I have some Browning over and under doubles with both standard pistol grip and english straight stocks. One side by side with the straight stock. Most shooters I talk to frown on the english straight stock and I don't understand why. I know it's personal preference but I like the english style, any thoughts?

My first Husqvarna double had a straight stock. When the guy at IAR (I think it was - in San Juan Capistrano, anyway) was describing it to me, that was almost a deal breaker, but he says, "Your rifle has a straight stock, don't it?" Hmmm. Good point. So I bought it. I now have seven Husky doubles, six of 'em with English stocks. I like 'em.

I don't know if I'd like 'em with a pump or auto, though. But they just "fit" with a nice SxS.

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I always take precautions

It is really a personal like or dis-like, though it gets argued to death which is the better of the two for the shooter.

For me, other than on a SxS shotgun, I don't care for a straight grip stock.
But SxS's with pistol grip stocks are fine for me too.
An O/U doesn't feel right to me with a straight grip,,better with a pistol grip, though an open one.

I know from experience if you're selling a high grade SxS shotgun,,especially a small bore,,the straight grip will outsell the pistol grip stocked gun all day long.
But even that doesn't make it necessarily better for the user.

Marketing has done a good job of convincing shooters that they need a special something for every shooting situation and clay game.

I have a Remington Special Field in 20 guage which is my first choice when pursuing "Gentleman Bob".
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

I also had a Remington Special Field 20ga years ago. That was a real fast gun on woodcock and partridge I think it was the beginning of my affection to English stock guns.

we have both and enjoy the differences in each..
i get the "blah-blah this..blah-blah that" from those that see either and all i tell them is "buy what YOU like...thats what we do"
it normally ends the conversion

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is it just me?

I really like the looks of the English stocked shotguns, so I read up on these. Some articles stated the pistol gripped shotguns allow for better repeatablilty of where you grab the piece. Made sense, but I still like the looks of those English stocks. Handle one at your LGS. Some people think it bends the wrist in the wrong place. It's all a matter of personal preference; I have two pistol gripped O/Us because they feel better to me, even though I still like the looks of the English style.

I have both, the English stocks are preferred for fast and lite hunting as quail and rabbit. The pistol grips are on the target 0/U for sporting clays, trap, and skeet.

A proper shotgun for a gentleman is a SXS with a straight hand stock, double triggers, a splinter fore end, and ejectors. Larry

I thought everybody had one....This'n could be your'n





Su Amigo,
Dave

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

When all the dust settles, it really comes down to which one you prefer.

In the USA I would thing that the vast majority are pistol grip type stocks, and that in Europe straight stocks are the popular choice. That is why people here might give you a bit of static on the straight stock issue.

Personally I like the traditional pistol grip stocked guns, but that is because it's what I am used to and grew up with. The only straight stocked long guns I own are a half dozen Marlin lever rifles and a Winchester .22LR Pump. Go with your gut.

Chief38

I think that Straight Stock doubles are the most lively and faster on the wing. Both my AYA and Bernadelli Roma are straight stocked guns with metric length barrels of around 27".

However if one is shooting alot, or heavier loads such as shugs or buckshot, you will appreciate the value of the pistol grip in controlling recoil.

Drew

My old man has a english stoked Sauer in 24 gauge. I know it´s gauge not used in the USA but here in Brazil it´s fairly common.I happen to like it.
Regards, Ray

It is my understanding that the origination of the straight grip stock was to accommodate double triggers better, let you slide your hand back and forth to reach the triggers. With single trigger guns, SxS or O/U yu don't need to move your hand. That being said, it is mostly a personal preference thing. I grew up with single selective triggers, so I like a pistol grip, actually the Prince of Whales style which is available on some Brownings.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

adjustable everything,butt,comb, rib height, length of reach for the trigger. in other words, a modern day trap gun. perazzi of course

My Browning BT99+ has all those adjustments, inc. rib height & position.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Finally someone who gets the correct answer.

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Forum consigliere

I believe Sebago Son summed it up quite well he stated what I had always thought. Jeff

I hate to disagree with the good counselor and Mr. Richard here, who both know much more about most things gun than I do, but that's hogwash, an old wive's tale.

I've shot straight hand double trigger guns for years, and never once during that time have I slid my hand around to make the rear trigger. That's thousands of targets and more birds than I care to admit.

The index finger merely slides off the front trigger onto the back trigger. Very fast and efficient. Changing the grip on the gun while shooting would be anathema to good form and effective shooting. I can't even imagine trying to do it!

The straight grip gun as others have indicated is better suited for fast, very instinctive shooting, for the lack of a better term "snap" shooting. The small, straight grip, which puts the rear hand at something of a less comfortable angle than a pistol grip, helps to prevent a death grip with the rear hand and forces the leading hand to take the dominant role in the mount and swing--the forward hand is what drives the gun, points it, and kills birds. The straight grip also lines the two hands more along the same plane as the barrels.

