As long as you don't miss it's only 6 shots for 6 ducks here in Ontario. That's not much shooting lol
However I know guys that could use a belt fed 12ga and still come home empty handed lol
What is everyones thoughts 12 Gauge Double Barrels
- Thread starter FreeFreddy
- Start date
As long as you don't miss it's only 6 shots for 6 ducks here in Ontario. That's not much shooting lol
However I know guys that could use a belt fed 12ga and still come home empty handed lol
sillymike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
That would probably explain why I like to fondle the double's...
By nicest gun, though not the best by any means was a nice old Stevens sxs hammer gun, with exc case hardening 24 " barrels. It went everywhere with the dog and I .
The best was a hand built 2 barrel set , full engraved, # 5 wood in fitted case that was a joy to use. that was a OU. these days it would cost as much as a new truck.
a 101 Winchester I liked, and used for yrs , bit clunky. A couple berretta's where nice ,O/U's
But the old $300.oo Stevens hammer gun was the most used .
Had a 20g O/U Ithaca by SKB, that thing was brutal to shoot for some reason, Hated it, so back on the table it went.
The main thing is the shot gun has to feel good and fit you , if it don't price, type don't mean anything.
BTW I am not a good shotgunner, do better with handguns
The best was a hand built 2 barrel set , full engraved, # 5 wood in fitted case that was a joy to use. that was a OU. these days it would cost as much as a new truck.
a 101 Winchester I liked, and used for yrs , bit clunky. A couple berretta's where nice ,O/U's
But the old $300.oo Stevens hammer gun was the most used .
Had a 20g O/U Ithaca by SKB, that thing was brutal to shoot for some reason, Hated it, so back on the table it went.
The main thing is the shot gun has to feel good and fit you , if it don't price, type don't mean anything.
BTW I am not a good shotgunner, do better with handguns
I love double barrel rifles and shotguns. I have a nice sxs right now but one day want to own a nice O/U.
Intersurplus has loads of sxs to look though if you wanted a well build gun for less cost then a used Turkish gun. Merkel sxs's great shape anywhere from 350-500
Intersurplus has loads of sxs to look though if you wanted a well build gun for less cost then a used Turkish gun. Merkel sxs's great shape anywhere from 350-500
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
As always with shotguns, but especially doubles, they have to fit you properly. If you're a relatively "normal" sized person, from say 5'8" to 6'0" then most guns will fit well enough out of the box. Now if you have a longer neck, more sloping shoulders, high or low cheekbones then you may have challenges getting a gun to fit. Sometimes you can make them work well even if they don't fit perfectly. My Superposed 12ga could stand to have more LOP, but if I'm shooting it from a low-gun position I hit pretty well. If I mount it ahead of time I don't shoot it as well. It's a funny thing.
Ultimately, you'll never know until you try any given gun.
Ultimately, you'll never know until you try any given gun.
I can't shoot an O/U or SxS that well, probably because they don't fit me perfectly. I also find them heavy. Well the ones I have and have had are/were. Still have 3 O/U's in 28, 20, and 12 ga. Mainly because they are gorgeous!
Have you ever tried out an old Browning Double Auto! They were made as a 2 shot, single barrelled semi for upland hunting where people that are used to having one barrel are at home with it. They are amazing guns! reloading them is super fast through the loading port on the left side for right handed shooters. I have 3, and adore them, and can shoot them really well. You can find really nice ones for less than $1K with really nice wood!
Something to look into and consider anyway.
Good luck with your search!
Have you ever tried out an old Browning Double Auto! They were made as a 2 shot, single barrelled semi for upland hunting where people that are used to having one barrel are at home with it. They are amazing guns! reloading them is super fast through the loading port on the left side for right handed shooters. I have 3, and adore them, and can shoot them really well. You can find really nice ones for less than $1K with really nice wood!
Something to look into and consider anyway.
Good luck with your search!
Just something about a hammer double that I cannot get away from!
Cat
Lovely picture, and gun.
Shooting a hammer gun is like driving with a stick shift... you get an extra level of involvement through physical interaction. You just don't get the same feeling with a hammerless action. The click of bringing a hammer to full #### is full of anticipation and adrenaline.
What is the appropriate way to use a hammer gun in the field? Many of the older ones I've seen don't have safeties. Wait until the bird flushes and then #### or push with a cocked gun?
What are my thoughts on double barrel guns? I started with SxS about 18 years ago after 25 years of pumps and semi autos. I now have over 20. I have relatively inexpensive SxS, ridiculously expensive SxS and everything in between. They are all fun to hunt with. I try always to hunt using my SxS and a pointing dog, preferably a setter. Vastly improves the experience. Those are my thoughts. 
