Any Double Barrel Fans?

[retiredbosn]

Let me start by stating that a double barrel gun has its barrels aligned horizontally NOT an O/U alignment.

A double is truly my favorite firearm and many are works of art. I can appreciate just about any double from a Stevens 311 up to a Purdey best. Huge price difference though. Acquiring a Purdey is far beyond my meager budget with prices starting at $100,000.00 , a minimum of two trips to London and it takes about a year from the start to finish. But the end result is a work of at, and a gun that is made exactly to your dimensions.

Anyway like most people I started with a single shot, graduated to a pump and thought I had arrived when I bought my first semi auto (Remington 1100). I used to shoot sporting clays allot, it was like crack to me. I was ok but never scored a perfect round. Then came the fateful day when browsing a gun show that I picked up an old original A. H. Fox and my addiction started. That gun felt alive, pointed perfectly weighed around six pounds, even the double triggers felt natural. I knew immediately I was in trouble, cost was somewhere around a thousand bucks, 2 and a half times what I paid for my 1100. I couldn't swing that much back then, but was determined to find a gun that fit me, that had two triggers and was a natural extension of me. A few years later and I scored an AYA model four boxlock, one barrel was Skeet and the other modified, I went.50 for 50 first round I shot with the gun.

Are their any other double fans on the board?

[Crestliner2008]

There is just something nostalgic about using a side-by-side for birding. I just "feel" better carrying one afield. And it's pretty easy to get that broad muzzle on target pretty fast too. I now only have a Stoeger Uplander s/s. Decent gun for partridge and woodcock. Use to have a vintage SKB (later under the Ithaca brand) o/u bored skeet 1 & skeet 2 that I used on partridge and woodcock for many, many years. Picked up that jewel in Japan when I was overseas with the Navy. But I gave that fine weapon to my son about 6 years ago. I do love double guns.

[retiredbosn]

There is just something nostalgic about using a side-by-side for birding. I just "feel" better carrying one afield. And it's pretty easy to get that broad muzzle on target pretty fast too. I now only have a Stoeger Uplander s/s. Decent gun for partridge and woodcock. Use to have a vintage SKB (later under the Ithaca brand) o/u bored skeet 1 & skeet 2 that I used on partridge and woodcock for many, many years. Picked up that jewel in Japan when I was overseas with the Navy. But I gave that fine weapon to my son about 6 years ago. I do love double guns.

Before I started bass fishing seriously I bird hunted, now bird to me is partridge (ruffed grouse). I kept setters and pointers, think I've had at least one of each gun dog breed, German shorthairs, wirehairs, my favorite were Ellhew pointers and Ryman setters, I miss the smell of wet leaves, burnt powder, the eager whine of a good dog and the feel of tiredness after chasing that majestic game bird.

[gunsmoke]

Now someone is talking my language. Spend the whole month of Oct in Maine chasing the King, Partridge! Oh yea and woodcock too. This is what I truly live for walking behind a finely honed and trained bird dog. Here's where it gets a little dicey. In my world there ain't but two dogs that exist to do this job. A Setter or a Pointer. End of story. When I say pointer I mean one with a tail! The next part of this equation is a beautiful SxS. In 16 or 28. Love my Parkers and Foxes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[everythingthatswims]

Here is the "wrong" kind of double barrel

[retiredbosn]

Lol, I had O/U's too, but there is just something special about a double or sxs.

[Tim Kelly]

I love my Atkinson SXS and use it for all my "rough shooting", as we call it here. Walking around in thick woodland behind the dogs, spaniels mainly, is the ideal environment for a side by side gun. You can walk with the gun broken without the cartridges falling out. The angle the gun opens to is not as wide as an O/U, which makes it easier to carry and faster to deploy. The weight is less than a similar O/U and with the limited number of shots I'm likely to fire in a day the recoil isn't an issue. Double triggers are very handy too as you can instantly choose the choke barrel or the open barrel when snatching a shot through the trees. I also have a long barreled O/U and a semi auto for other situations, but walking the woods with the dogs, no contest.

 

 

[crazyjoeclemens]

I do love a good old-fashioned side by side.  Nothing better for chasing some rabbits around.

[Khan of the Res]

I love my Atkinson SXS and use it for all my "rough shooting", as we call it here. Walking around in thick woodland behind the dogs, spaniels mainly, is the ideal environment for a side by side gun. You can walk with the gun broken without the cartridges falling out. The angle the gun opens to is not as wide as an O/U, which makes it easier to carry and faster to deploy. The weight is less than a similar O/U and with the limited number of shots I'm likely to fire in a day the recoil isn't an issue. Double triggers are very handy too as you can instantly choose the choke barrel or the open barrel when snatching a shot through the trees. I also have a long barreled O/U and a semi auto for other situations, but walking the woods with the dogs, no contest.

 

 

i didn't know you were allowed to have semi autos in the UK.

