Autoloader vs. O/U

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Gasanwu

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Hello,

I'm a complete newbie within the relm of shotgun sport shooting. But just recently I got sucked into trap shooting. First time around I shot using my beretta a302 20ga. And the rest of the guys in the club shot their expensive o/u's. Got a pair of 16/25 on my first try at trap, and was told that I did pretty well for a newbie.

So the question is, why do most people prefer o/u? Because the rest of the people in my club shoot exclusively o/u's. I tried my friend's o/u it was a browning cit... forgot how it was spelled. But I did horrible with it, got maybe 4 out of 25.

So what's the advantage of using a o/u anyway? The gun is so much heavier than an autoloader...
 
The main advantage is when you are shooting doubles. You have the possibility of two choke sizings for the close and far bird. With a semi you only have one choke. The other advantage is (depending on your semi ie: recoil or gas operated) cleanliness. A gas semi-auto can be very dirty which can cause problems. Recoil operated semi's like the benellis can result in more felt recoil. These are the reasons that lots of serious shotgunners get O/U's. The fact you didn't shoot well with your buddies Citori is more likely due to it not fitting you properly then the gun itself. That said, semi's are generally cheaper then O/U's and like you said, they are lighter.


SS
 
Semi's are lighter than OU's?

I think my 870 pump definately weighs more than my Lanber OU.

The real reason of it is : O/U's look f*n mean!! I LOVE EM!! Nothing like having two barrels.

Oh ya....that whole "choke" thing that Sam mentioned is probably true as well....

I don't trap shoot though....just birds
 
I see... but for o/u you have to push a button to switch between upper barrel and lower barrel, doesn't that slow you down? And isn't it harder to aim with the lower barrel, because it it's further from the bead/rib?

I understand that the gas semi-auto can get dirty, surely it can't stop working after just a day of shooting if it's properly maintained after each shooting session...

And another newbie question. Is it possible in doubles to have 2 far birds? If you do wouldn't it be better off with just one choke?
 
That button just controls which barrel fires first. Most O/U have single selective triggers. Pull the trigger once and the first barrel fires, again and the second fires. Which is first is what that button (usually the safety pushed to one side or the other) controls. The second barrel hits to the same point of aim as the first. And shotgunners don't use the beads usually anyway.

As far as the dirty, it really depends on the number of shots your taking and the gun itself. Some are more prone to accumulating gas residue while others are less so.

In doubles, typically you have both come out at once (although you can have report doubles where one comes and the other follows after you shoot). This means that the first bird you shoot at will always be at a different distance then the second. For trap doubles usually you want to have something like modified for the first and full for the second, depending on the distance of the trap house and the presentation.


SS
 
usually O/U will have either 2 triggers to control top or bottom, OR the first trigger pull will fire bottom, pull the trigger again after and it will fire the top... its kinda 'smart'. you don't have to switch after the first shot....

gas systems are fine if you clean, as you have stated, i use an intertia system (Benelli) works quite well for me

usually by the time you shoot and hit the first bird, the second bird will be farther away because of the time it took you to shoot the first one....
 
Gasanwu said:
I see... but for o/u you have to push a button to switch between upper barrel and lower barrel, doesn't that slow you down? And isn't it harder to aim with the lower barrel, because it it's further from the bead/rib?

I understand that the gas semi-auto can get dirty, surely it can't stop working after just a day of shooting if it's properly maintained after each shooting session...

And another newbie question. Is it possible in doubles to have 2 far birds? If you do wouldn't it be better off with just one choke?
Click to expand...

Different OUs work differently...some may have two triggers. Mine has 1 trigger with a selection switch to chose which barrel you want to shoot FIRST. You don't have to switch it after the first shot, it will automatically select the second barrel. So, theoretically, it's faster than a semi.

Also, you can get an OU (or any shotgun for that matter) with interchangeable screw in chokes. If you wanted 2 full chokes...so be it. Personal preference really, pending your application.

If you're looking for a new shotgun, what I suggest is figuring out the application(s), ie : sport shooting or hunting. And then get the gun that fits the app.
There's so many shotguns on the market, you can get whatever suits your purpose.

OU's are definately the ###iest though, in my opinion.
 
