Top or Bottom Barrel First?

[S.Deaville]

I have only been shooting for around 3 months but have been shooting top barrel first.

Chokes 1/4 top 1/2 bottom.

Is it better to shoot the lower barrel first as almost eveyone I have seen does?

Cheers

 

[Chard]

I have only been shooting for around 3 months but have been shooting top barrel first.

Chokes 1/4 top 1/2 bottom.

Is it better to shoot the lower barrel first as almost eveyone I have seen does?

Cheers

Depends what you're shooting at and which chokes are in which barrel.

If you're shooting sporting with 1/4 in the top and 1/2 in the bottom and the first target of a pair is an edge-on long range crosser, with the second target a dustbin lid on the end of your barrel, you want bottom barrel first. If the targets are the other way round, you'd need top barrel first.

Some people use the same size choke in both barrels, in which case it wouldn't matter.

 

[ips]

Yes... Less recoil from bottom barrel due to barrel being lower in the shoulder therefore less muzzle flip for second barel target aquisition.

 

[Hawkeye]

Yes... Less recoil from bottom barrel due to barrel being lower in the shoulder therefore less muzzle flip for second barel target aquisition.

Ditto

 

[Jeremy Baker]

Bottom

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Trap - bottom.

 

[jake.keeling]

Always bottom.

 

[teepee1234]

I'm a bottom man myself.

 

[Angelfire]

For reasons all ready stated, lower barrel first.

Phil*

 

[Guerini Guy]

Yup  -  ALWAYS bottom barrel first in Skeet or Trap disciplines, or if equally choked.

For Sporting, and shortly for my first attempt at FITASC, I would always have the more open of the two chokes in the bottom barrel, but of course will of switch over to top or bottom first depending on the sequence of targets being presented on each stand.

Based on the people I shoot with most of the time, that seems to be the most popular format 

 

[woody]

I (attempt) to shoot sporting,  I had a paid for lesson a couple of years ago where the instructor changed my chokes around, and put my tight choke on top, and selected top tube to fire first.  His reasoning was that when the top barrel had the tight choke the recoil was more of a straight line back into the shoulder with less muzzle flip.  I have kept my gun like that, although I do now use the barrel selector depending on the targets.

 

[jake.keeling]

I (attempt) to shoot sporting, I had a paid for lesson a couple of years ago where the instructor changed my chokes around, and put my tight choke on top, and selected top tube to fire first. His reasoning was that when the top barrel had the tight choke the recoil was more of a straight line back into the shoulder with less muzzle flip. I have kept my gun like that, although I do now use the barrel selector depending on the targets.

Hogwash! it's the bottom barrel that does this, look at your gun, muzzle flip is because the center of but pad is lower than barrels, but the bottom barrel is closer, it's a barely noticeable difference in flip between the two but it is Physics.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Hogwash! it's the bottom barrel that does this, look at your gun, muzzle flip is because the center of but pad is lower than barrels, but the bottom barrel is closer, it's a barely noticeable difference in flip between the two but it is Physics.

Agreed.

 

[Chard]

I can understand this miniscule difference in barrel flip being relevant in Trap and DTL, where fast second-barrelling could be affected by muzzle flip, but I think it's complete cobblers in sporting. You're usually having to re-position the gun to some extent to line up for a second and completely different bird, so barrel flip is not going to have much effect.

I would sooner switch barrels depending on the target type at each stand, than be arseing about choke-twiddling constantly between stands. :lol:

And the main reason I prefer to flick the switch is that I find the difference in barrel flip almost indiscernible. I can tell that there is a difference in recoil between top and bottom barrel, because I notice the difference if my barrel selecter switch migrates across on it's own, which it is prone to do but if I'm expecting it, it's not a problem.

 

[Dog Tyred]

Woody

As has been previously said the order of fire depends on the target presentation. You would only shoot the tighter choke first if the first target was further away than the second target of a pair. Obviously with trap disciplines (all going away birds) the more open choke would be fired first,  I think your instructor has a different opinion to most shooters regarding felt recoil/muzzle flip hence why fixed choke guns typically have the more open choke in the bottom barrell (although I believe some Perazzi trap guns have the more open or even single multichoke option in the top barrel although I have yet to see one).

Stick with the tighter choke in the top and select which barrell to fire first based on target presentation (thats why they give you a selectable trigger on most guns (although not all trap guns)).  However there may be times when you have a more open choke in the top barrell because you opted to change the top choke only rather than both for a certain target combination but normally tighter in the top.

DT

 

[jake.keeling]

Yes I agree in Sporting its not really an issue and when I had a gun that I could select, I did. But it's a bit of a distraction and I now have a none selective with same chokes in both.

 

[woody]

I also agree its not really an issue.  Besides I'm 6ft 3 and 17 stones.  Gun don't flip anywhere unless i want it to.

 

[chubby]

Bottom :lol:   Only because i like saying it

 

[Angelfire]

I (attempt) to shoot sporting,  I had a paid for lesson a couple of years ago where the instructor changed my chokes around, and put my tight choke on top, and selected top tube to fire first.  His reasoning was that when the top barrel had the tight choke the recoil was more of a straight line back into the shoulder with less muzzle flip.  I have kept my gun like that, although I do now use the barrel selector depending on the targets.

I think you have been told duff info.

Phil*