasant and Hungarian partridge. What I do find interesting is that when people see a SxS on the rack at the skeet field, most of them view it as a novelty, rather than as a gun that is capable of shooting respectable scores at skeet.
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ss1980 said:
100 years back, SxS were popular and still are in Britain and other traditional places.
The problem for using SxS in skeet is that barrels may cover your bird on the middle stations and can throw a shooter off due to changing reference points for high and low house birds because of side by side orientation of the barrels.
I'm glad you shoot it well though. Keep it!
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I am definitely keeping it. Hope to get out after pheasants with it soon.
 
johnl said:
I seen a guy, well known out in these parts shoot 300 straight registered with a remmy 870 with a hacked barrel. Made the hooti-tooti Kolar, Krieghoff princesses that usually prance around the field bragging about their guns look like the pussies they really are, it was priceless:p
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Where was that ?
 
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