Over or under first, choke combinations?

H

huntingfish

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Howdy folks!
I just received my new-to-me Stevens 555 from the EE. Looks awesome! I'm hoping it will be a pleasure to shoot (with light loads!) and carry in the field. Can't wait to try it on both grouse and on clay pigeons.

For those that have over/unders, got a few questions concerning your setup:

Barrel selection: Do you fire the over or the under barrel first? Does it make a difference?

Choke selection: What is you choke selection? Does it vary (early/late season)?

Cheers!

David
 
Most high volume shooters use the bottom barrel as much as possible, the concept is that it reduces muzzle flip, and stress on the locking lug. As far as chokes, IC in the bottom barrel, mod in the top. No I dont change chokes through the season, I just shoot through the foliage early in the season. Oh, and I dont ground swat...
 
Under barrel first because the recoil is more manageable (lower relative to the bore axis), which means a quicker follow-up shot on clay Doubles.

I also use a more open choke on the lower barrel (IC) and a tighter choke up top (M) because your second shot is typically further away.
 
Bottom barrel first for all the reasons stated by the others.
I chose the choke for the hunting conditions, IC in the bottom and Mod in the top to shoot pheasants over pointer dogs since the shots are relatively close and I'll change to mod on the bottom and Full or IM on the top when shooting over flushing dogs or hunting sharptails since the shots can be further out. My rule of thumb is it's better to be over choked than under.
 
Wow, hadn't thought about that aspect (recoil for 2nd shot). Great thing I checked with CGN.

I doubt I'll have time to pattern the Stevens before winter, but I'll keep your comments handy for spring!

David
 
Ditto for shooting the bottom barrel first. Only time that I would put a (slightly) tighter choke on the bottom barrel is when shooting skeet, since I shoot the target going away first. In that case, I put IC or LM on the bottom barrel and skeet on the top barrel.
 
huntingfish said:
Wow, hadn't thought about that aspect (recoil for 2nd shot). Great thing I checked with CGN.

I doubt I'll have time to pattern the Stevens before winter, but I'll keep your comments handy for spring!

David
Click to expand...


Firing the bottom barrel first is not to reduce recoil but to minimize muzzle lift or flip in order to acquire the second target quicker. The bottom barrel recoils the same as the top barrel but the line of thrust of the bottom barrel is more centered on the shooters shoulder as opposed to the top barrel which is higher and tends to climb a bit during recoil. Some well designed guns will have almost imperceptible muzzle rise even on the top barrel but others may jump quite a bit.
 
Falconflyer said:
Firing the bottom barrel first is not to reduce recoil but to minimize muzzle lift or flip in order to acquire the second target quicker. The bottom barrel recoils the same as the top barrel but the line of thrust of the bottom barrel is more centered on the shooters shoulder as opposed to the top barrel which is higher and tends to climb a bit during recoil. Some well designed guns will have almost imperceptible muzzle rise even on the top barrel but others may jump quite a bit.
Click to expand...

Of course, my bad.

David
 
on my dad clasic Franchi the first trigger is the bottom barrel (modified) and the second trigger is the top barrel (full) nice and simple all game shot over 53 years still dead
 
I had always shot the bottom barrel first just because and still do when possible however I am a little skeptical of the science behind it. The lower barrel should be slightly angled up producing equal if not more muzzle jump. I always thought it was because the lower barrel shot slightly higher which would be ideal for a flushing bird and the top barrel more in line as the bird leveled off; this theory too proved unrealistic on the pattern board. I had never considered the wear as mentioned earlier.

I was browsing a local classified and spotted a BL4 Beretta that looked like a good deal. It has 28 inch barrels and came factory choked full over modified. Someone had honed the top barrel to what appears to be IMP CLY but it was in excellent condition and for $1000 I thought I would give it a try. It patterns very nice and after a couple of hunting seasons and some casual clays I have never noticed a difference firing the top barrel first. In fact, my hunting partner had mentioned how I had often fired a warning shot at a fast flushing pheasant but never with this particular gun. I just figured it was how consistently it comes to shoulder.
 
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