Over Unders

[fishtrap3]

If you use an O/U what are your likes and dis likes. What O/U's can be had for someone on a tight budget say $500 max. I know they wont be pretty but I am not looking for a show piece I need a work horse..

[gspman]

Pros...

1) Well one of my likes is that you tend to make your shots count a little more since you only have 2 shots. Sometimes with a corn shucker or an auto a person will start banging away because they have 3 or more shots available.

2) You are set up with 2 chokes. Take advantage of that. Shoot the open choke first and the tighter choke second as the bird is now farther away. Also the bottom barrel should have the more open choke in it and be fired first for less muzzle jump for easier follow up on the second shot if needed.

3) If you look around you can find one that will be a little lighter and handle better than most auto's or pumps.

4) They can be a bit safer. Some hunters (not me) will hunt with the gun open until their dog goes on point or starts to get birdy.

4) They look nice.

5) Easy to break down and clean. Having said that, I wouldn't take the trigger housing out on an O/U or SxS unless I really new what I was doing. Since that part is usually always protected from the elements (except for Brownings) you don't need to clean that anyway.

Cons...

1) An O/U can be hard to open in a duck blind as the barrel has to tip down quite a ways before the shells can be extracted or ejected. You may hit the front of the blind with the barrels before the ejection of the shells.

2) If you have a fancy one you may hesitate to take it in the field under certain conditions/circumstances as you don't want to get it dinged up.

3) A good SxS still looks nicer than any O/U. 8^)

4) If not properly regulated, the barrels will not shoot to the same point of impact. Always test both barrels of a 2 barrel gun for point of impact. You may be surprised at how far apart the points of impact can be for some 2 barrel guns.

[Northland Sportsman]

I shoot a pump but would like an O/U too. I have been looking for a while now and the cheapest one I found was a Kahn (?) Not use if the spelling is right. It is a Turkish gun and they also make other models. I asked the sales guy about the quality and he said that they have been performing well and were a good deal for the money - about $300. I would like to know if anyone has any experience with these guns and any comments they have. Thanks!

[WaveWacker]

Baikal (sp?) make a darn nice OU for the money. We have had a couple of them at our PF banquet. I believe it is a Russian gun. Comes up real nice for me.

[Bogsucker]

I've been considering a Stoeger Condor 20 ga.

[NWBuck]

I bought an American Arms O/U several years back because it seemed like the thing to do. Not real expensive...I believe just under $400. It's not the nicest O/U out there, but even having said that, it spends all its' days in my gun case now in favor of my Gold Hunter. In short, whether it was duck hunting, pheasants or quail, I just had one too many times when I was busy loading the thing while shot opportunities surrounded me. I often leave my duck plug in during pheasant season and it is truly amazing how many birds I've killed by having a third shot available quickly. Around here, it's common for that second bird to flush about the time you've shot twice at the first one. I wouldn't sell my O/U cause it's small and light and will be a good gun for my son to start shooting with some day, but I don't use it much anymore. Good luck!!

NWBuck