Using the barrel selector on a double barrel shotgun?

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Farmer17

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Just came back from a great 3 day weekend bird hunting in Kansas. We shot pheasant, quail, and turkeys and we hunted all day long until after dark, then cleaned the game and went out for a big dinner. This is a very fun event that has gone on for several years and there is usually about a dozen hunters in our group and a couple dogs and I can't hardly sleep the night before the trip because I get so excited! I usually carry a 12 gauge pump but since I'm getting older and all that walking through heavy brush, I switched to a lightweight, 20 gauge side by side (single trigger) this year. I used #7-1/2 shot heavy dove loads in the first barrel with an improved cylinder choke and 3 inch #4 shot in an improved/modified choke in the second barrel. We usually don't jump up turkeys until we go to a creek late in the afternoon so it's just pheasant and quail most of the day. I had great success and shot a lot faster than with my Mossberg pump on quail but there were many single, long shots and I was having trouble switching to the tight choke fast enough when the long range birds flushed. It kinda made me wish I had a double trigger gun, but I was wondering from you guys who shoot double barrels, when you have a single long shot do you switch the safety/ barrel selector to the tight choke or just flip it off safe and fire two quick shots?
 
I have several double trigger s/s and one o/u double with two triggers, as a whole the single trigger is much more natural for me. The double trigger guns are more hard to get used to with practice you can do very well with them. My first s/s was a double trigger and I had thought that the index finger went on the front trigger and the middle finger went on the rear trigger I can tell you from experience this is a foolish thing to do I thought I would have instant selection of barrels the only trouble is that both barrels seem to fire at the same time on with a twelve gauge you get pretty good kick. Maybe you can borrow a double trigger from a friend and try it. I have found that with the barrel selector on the saftey they can sometimes hang and you will miss a shot. Good luck! Jeff
 
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You have just discovered one of the principal reasons double triggers have recently come back into vogue. I suppose if you hunt enough switching with a single trigger becomes second nature. However many of us have to stop and think about it and by that time the shot is long gone.
Jim
 
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The idea of switching barrels with a single trigger is a an example of hope triumphing over experience.

Almost impossible to accomplish in the split second available on a flush.

Double triggers are the solution.

I long ago got rid of my last single trigger sxs.

I usually hunt upland birds with a Parker or LC Smith - all double triggers.

Double triggers give you instant selection, although it's very rare that barrel selection is much of an issue in the field.

Single trigger guns can also be fragile and hard to repair.
 
Rpg said:
The idea of switching barrels with a single trigger is a an example of hope triumphing over experience.

Almost impossible to accomplish in the split second available on a flush.

Double triggers are the solution.

I long ago got rid of my last single trigger sxs.

I usually hunt upland birds with a Parker or LC Smith - all double triggers.

Double triggers give you instant selection, although it's very rare that barrel selection is much of an issue in the field.

Single trigger guns can also be fragile and hard to repair.
Click to expand...

I'm a classic double trigger man myself. Parkers, L.C. Smiths and Fox Sterlingworth. I forget where I read this but a man with a Scottish accent commented on someone who "strrrummed the trrriggers like a harp." Trigger selection never seemed to be a problem even in waterfowl hunting. Shoot the open barrel first and the tight one as they sped away.
 
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Double triggers are better for hunting. I had a double-trigger 12 Ga Antonio Zoli O/U that was my favorite hunting gun, mainly because of the double triggers. As I no longer hunt, I sold it a couple of years ago. I still have a 12 Ga Citori O/U with a switchable single trigger, but as I always used it mainly with IC tubes in both barrels for Skeet, I didn't need to worry about switching.
 
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I have never hunted with a side by side. I have only bird hunted with Winchester M 12s, Remington M 1100s, Browning O/Us and Beretta O/Us. With a small amount of dry fire before opening day, I never had a problem with either the Browning or the Beretta in rapid selection of the second barrel. I have heard about the practice of dumping the first barrel and then taking careful aim with the second barrel, but I personally never found the need. .....
 
I have hunted with over unders and side by sides a great deal since the early 1980s. All of my two tubers are single trigger. I hunt pheasant, quall, doves, and some waterfowl.
I can easily count on one hand the number of times that I have switched barrels on a bird flush. I just fire away with the first barrel and follow with the second barrel, if needed.
 
