Author Topic: O/U shotguns (Read 1249 times)

Questor · « **on:** August 31, 2009, 05:44:07 AM »

When I was a kid, the Citori had just come on the market and was a sensation. It got me to slavering and drooling for an Over-Under because I thought that was the best thing to have. 30 years later I got one, and 10 years after that I got a second one. They are nice guns, but nothing fancy.

But I see some of these $500 marvels from overseas and wish they had been available long ago. My buddy the clays shooter trades guns a lot as a hobby, so he's always getting rid of something he's had a few months and picking up something new. This has been a boon to me because I get to see some of these guns and handle them. Lately he has been getting the low cost O/Us and lemme tellya, I'm impressed. Some of these things are pretty impressive functionally, even if they aren't the greatest cosmetically.

rockbilly · « **Reply #1 on:** August 31, 2009, 06:28:46 AM »

Questor. After returning from Viet Nam I started playing with Skeet. An old Winchester Model 12 was all I had at the time, busted a lot of birds with it for five-six years. Then I was shipped to Bitburg Germany for a tour, I continued to shoot there and did well enough to make the base team, we traveled all over Europe shooting against other military teams. I now had a complete set of Remington 11-87s, all I could afford at the time. I was in envy of other shooters and their guns, I thought my scores would improve if I acquired a set of the O/U guns. Soon I bought a Three barreled set of Winchester 101s and also bought the .410 to accompany it. Before long I also had a set of Browning’s, a set of Beretta’s and a set of Marocchi’s. All of the guns were nice, but none really helped my scores. Finally I went back to what I started with a set of 11-87s and then to a set of 1100s.

The beautiful thing about the Remington guns, they will shuck anything you put through them, they are easy to maintain, and fairly cheap so if you bang one up a bit its no big deal. They make good dual purpose guns, you can change a barrel out and shoot slugs, or hunt waterfowl if you like.

I still own one complete set of O/U Skeet guns, they have not been out of the safe for near 30 years and will probably stay there until I’m gone. Maybe one of the grandsons will take up Skeet and use them, if not they will likely go in an estate sale someday. My opinion of the O/U, too heavy for lugging in the field, too costly to beat around, but they are pretty to look at.

powderman · « **Reply #2 on:** August 31, 2009, 06:48:22 AM »

The OUS are nice to look at, I'm old fashioned I reckon, love the old SXS dbls. Only way I could shoot an ou would be to turn it sideways, gangstra style. POWDERMAN.

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #3 on:** August 31, 2009, 07:09:02 AM »

If you are an avid clay shooter I would save up a little and get one of the Brownings you have been drooling over, a Ruger, Beretta, or other well made O/U as well as check your local gun shop's used rack. the CZ's come to mind.
If you shoot only a few times a year and just want an O/U for the three trips to the clay range before Dove every year then one of the $500 guns will be fine.
A friend went through three of the cheaper guns once he really started shooting sporting clays and his annual shooting shell count started ot be an afternoon. He also signed up for the Tuesday night league shoots as well as shooting almost every weekend, sometimes twice a weekend. His guns were Stoger and Stoger was good about fixing or replacing the guns. When his thierd frame came back he then put the $ into a Beretta.
Did not want to burst your bubble but you do get what you pay for, and your buddy may be getting rid of them just before they develop problems.
You may want to use some of your buddies gun shop good will and see what kind of a deal you can get from the place he shops.
I brought a friend into my favorite shop and he got a couple discounts I never did and I had at least 30 gun purchased from this shop.

mirage1988 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2009, 07:37:33 AM »

Quote from: powderman on August 31, 2009, 06:48:22 AM

The OUS are nice to look at, I'm old fashioned I reckon, love the old SXS dbls. Only way I could shoot an ou would be to turn it sideways, gangstra style. POWDERMAN.

If God intended for us to shoot O/U's, he would have made our eyes that way!

Questor · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2009, 07:53:40 AM »

I hadn't thought of the durability question. They do seem like a lot of gun for the money as long as you don't shoot them much. My theory on buying stuff is to find the sweet spot where you get a good product at a reasonable price. With O/U's that means $1500 to $2500 today.

I have a Winchester Select trap gun that's very nice, considering the relatively low cost of just over a grand.

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #6 on:** August 31, 2009, 07:53:56 AM »

I used to say that for years when people would ask when I was going to get rid of my SXS and get an O/U.
For a while I had two. But a friends daughter borrowed one, shot a 25 at trap with it and he asked me to sell it to him for her.
So I still have a little Ruger 20 and it works very well and found it on the used shelf.

powderman · « **Reply #7 on:** August 31, 2009, 09:21:41 AM »

Quote from: mirage1988 on August 31, 2009, 07:37:33 AM

Quote from: powderman on August 31, 2009, 06:48:22 AM
The OUS are nice to look at, I'm old fashioned I reckon, love the old SXS dbls. Only way I could shoot an ou would be to turn it sideways, gangstra style. POWDERMAN.