Target shooting, and some forms of pass shooting, are more a deliberate, precision game, particularly in the US where most shooters premount. Look at the exaggerated rakes on the pistol grips of dedicated skeet, SC, and especially trap guns. The pistol grip is much better suited for this kind of shooting. Like others have said it also helps tame recoil to a degree.

When I shoot my SxS at skeet or SC, my score actually goes down when I pre-mount--when I shoot my over/under or my Beretta autoloader with pistol grips the score goes up when pre-mounted.

The late writer Michael McIntosh devotes a chapter in one of his books to the different grips and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Reading it confirmed why for years I preferred my straight gripped guns for the kind of bird shooting I mostly do (grouse and woodcock). Sebago Son got it exactly right.

A lot of good responses but I think Cooter Brown nailed it.

That is correct...the straight stock allows for better or easier or maybe "more effective" is the best way to say it, control of the double triggers. Which of course really amounts to instant choke selection. That's what it was originally done for on double shotguns, but as mentioned above it gets down to what you like. I am no expert on shooting shotguns, but I have helped alot of guys shoot better and it is funny how many shooters think they need something like a straight stock for other reasons than what it was really done for. Usually somebody would have jumped in by now and reminded us all that lever action rifles generally dont have double triggers but many do have a straight stock.

H Richard, you are absolutely correct. I was always told the straight stock is only practical on guns with double triggers and is made that way so your trigger hand can easily slide down the stock to reach the second trigger. The pistol grip otherwise is more comfortable and practical where a single trigger is used.
Stonecove

All my shotguns have stocks with pistol grips.
I have handled the same model of shotgun with each type and the
pistol grip always felt better to me.

Of the English style stocks the ones on the Remington "Special Field"
guns felt best to me. I haven't owned one, however.

I have plenty of both, but I prefer the straight grip.

Here's why.

The double triggers/straight grip debate seems to have some merit, and perhaps it is so, but I have never felt it necessary to change hand position on the wrist to accommodate either trigger. I can work 'em both just fine whether pistol or straight grip.

What I do find to be the difference is that a straight grip seems to put more emphasis on shooting the shotgun from the forend hold rather than a grip controlled hold, as it is right and so should be for an upland gun.

Pistol grips seem to have become favored among American shooters when the concept of heavy loads for pass shooting waterfowl came into vogue in the early part of the 20th century, particularly among market hunters. Most of those guns had double triggers too, so little issue there with the DT/straight hold theory falls apart somewhat. But the pistol grip seems to provide a firmer plant on the shoulder when shooting heavy loads and established a better controlled swing for long range pass shooting. Maybe even gives you better control of the gun when holding handling it for reloads. Who knows?

I do observe that my Rem Special Field 20 with straight grip is great when poke shooting in the upland thick stuff, but I can't hit squat with it when pass shooting. It comes up fast. The standard model with a pistol grip works much better (longer barrel issues aside) for pass shooting when you have more time to think about it.

I like upland shooting. My Ruger Gold Label with straight grip is a great upland gun, longer barrels and all. Really great. So is the little Browning BSS 20. But for waterfowling or pass shooting doves after opening day, I prefer a pistol grip. I have an old Elsie Featherweight 12 with 30" tubes, pistol grip, choked full and fuller. I couldn't fathom why a FW would be configured with those barrels. The next weekend after season opener has always resolved that mystery many times.

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" I said, good DAY! "

I'll add one more personal observation on straight vs pistol grip...

One of my old girlfriends got a Rem Special Field 12 but the stock was too long. So rather than cut a perfectly good straight stock, I bought a pistol grip one and had it cut down for her. It worked great she liked it.

Fast forward a few years and I got this brilliant idea to put the straight stock on a standard gun to shoot at sporting clays. If you have ever tried a Special Field on a clays range with a lot of long crossers, you know that has a good chance of being a frustrating day, especially with that short barrel! But figuring the longer barrel would help with swing and follow through, and I really preferred straight grip anyway, it seemed like a good idea at the time. It was not, at least for me.

Maybe I didn't give it enough time, but I found that I often shot high because of the higher wrist position, plus had a bad tendency to get too far out in front. I went back to the pistol grip and did fine. Or fine enough. I don't like those barrel deficient guns on the clays range much anyway. There should be at least two barrels, one nested snugly alongside the other in a horizontal plane instead of those aphasic ones. But two barrels nonetheless.

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" I said, good DAY! "

I too like the straight English stocks, I seem to twist the gun with the pistol grip stocks on quick shots causing me to miss. My scores playing clay games are much better with English stocks.

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Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

Choice of stock also depends on shooting style -- I have auto's and O/U's in straight English stocks which I like if shooting quail, woodcock or rail. I mostly prefer Prince of Wales stocked O/U's -- if waiting in a dove field in between flights, the butt rests nicely on your thigh/hip area, while your hand holds the round grip provided by the Prince of Wales stock, muzzle skyward -- and a most comfortable grip when shouldering and shooting.

I believe the straight stock, double trigger design theory may have looked good on paper but not in real world use.
I shot dozens of ducks and pheasants with a Fox Sterlingworth 16 ga double trigger gun with a pistol grip stock and never slid my hand back with that gun.