The Double Barreled Shotgun is a True Classic
Why the Two-Barrel is the Ideal Scattergun for the Hunter
Mar 27, 2009
A quick tour of most gun ranges and hunt camps across North America, however, shows that repeating shotguns are far more popular.
For sportsmen who can afford only one shotgun, a repeater often makes more sense. This hunter will likely use his shotgun for everything, from grouse and woodcock to waterfowl and turkey and perhaps even deer in a shotgun-only season.
A repeater definitely shoots slugs more accurately than a double gun, and the hunter has the option of using a scope-sighted, rifled barrel, which is not possible with a double.
Best For Wing Shooting
When using a shotgun for its original purpose - shooting small, moving targets - the virtues of a double gun really shine.
Steve Cooke, in the July 2002 issue of Ontario Out Of Doors called double guns “lightweight, wispy things, which respond to your thoughts automatically. That's why the classic shotgun for [wing shooting] is a double barrel, rather than an auto-loader or pump.”
In competitive trap and skeet shooting, double guns (particularly over/under) are used almost exclusively. These shooters are serious about busting every clay pigeon and know that a well-fitted, fast double gun helps them achieve that goal.
Two barrels means the shooter can use two degrees of choke; an open choke for the first shot and a tighter choke for the second. Because there’s no need to cycle the mechanism, a double gun shooter can invariably get his two shots off faster than a repeater, without breaking his concentration. This is a great benefit when shooting double targets in skeet or a “true pair” in sporting clays.
Twin Barrels Are Better
Many shooters feel handicapped with only two shots. But seldom does a shooter get more than two shots at flying game. Two missed shots and the duck, pheasant or quail will be in the next area code before a third can be fired.
Federal waterfowling regulations in North America limit shotgun magazines to three shells, and many jurisdictions require this for all game. A two-shot gun isn't all that far behind.
All in all, the double gun is faster, almost impervious to mechanical failure and much handsomer than a repeater. So why isn’t everybody toting a two-barrel piece? Cost is probably the biggest reason. Even the moderately priced over/unders from Ruger, Winchester and Browning are triple the price of a repeater. Side by sides or the high grade European guns cost more than a down payment on a new Ferrari.
The barrels of a double gun must “regulated” or joined in such a way that the barrels converge towards the muzzle. Barrel regulation is a labor-intensive process that drives the cost of the gun up tremendously. If it isn’t done properly, the shot patterns from each barrel will fly off in two directions, so a good repeater is definitely better than a cheap double.
On the flip side, while a good double gun is more expensive, how many years will you spend hunting and shooting? A quality double shotgun will last years and becomes an heirloom to be passed down through a family.
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