I am lost with a single trigger, hunt to many guns and most of
them are older classic SXSs/ DTs. The newer guns I usually don't
have around long enough to get use to them. I have one Spanish
made Single/Selective, that is no problem. I bought it with a
bulged barrel. Sawed off to 20", it are my official grouser. Don't
make a difference which barrel goes first. Works well on rabbits
too.
 
Most older SxS's have a selector that's in a position somewhere around the bottom of the trigger plate that's as handy as a pitchfork in a snowstorm.
Even the topside safety mounted selector can be a pain to manipulate quickly for most people and goes unused in the field for quick decision shots.
Single triggers are all the fad on most modern made guns especially O/U's, so a single selective system is usually what you get.

I simply prefer a double trigger and always have. Just as fast as a single trigger. I've never understood the supposed confusion and slowed response related to the use of twin triggers.
Simple, easy to use, no problems.
I've made quite a living fixing single trigger units on other peoples guns though!

The only 3 SxS's I can recall that I've ever owned that had single triggers,,and I've had a lot of SxS's,,were an Ithaca 16ga Grade3E NID, A Lefever (Ithaca) A Grade Nitro Special 12ga, and one I still have another Lefever A Grade Skeet Special 20ga.
All these are/were Single NON selective units. Very simple mechanically.
Perfect for the 20ga Skeet as both bbls are Skeet choked anyway,,but I still find myself reaching for that second trigger on occassion,,just habit.
 
I really prefer 2 triggers on a SXS for hunting. The club releases pheasants and it's a good combo for hunting them. Just recently came into a Beretta Onyx 626 cheap with 26" bbls. and choke tubes. Has a beaver tail and pistol grip with a vent rib. Love all the above features BUT it has 1 trigger and ejectors. I can live with the trigger, nice looking gun. Guess I'd just try to shoot fast twice at a bird farther out. Did I mention nice wood also, Larry

PS. I like low brass wth 4 or 5 shot in the IC bbl and high brass 6 or 71/2 in the full bbl.
 
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I shoot Beretta single trigger O/Us and have found there is no way for me to work the selector when game flushes. I never blow the first barrel even if I think it is not enough choke. I have been wrong several times and the first barrel did the trick. My SXSs have double triggers and don't have any trouble going forward or backward on the triggers. Larry
 
I could never keep up with a switch, and I'm not a good enough dove killer that the choke really makes a difference. The only thing a double ever did for me over a three round 870 was save me ammunition . . .
 
All of my O/U's (8) are single select, and all my SxS's (4) are double triggers. I found a day or two of Sporting Clays in the weeks before any SxS event clears the twin trigger cobwebs from my mind! In my opinion, weather changes cause more problems than which trigger system I'm using. As the temperature goes up and down, I wear different vests and jackets, as well as different shirts or sweaters under them. This changes the looseness in the shoulder area and the fit of the butt stock to my body.

Ivan
 
I started bird hunting with a single trigger sxs. Over time I switched to double triggers. Barrel selectors are extremely hard to use if you need a different choke when birds flush. I never had a problem learning to use either trigger. Although choke selectors are useful, as you say, when switching types of cover and birds, but they don't work real well for instant choke selection.

Most of my bird hunting experience has been over a well trained close working dog shooting pheasants. Most of the shots were inside 20 yards. An open choke worked fine (10 points) 90% of the time. On the second bird, if there was one, 20 points of choke was my choice. Ruffed grouse require open all of the time. My grouse gun doesn't have any choke in the first barrel. Quail, chukar and huns, all covey birds, requires instant choke selection and a barrel selector is useless IMHO. Most people are over choked and consequently miss a lot of birds.

Dogs are also part of the equation. You said you only had 2 dogs for a dozen hunters so you're typical shot will require more choke. I'm really not seeing where instant choke selection is going to give you much advantage here. Instant choke selection really shines on a flush over a dog.

Having said all of that, people that hunt upland (covey birds) a lot over a dog prefer a sxs with double triggers. Some people have even discovered double triggers for sporting clays. I just sold a 20 ga LC Smith (DT) to a guy who bought it for SC. Go figure.

Don't listen to anything I just said. I've been accused of being a bird hunting snob more than once. ;)
 
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I really don't hunt, haven't been for quite a few years, but I do shoot skeet. The group I shoot with likes to mix it up from time to time, so the last shoot of the winter league we all shoot SxS's. I shoot O/U's, either Browning or SKB all year, and never slide the barrel switch, but when it comes time for the SxS with double triggers I didn't seem to have any difficulty, even on the doubles.
 
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