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
I walk with neither hammer cocked. One or both hammers come back when the dog gets birdy but if an unexpected bird flushes I'll pull the right hammer back as I shoulder the gun.
Hammer guns usually don’t have safeties — the hammer is the safety. Hammer locks are of two types, rebounding (later) and non-rebounding (earlier). With a rebounding lock, you pull once to full ####. With a non-rebounding lock, found on the earliest guns, you have a half-#### position in between at rest and full ####. With non-rebounding locks, you have to put the gun at half #### before loading, and after firing, to keep the firing pins off the primers. My hammer guns are of the non-rebounding type, so I carry the gun at half ####. When a bird flushes, I #### the gun as I bring it to my shoulder (much as when you flick the safety on a hammerless), or, if I sense a bird is near or is about to flush, I #### the hammer. If nothing happens, I go back to half ####. If I had a gun with rebounding locks, the at-rest position is safe, and #### the gun when you’re about to fire. It gets to be second nature.
The Westley Richards in my pics has such smooth hammers that both can be cocked with the thumb without hardly any pressure.
My newer FAIR Iside Vintage has hammer that are a bit harder to #### both at the same time so I only do one at a time.
If I am hunting over the pointers however, the guns usually stay open and hung on my shoulder until the dogs get busy
Cat
Have been caught with my "hammer" down a few times found a trip to the trap field gun down ,cocking as you shoulder the gun was of immense help.It also shows you do have a bit more time than expected ,was surprised with a bit of practice how smooth and fast you can become.Now hitting the birds thats up to you..
I love hunting with hammer guns especially hunting rabbitsView attachment 710981
While I try to hunt with pumps and U/O's a few days every season, for decades the bulk of my hunting has been with sxs's. This makes more sense when I admit that I don't hunt migratory birds. No ethical issues or anything, I just don't like sitting in moist environments and I don't like the taste of wild duck and goose nearly as much as I enjoy grouse and pheasant. Since 2000, I hunted mostly open-hammer doubles. Due to aging hands, these days I favour round action box lock or trigger plate sub-gauges.
However, the action type has no bearing on safe hunting practices. Safeties are definitely an evolutionary improvement in gun design. But, they are what should be considered the first line of defence in an overall defence in depth. Reliance on a mechanical device for your personal safety and the safety of those around you is negligent. The ONLY true safety on any firearm is muzzle control. If your gun is always pointed in a safe direction, there can never be a tragic "accident". Another almost equally important behaviour is proving the gun every time you pick it up, put it down, or pass it to someone else (as in opening the action, confirming that it is or is not loaded, and leaving the action open until hunting again).
Hunting with open hammers or any other type of action, my hunting partners and I all hunt with the action loaded and safeties off. We have never had an unintended discharge in the field. Both of the unintended discharges that I have witnessed in my life occurred when the hunter was fooling with the safety switch. It's much easier to become muzzle-disciplined than most people think. If anyone "sweeps" another member of our group with their barrels, they never hunt with us again.
I apologize if this post sounds preachy. It's not intended to be; only to clarify a confusing topic.
However, the action type has no bearing on safe hunting practices. Safeties are definitely an evolutionary improvement in gun design. But, they are what should be considered the first line of defence in an overall defence in depth. Reliance on a mechanical device for your personal safety and the safety of those around you is negligent. The ONLY true safety on any firearm is muzzle control. If your gun is always pointed in a safe direction, there can never be a tragic "accident". Another almost equally important behaviour is proving the gun every time you pick it up, put it down, or pass it to someone else (as in opening the action, confirming that it is or is not loaded, and leaving the action open until hunting again).
Hunting with open hammers or any other type of action, my hunting partners and I all hunt with the action loaded and safeties off. We have never had an unintended discharge in the field. Both of the unintended discharges that I have witnessed in my life occurred when the hunter was fooling with the safety switch. It's much easier to become muzzle-disciplined than most people think. If anyone "sweeps" another member of our group with their barrels, they never hunt with us again.
I apologize if this post sounds preachy. It's not intended to be; only to clarify a confusing topic.
I preach this at our range until I am blue in the face sometimes!
Classic, guy talking to another guy one the line, he has his gun over his shoulder , bolt closed, with the muzzle pointed into the parking lot!
Or the guy walking back to the rack from the line holding his lever gun right at the muzzle , closed and right under his head - when told to open the gun, a live 45/70 popped out!
or the guy who only fires the one shot on low 7 because he didn't realize that he had a high house bird as well, and proceeds off the plate with the closed semi, gun horizontal
Cat