I will probably do way more sport shooting than hunting... Damn it... I should've asked before I bought another auto... but it just seemed to be a pretty good deal on the gun... anyway, that's ok I will just stick with my Beretta AL391 Teknys Gold Sporting for now. Improved modified would be a good compromise between modified and full, yes?

Shooting singles to start out anyway.
 
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Gasanwu said:
... So the question is, why do most people prefer o/u? ... So what's the advantage of using a o/u anyway? The gun is so much heavier than an autoloader...
Click to expand...

There are two compelling reasons to prefer an U/O. The first is reliability. There is not an auto made that can keep up to the reliability of an under / over. There are Perazzis that have shot over a million rounds. I have yet to hear of an auto that even comes close.

The second reason is handling. With the weight distribution that is possible with two tubes out front, the smoothness and consistency of swing of an U/O will (over the long haul) permit the shooter to track the target more precisely. You cannot beat a well made double gun for handling.

A heavy gun is an advantage in trap because it absorbs recoil, and smoothes out the swing. Since trap guns are built to shoot high (so the shooter never has to lose sight of the rising target) it is not unusual for someone who has only shot game or skeet guns before to take a few rounds to adapt to it. Once adapted, you can never go back - trap guns are very specialized.

Sharptail
 
I have both and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The o/u as noted above is more reliable and lasts longer. I have owned high mileage over/unders that just kept on ticking. My current o/u is around the 60 thousand round mark and only recently needed a replacement a leaf spring in a trigger. It's was a five minute job and the factory provided a spare parts kit with the gun. Any misfires with this gun are attributable to the ammo.

The semi-auto is less expensive but more prone to feeding issues. Shell strength, maintenance, cleanliness all matter more with a semi-automatic. The semi, particularly the 391, is a lot tougher to clean. The other upside to a semiauto is reduced recoil.

Don't have any regrets that you have a 391 instead of an o/u. They are great guns and I shoot mine just as well as my over/under.
 
FYI, I shoot a Remington 11-87 Sporting Clays and it just fits me right. If I had the scratch I would probably have gotten an O/U but this suits my needs right now and the wife got it for my birthday so I can't complain.


SS
 
44fordy said:
Semi's are lighter than OU's?

I think my 870 pump definately weighs more than my Lanber OU.

The real reason of it is : O/U's look f*n mean!! I LOVE EM!! Nothing like having two barrels.

Oh ya....that whole "choke" thing that Sam mentioned is probably true as well....

I don't trap shoot though....just birds
Click to expand...
O/U arnt mean looking.... now a SXS with a 19" bbr and painted Apache black now thats mean :D
ttyal
Riley
 
Gasanwu said:
I don't know about mean looking my Teknys Gold Sporting is just a beauty that stands out from everything else.
Click to expand...


Nice gun indeed. My club has a wide variety of guns being used. There are 3 guys that have shot with team Canada during there times. 1 uses a Beretta 391 for the recoil reason stated above. The other two use Perazzi combo's and both use release triggers. I like the O/U because it is simple. The only part I don't like about semi's is that they sometimes get "hung up" while shooting. This is a distraction to weak minded trap shooters like myself :p

I think your gun will do just fine.

Jacky
 
death-junky said:
O/U arnt mean looking.... now a SXS with a 19" bbr and painted Apache black now thats mean :D
ttyal
Riley
Click to expand...

Well last time I looked you have to try and shoot the clay from the sky not scare it.
 
My experience is that those with the $3000 Perazzi are not the ones shooting 24's and 25's. Nice guns but you have to have talent as well.

The top trap shooters (singles) at our club own pumps. If you can shoot it, use it. My team uses 2 singles, 1 o/u, 1 semi(Beretta) and my 870 pump. My o/u is a safe queen since I shoot the 870 best.

You need a 12 ga that you are comfortable with.
 
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Sharptail is correct and there is certain trapshooting "etiquette" at most clubs which frowns on ejecting shells on the guy next to you's boots. Most auto guys have a shell catcher for singles.
Autos are much softer to shoot for prolonged periods too, so there are pros and cons for either.
My trap gun is and OU and 99% of the shots have been bottom barrel through IM choke so a single barrel auto isnt much of a disadvantage IMO.
 
The only thing I hate more than missing a bird is picking up hulls after a round of skeet.

The only time I use my auto's is equiped with a shell catcher standing on the trap line shooting singles.
 
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