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Author Topic: Looking at buying a double barrel  (Read 1288 times)

Offline DenmanShooter

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Looking at buying a double barrel
« on: February 18, 2015, 08:31:20 PM »
So my wife misses her old double 20 gauge.  It was old and dangerous and I sold it to a collector a couple years ago.

Looking into whether I should get her a side by side or a over/under.

The old one was side by side with double triggers.  Every time you fired it on the rear trigger the front trigger would bite your finger. Many times with a bloody finger and it becomes not fun anymore.

I found the Stoeger Coach gun and the Stoeger over/under are about the same price and would fit the bill.  The coach has the double trigger and the over/under single trigger.  I always have preferred pump guns over doubles.  The wife likes the doubles.

What are the advantages of one over the other?

Is anyone familiar?

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Offline ILoveCats

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2015, 08:49:53 PM »
FYI, the Lincoln Scheels store has had some Franchi "instinct" shotguns on sale lately. They're on an end cap over by the gun safes.  The "SL" ones with the alloy receiver are some of the lightest shotguns I've ever handled. They're in 12 and 20 gauges.  Worth checking out. 

I've owned a Franchi before and it was OK. Cheaper than Beretta, better than Stoeger.  YMMV. 

Some on the Internet claim that CZ has some of the best value double guns out there nowadays.  Never handled one myself.
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Offline Mudinyeri

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2015, 10:04:50 AM »
My Stoeger Coach always goes bang but the craftsmanship is average at best.  Is an automatic ejector important to your wife? 
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Offline mott555

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2015, 10:59:08 AM »
I don't know about Stoegers, but I have a Savage side-by-side 12-gauge with two triggers and I've never been bit by the other trigger.

Side-by-sides tend to be a little more reliable because they have completely separate trigger mechanisms, if one breaks or fails you still have the other. Most have different chokes on each barrel so you also have the choice of which choke to fire first. And you can fire both barrels at once if you really want to.

Over-unders are a little easier to operate because you don't have to remember to switch triggers, but the mechanism is slightly more complicated and you can't choose which barrel to fire first.

And I'm not sure if this is generally true, but the over-unders I've operated had ejectors which completely eject the spent shells, but my side-by-side does not and I have to pull them out by hand, so the O/U was quicker to reload.
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Offline tstuart34

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2015, 01:28:33 PM »
Stoeger, Franchi, and Benelli are one gun loving family. They are your Chevy, GMC, Cadillac of cars. I have been following Stoeger auto loaders closely since its on my purchase list.

I know that Stoeger has alot of mixed reviews out and about but they are doing a lot of changes to try and fix issues that they have had in the past. And so far the improvements are turning there guns into reliable lower cost guns.
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Offline barmandr

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2015, 03:01:26 PM »
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Offline Husker_Fan

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2015, 03:19:14 PM »
I handled some of the CZ's at SHOT and they seem very nice for the money. Between a side by side or O/U, it really depends on how she shoots. I've know cross eye dominant shooter who, for whatever reason, couldn't hit well with a SxS. SxS also tend to be a bit lighter. Stock length (really length of pull) also makes a huge difference.

To figure out what to get, she will want to shoulder and swing a number of guns and see what fits her well.
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Offline 2550sx

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2015, 07:09:51 PM »
i got a stoeger coach side by side for christmas a year ago. single trigger. right out of the box it was firing both barrels on one trigger pull. took that back and opted for a handgun instead....
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Offline gsd

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2015, 08:26:58 PM »
I'm interested in this as well. I think Uncle Dave might be buyin his niece an O/U so she can keep shooting trap. Her dad is being a child and won't let her use the gun anymore.
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Offline DenmanShooter

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2015, 08:28:58 PM »
Quote from: Mudinyeri on February 19, 2015, 10:04:50 AM
Is an automatic ejector important to your wife?

The old 20 didn't have one.  Just popped them out enough you could pull them out easily.  Actually we could do it pretty fast.  So no auto ejecting isn't a priority.


On the rest, I understand what you are saying on the OU vs SS triggers.  I think the best bet is to stay simple and go SS now that I know that bit of info.  I know it's hard to believe an old fart has no experience with OU but that's the way it is. 

I might check out the Franchi models also.  Benelli is out of the price ball park for our needs.  Although I know they make fine guns that would be heirlooms. 

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Offline rudy

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2015, 08:49:53 PM »
Quote from: mott555 on February 19, 2015, 10:59:08 AM
Over-unders are a little easier to operate because you don't have to remember to switch triggers, but the mechanism is slightly more complicated and you can't choose which barrel to fire first.
I am not sure if the comment above is only about Savage shotguns, but all of the Browning Citoris O/Us I have shot (from field grade to lightning editions) had a selector switch to choose which barrel fires first.  I haven't shot any other brands of O/Us, so I don't know what else is out there.
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Offline Husker_Fan

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Re: Looking at buying a double barrel
« Reply #11 on: February 20, 2015, 02:43:19 PM »
You can get either configuration with single or double triggers.
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