[giles]

I just bought a Beretta AL 391 to skeet & trap shoot. Many people at the range had over-unders. Why would people select one rather than the other? I'm new to this sport and any information or insight will be appreciated.

[45auto]

Personal preference mostly I believe depending on the sport.

Autoloaders are softer shooting for the most part and cheaper.
O/U's generally are simpler, more reliable and more expensive.
Difficult to compare balance, stock fit, etc as they all vary and people like a wide variety of those characteristics.

Sometimes it's the little things that decide.
Reload and don't want to pick up your empties- O/U.
Want to shoot everything from ducks, clays and deer with one gun- autoloader.
Like to have two different chokes- O/U
Shoot a lot of small gauge and the 12 is kicking you silly- autoloader.

Sometimes it's just the fact that O/U's are better looking and you can hang one over your shoulder with no hands!!

High scores are shot with both styles so which ever one feels best to you.

Have fun!

[Dave McCracken]

Giles, besides the stuff listed, there's a certain cachet to the O/U that appeals to folks.

However, Bruce Buck, shotgun guru extraordinaire, recommends a gas gun like that 391 (Indeed, he praises 391s to the very skies). His approach for new folks is to shoot a gas gun for a year, then get whatever gun you want for a particular sport.

This gets you past the New Gun Syndrome.

Enjoy that 391,which I like also.

And BA/UU/R until it feels like a body part and not a tool.

[PJR]

More and more o/u shooters are going to semi-autos for reduced recoil and sometimes better handling.

Having owned both, my own preference is breaking guns for targets and sport. While I know safety begins with the shooter I think breaking guns are simpler and as such safer. There is no mistaking when a breaking gun is safe.

I see far too many semi owners carrying their guns by the receiver with the barrel parallel to the ground. In this manner, it is hard to see that the action is open and the barrels frequently cross the legs of other shooters.

In the field, I like to hunt with a sxs and prefer everyone with whom I hunt carries a breaking gun or a pump gun. I like the ability to easily tell from a distance whether the gun is safe or not.

Paul

[Bainx]

Welcome Giles.

O/U is hard to beat in terms of dependability.
I remember once at a shoot, one of my brothers-in-law had a bum rubber gas seal and it ruined his day.
Don't let that happen to you!

Go for the O/U.:D

[InternationalShotgun.com]

On average...

O/Us swing better (IMHO), are easier to clean, are more mechanically reliable, and allow for simultaneous use of two different choke constrictions. On the other hand, they are also more expensive and more punishing in the recoil department.

Semi-autos have, especially in the past few years, made substantial inroads in almost all of the major clay pigeon sports. Ironically (because of the single choke constriction limitation), they have probably made the most inroads into sporting clays.