If God intended for us to shoot O/U's, he would have made our eyes that way!

HEH. Good one. POWDERMAN.

Questor · « **Reply #8 on:** August 31, 2009, 09:43:40 AM »

It's all in what you like. When I was looking at doubles, I tried some side by sides and every one I tried seemed awkward to handle, and most of them would have needed re-stocking. I wasn't even considering guns under about $2500, so it's not that I was limiting myself to cheapies. Obviously that's not the popular perception because they are considered so desirable.

Most of the guys I see at the clays range with doubles cannot shoot the guns and it is really obvious that the guns do not fit them. Some of these guys are using relatively low cost guns like the Stoegers, but others have clearly spent some serious change for their guns.

Onr guy that did shoot his well had an extremely large recoil pad with a leather add-on comb, making the gun look like it had a monte carlo. I think it was a Beretta.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #9 on:** August 31, 2009, 12:30:24 PM »

You might want to check Gander Mountain. I just put a deposit on a citori. They're running a special. Originally $1799.00, now $1299.00 plus Browning will reimburse you $150 on ammo you purchase with the gun.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=008B&cat_id=013&type_id=440

Graybeard · « **Reply #10 on:** August 31, 2009, 12:34:13 PM »

That is a good price but I think it's being offered by Browning not just Cabela's. I sure wish I was in a position to buy one now but am not. Since my shoulders are in such bad shape now and need surgery it really would be foolish to buy now anyway.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #11 on:** August 31, 2009, 01:22:58 PM »

Yeah, I bought a remington/spartan a couple of years ago to see if I liked the o/u thing. I really do but can't afford a top end gun. I wanted to upgrade for a while now and I am doing a sidejob with a pretty good cost to profit ratio so I figured since they had this deal going on I'd jump on it.

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #12 on:** August 31, 2009, 01:29:45 PM »

Bill,
Order a 20 ga.
then go have the surgury and while it will hut a little more for a short while it will stop hurting.
and you will have something to look forward to after you heal. While your healing have a recoil reducer installed.

Graybeard · « **Reply #13 on:** August 31, 2009, 06:55:08 PM »

Nope I'll stick with the .410 I believe.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #14 on:** September 01, 2009, 10:21:51 AM »

I just went and paid it off and got 600 rounds of ammo for free.

Well, I'll get reimbursed for it.

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #15 on:** September 01, 2009, 01:01:55 PM »

Now you can go break in the gun, shoot the 600 rounds and come home with a limit of Dove today.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #16 on:** September 01, 2009, 02:15:26 PM »

I got 100 steel dove loads and 500 skeet loads to practice with after I miss those doves.

Graybeard · « **Reply #17 on:** September 01, 2009, 05:57:08 PM »

Why in the world would you use steel on doves? Are you shooting them over water?

mcwoodduck · « **Reply #18 on:** September 02, 2009, 06:02:30 AM »

While Jim is in Ill. Here in the DPRC (Democratic Peoples Repiblik of Calataxu mexafornia)
Where the stupid Condor is you have to use lead free ammo on everything.
the stupid birds will eat lost wheel weights on the side of the road, give themselves lead poinoning and they blame the hunters.
For leaving bullets in the gut piles or allowing wounded small game to get away that the Condors eat.
The Pig hunt in my avitatar was postponed a month due to a lead poisnoned condor that eat a wheel weight. They saw sick condor and assumed bullets and closed all hunting for a month. It's like smoking. If you never smoked and had a heart attack... You would be added to the deaths caused by smoking. Look a conclusion let's all jump!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #19 on:** September 02, 2009, 06:20:21 AM »

SXS's are ok if ya like sighting down an interstate with a peigon toed gun ! weight ? its blance !I find a shorter for bbl length to be easier to tote in the woods .
All but Ruger are imported - its cost you are after and the best advice so far is you get what you pay for . I have had 2 shotguns from Russia and both were not good handlers but did shoot when the trigger was pulled .

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #20 on:** September 02, 2009, 10:01:54 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on September 01, 2009, 05:57:08 PM

Why in the world would you use steel on doves? Are you shooting them over water?

That's the regs here. #6 or smaller steel.

Graybeard · « **Reply #21 on:** September 02, 2009, 11:25:08 AM »

WOW!

Where is "here" again? I can't keep up with where folks are all from. I had no clue anyone but CA had outlawed lead.

GRIMJIM · « **Reply #22 on:** September 02, 2009, 01:57:00 PM »

the great republic of Illinois. I'm not positive but it might be site specific. I've only hunted a couple of areas and they require steel. Not sure if it is statewide.

stevinator · « **Reply #23 on:** September 02, 2009, 05:16:06 PM »

Site specific for now,state land of course.The state is broke and that's how they want us.