[Tim Kelly]

You can have a 3 shot semi on a shotgun certificate. If you want a bigger magazine you need to apply for it on a firearms licence, which has a far stricter level of control and you need to be able to demonstrate why you need one, rather than the police effectively needing to say why you shouldn't have a shotgun certificate. Two different levels of gun ownership. All rim and centre fire rifles, airguns over a certain power and large capacity shotguns or slug firing shotguns are on firearms licences.

[retiredbosn]

I love my Atkinson SXS and use it for all my "rough shooting", as we call it here. Walking around in thick woodland behind the dogs, spaniels mainly, is the ideal environment for a side by side gun. You can walk with the gun broken without the cartridges falling out. The angle the gun opens to is not as wide as an O/U, which makes it easier to carry and faster to deploy. The weight is less than a similar O/U and with the limited number of shots I'm likely to fire in a day the recoil isn't an issue. Double triggers are very handy too as you can instantly choose the choke barrel or the open barrel when snatching a shot through the trees. I also have a long barreled O/U and a semi auto for other situations, but walking the woods with the dogs, no contest.

 

 

That's one great looking springer! I lost my last one two years ago. She was such an awesome dog, of course I'm a bit biased, she only lost one cripple in 10 years, and only because there was a non dog hunter and rushed in stomping around allowing the rooster to escape

[Tim Kelly]

They're good fun to have around. He really likes going fishing too. Took a long time to warm to him after my previous spaniel who was much easier, but I wouldn't be without him now.

 

 

[retiredbosn]

Maddie, my springer loved going out on the boat. Only problem you couldn't fish top water with her in the boat, she lived to try to retrieve a buzzbait!

[Tim Kelly]

I know that feeling!

[Khan of the Res]

You can have a 3 shot semi on a shotgun certificate. If you want a bigger magazine you need to apply for it on a firearms licence, which has a far stricter level of control and you need to be able to demonstrate why you need one, rather than the police effectively needing to say why you shouldn't have a shotgun certificate. Two different levels of gun ownership. All rim and centre fire rifles, airguns over a certain power and large capacity shotguns or slug firing shotguns are on firearms licences.

You need an AR-15 and a 10 gallon hat like us simple Yanks

[scyounggun]

I love a SxS.  Me and my dad both prefer them for the quail and woodcock hunting we do.  Those are some nice looking dogs.  We have 2 llewellin setters and will be getting another puppy before long.

[retiredbosn]

I love a SxS. Me and my dad both prefer them for the quail and woodcock hunting we do. Those are some nice looking dogs. We have 2 llewellin setters and will be getting another puppy before long.

You're not that far from me, are you still finding wild quail? I've not done any hunting since moving back here. Everyone says that finding wild coveys is next to impossible.

[scyounggun]

We still find some wild quail every now and then.  We actually did pretty well this year when we got to go.  We found 2 coveys in a day a couple of different times this year.  Well have to try to get together sometime.  My dad doesn't get to fish with me much as his business gets very busy, but im trying to get him to go some more this year.

[Topwaterspook]

I watched a special on TV about Holland and Holland. The craftsmanship is simply amazing. Each firearm is hand fitted. Therefore, parts are not interchangeable between the very same models. Their "field grade" double barrels start at 50,000 pounds with about a two year waiting list. It was a treat seeing that quality is still a virtue in their manufacturing. I wish I could remember the name of the show. It was worth watching.

[retiredbosn]

I watched a special on TV about Holland and Holland. The craftsmanship is simply amazing. Each firearm is hand fitted. Therefore, parts are not interchangeable between the very same models. Their "field grade" double barrels start at 50,000 pounds with about a two year waiting list. It was a treat seeing that quality is still a virtue in their manufacturing. I wish I could remember the name of the show. It was worth watching.

I know "How Its Made" did a show on doubles, its a interesting process for sure. The Basque region in Spain turns out some nice guns too, have to do your research though.

[Dogmatic]

I miss my Ithaca 28 ga., was my first gun, given to me by my grandmother. As stupid kids do, I sold it so I could get a "real gun", 12 ga.1100. I've been hunting for a replacement for a few years, but it's hard to find a nice sxs, in something other than 12 ga. for a reasonable price. I found a 16 ga., but had my wife in tow("what do you need another gun for?"), by the time I returned, it was gone. In reality, I rarely hunt upland anymore, spend the majority of my time chasing honkers and the occasional duck.

[MDBowHunter]

[RoLo]

My favorite shotgun is my Remington semi-automatic, but there's great nostalgia attached

to my side-by-side and over-&-under scatterguns. With respect to wingshooting,

I've used them for pheasant, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, woodcock & waterfowl.

 

Roger

[Jeff H]

I like shotguns of all types!  Auto's are probably my favorite and 20 is my favorite gauge followed by the 16.  Only SxS I have right now is 16ga.