Over/Under first

[El Spavo]

Read it before, but bloke today said you should set the switch and shoot the top/over barrel first... but no-one's ever said why, at least that I've seen? Both barrels obviously shoot the same otherwise you would only ever shoot the one, so it doesn't make sense to me. Only thing I know that's even close is my Browning will only fire a single loaded cartridge out the top barrel, but how often does one put just one cartridge in?!

 

[chippy]

If game shooting and you need a quick reload after shooting one cartridge it's easier to load the top barrel. 

 

[El Spavo]

Fair one, but clay?

 

[chippy]

If shooting bottom barrel first Some say less barrel flip but I can never tell any difference. But top barrel I have no idea.

 

[antse7en]

I asked Ben this question once, why a particular barrel over the other (almost everybody says bottom first) expecting a technical answer or some justification as to why it's advantageous (e.g. reduced muzzle flip) but nope. 

"I used to accidentally knock it onto bottom barrel when operating the top lever on my old gun so just left it as it is from then on".  :laugh:

 

[Sian]

I shoot bottom barrel first just habit but I swap if I feel I need to use a tighter choke first as I have a quarter in bottom and half in top.  I can’t say I notice any difference in muzzle flip either.

 

[Hamster]

The muzzle flip is there but is relatively small so you won't notice it when selecting top barrel for choke reasons, you absloutely will notice it if you shoot top barrel first for a few weeks and then suddenly revert back to bottom, this difference will be almost stark then but will in turn be forgotten very quickly, you will also 100% notice it if one measures this using cameras and a tiny bit of science. 

There are several plausible reasons as to why for instance game shooters would choose to shoot top barrel first (easy to load and tighter choke for more distant incomers) or when Trap shooters routinely shoot bottom first, for ESP it matters not a jot, just choose the one that suits the target choke wise but to maintain there is no difference in flip is plain wrong and I will put money on it. 

Important to stress that neither barrel "recoils" less but top barrel will flip more simply because the bottom barrel is more in line with the centre of the stock. It is for this reason that shallow action guns have such a following in clay shooting. 

 

[Paul120]

I"ve read that shooting the bottom barrel stresses the action/ locking bolt less, some guns can in theory be fired with no lock up on the bottom barrel (don't try this at home) as the forces act to keep the gun closed whereas the top opens the gun up.  I feel when I do shoot the top barrel first feels marginally sharper. Shooting lots of singles as in trap or keeping the recoil even if  marginally lower on doubles has to be better.   I'd say top for game as it's marginally quicker to load and you shoot less. Or get a  s x s. 

I guess though in reality  that manufacturers had to pick a barrel with the more open choke and the bottom became the  norm. 

 

[Dan525]

It doesn't matter.

Some top shots shoot bottom first (most I'd say), some shoot top (Ben Husthwaite for example - he discusses that on this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApZBLlkmfak). I think it's like many other things in shooting - it doesn't matter, technically speaking, but mentally if you feel more confidence in your barrel not 'flipping' - then stick with your preference.

 

[Martinj]

I know this is a clay shooting forum but there might be other considerations for Vermin shooters:

For info. - Maj. Archie Coates, (pigeon shooter extraordinaire,) advocated use of the tighter choke first for unaware, incoming pigeons, saving the wider pattern for the second shot when the bird (or it's mate) was taking evasive action.

I can see the sense in this but don't do it myself, he probably would have been using a 1/4 & 1/2 choke side by side.

My theory for what it's worth is to use the open choke for the incomer and the tight choke for more distant, fleeing birds.

 

[MartynB]

I think most of it is  due to practiced habit . Think about it , the first time you fired an over and under shotgun , you probably were under supervision . As a beginner you would have had a single cartridge loaded ,  and  always into the more open choke barrel which is traditionally the bottom one  . This would go on as long as you were learning.  Once this pattern is established in your head , you keep doing it .  

In fact,  I’d go as far as to say I rarely see any of my mates take advantage of the selector on a pair of clays that are crying out for using it .  

 

[Westward]

As I understand it the theory for bottom barrel first is that less flip means faster 2nd target acquisition. I dunno about that; it's all well and good in theory but does it really work out in practice? Almost certainly not IMO.

As an aside, one thing that seems to really reduce muzzle flip is having a properly mounted gun that fits the shooter well. It's interesting that the better shooters as, in AA & AAA rarely, if ever, seem to have as much flip as the rest of the herd.

 

[El Spavo]

The muzzle flip is there but is relatively small so you won't notice it when selecting top barrel for choke reasons, you absloutely will notice it if you shoot top barrel first for a few weeks and then suddenly revert back to bottom, this difference will be almost stark then but will in turn be forgotten very quickly, you will also 100% notice it if one measures this using cameras and a tiny bit of science. 

There are several plausible reasons as to why for instance game shooters would choose to shoot top barrel first (easy to load and tighter choke for more distant incomers) or when Trap shooters routinely shoot bottom first, for ESP it matters not a jot, just choose the one that suits the target choke wise but to maintain there is no difference in flip is plain wrong and I will put money on it.

Well, this is what made me ask after the fella stressed top first: I see pretty much everything with a logical reasoning behind it, so as my Browning is set up 1/2 top, 1/4 bottom, purely cos I have four chokes to choose to fit and that's how I have them cos it's personally easy for me to remember what's in there that way around, and as such I use the top for further targets, the bottom for nearer, and happily flip between the two as needed (regardless of the facts I'm not a good enough shot for it to probably matter, and the difference is so minimal from what I'm reading that it might not even matter too.)

So that's how I roll, and there wasn't any logic to what he was saying, that's all.

 

[Bebo]

Just have the same choke in both barrels and then it doesn't matter a damn.  One less thing to worry about is always good.

 

[westley]

Last weekend there was a Guy who was shooting singles, but giving them both barrels. He missed most with the first barrel, killing them with the second shot.  As he was coming out of the cage, I asked him if he had ever considered shooting the second barrel first  ?  His reply is unprintable...................

 

[ChrisPackham]

Easily solved .. change to sxs

 

[El Spavo]

Just have the same choke in both barrels and then it doesn't matter a damn.  One less thing to worry about is always good.

Yeah, I did say that I have four chokes to choose from cos Brownings come with 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, full, no duplicates so that's not an option unless I buy more and I'm not good enough to see any point in doing that.

 

[Wonko the Sane]

I have bottom first guns and top first guns and I can tell no difference at all.  If they were handed to me randomly I would have no idea which was which until I saw which barrel ejected.  Lucky me being such and insensitive clot  :thumbsup:

 

[westley]

Yeah, I did say that I have four chokes to choose from cos Brownings come with 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, full, no duplicates so that's not an option unless I buy more and I'm not good enough to see any point in doing that.

Look for a used I/C and shoot 2 x I/C or 1/4 choke. IF you sell the gun, stick the spare choke on here and recoup your outlay. Sorted  !