Why is a SxS hard to shoot?

I think alot of people get distracted by the wide sight plane. And they definately swing different that a single barrel. But I shoot the SXS better than any single.

Its a different sight plane but if you get used to it you will break more clays off of the front because of it.

Other than the fact that it was heavier than expected

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I'd say, hang it BACK on the wall. A slug is a slug is a slug, doesn't matter what kind of shotgun it is.

It's not fair to base your impressions on a gun that feels too heavy right off the bat, IMO.

SXS's are heavy, it's what gives them that nice smooth swing and follow thru.

Interesting.

I never had problems hitting stuff with my 311... (26" IC and Mod). Good thing I didn't know it was supposed to be hard to hit with, I guess.

lpl/nc

There is also the double triger aspect. Some people can use them, some can't. Part of that is what your use to. Then again, some people just can't get it, no matter how much they try.

Not to insult anyone, but the 311 is mostly the AMC Gremlin of SxS's.It's serviceable and it has two barrels, and yes it is overweight.

Shooting a (good) SxS is delightfully easy once a person learns the right mechanics. It just takes some reasearch and/or good coaching to make learning it easy and progress relatively fast. Probably the biggest element is understanding the importance of balance as the SxS is not too forgiving of balance/swing errors and of being horsed around with the arms.
Also, because they are so sensitive to balance, (and grip pressure, et al) they are also sensitive to fit. And that's something many of us in America do not pay enough attention to.
Others have mentioned the sighting plane and it does take some attention because it is very easy to develop the habit of canting the SxS and that can cause misses.

In general, the SxS is a finesse firearm. Are they "better" or "worse" than anything else? - that's entirely subjective. On any given day a shotgun of any given type can be the "best", or the "worst.

I've loved my SxSs but over the years I've noticed that whenever my skill got better - my SxSs were already at that level waiting on me.

it's hard to hit targets with a SxS??????
Dang, I better go get back my O/U's that I can't hit the side of a barn with for my trusty SxS.
It's different than an O/U or a pump, but no better, no worse, just different.

Just gotta practice with 'em.
Tain't the gun, it's the shooter.

"Not to insult anyone, but your go to shotgun is a piece of excrement"

Get real. You don't understand the 311 and it's kin. It wasn't made for some tweed wearing product of generations of incest. It was made for the common man. The guy who worked 18 hours a day and only quit because it was too dark to see. The man who took a break on the weekend to go to church and not much else. The man who planned on taking his vacation in heaven because he'd only have time for one after he'd passed on. They were made stout because that man wasn't just buying that shotgun for himself, but also his children and their children.
A gremlin? Only to those who don't know any better.

Opinions are going to vary widely on whether a SxS is hard to hit with.

Those folks who love the game guns a la British best would vehemently disagree.

I've been able to do a decent job with darn near every SxS I've shot.

A couple, including Mom's farm sale sawed off once redone and a French boxlock, were terrific at finding the right lines on game birds.

Even my Lupara, heavy by SxS standards, did well once lightened.

With a SxS, I do note that most are less than muzzle heavy compared to repeaters or long barreled O/Us, so more attention must be paid to keeping the swing going. Little inertia there to do the job for us.

And that is why few SxS shotguns are found on clays ranges these days.

SXS's are heavy, it's what gives them that nice smooth swing and follow thru.

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What? Most SxSs I've handled are LIGHT and more importantly muzzle light, balance between the hands. That makes 'em quick to the shoulder for flushing game. Depends on the gun, I guess, and I've never handled a really high end side by side. I'm one of those guys the 311 was built for. LOL I picked up a 10 gauge side by side a goose guide I was hunting with hand, once, and WOW, that thing was about 12 lbs. But, consider its function and use. It was a GOOSE gun and a 10 gauge for Christ's sake. But, normally, the SxSs are NOT smooth of swing.

With a SxS, I do note that most are less than muzzle heavy compared to repeaters or lng barreled O/Us, so more attention must be paid to keeping the swing going. Little inertia there to do the job for us.

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Exactly and this is the down side of the "between the hands" balance, requires a lot of concentration to swing the gun smoothly, at least when you're getting used to it. I've found in the duck marsh that hunting with a pump one day and going out with a side by side the next can really mess you up if you don't realize this. This is how I learned this particular fact about side by sides. "Dangit, I used to hit everything I shot at with this damned thing. What's wrong with it?" LOL

This might be the reason the guy thought it was hard to shoot a side by side, don't know. To me, if I just concentrate on swing and smooth follow through, I can switch guns now without a lot of heartache. I've become a better shotgunner (which ain't sayin' a whole lot) understanding such things as this. Helps to THINK about what you are doing sometimes. I have this little 20 gauge Spartan now with 20" barrels for dove and have used it on teal. I knew going in with this thing I was going to have a real shock for balance and would have to concentrate right off on swing. I was a little concerned it might not be too good on birds for its extreme rearward balance, but I adapted to it last season and shot it very well, actually. I'd prefer a 28" gun, but it wouldn't fit in the saddle bags of my GoldWing with 28" barrels. That was the whole purpose of buying it, otherwise I HAD a 28" side by side already in 12 gauge.

A SxS is hard to shoot because all the "gurus" pushing Over and Unders since the 1960s have been telling you they're hard to shoot.
I started out with a SxS and of course never had a problem, and it always amazed me to hear people say they cannot shoot a SxS.
Now I can't shoot an O/U bigger than a slim 20 gauge. My left eye sees that huge barrel shape and transmits "cringe" to my brain.
There is nothing inherently wrong with any basic shotgun design.

I keep my SXS 12ga Mag Coach Gun leaned in corner near my bed (Makarov in holster velcroed to bedpost) in case I need it. it is the only firearm I own that I feel invincible when holding it.

Maybe it's because I basically learned on one, but I can feel the weight and balance of a SXS where as the single tubes feel like the weight is shifting around. I find that I slow down in the follow thru of the swing with a single. Maybe it's a balance thing, dunno.

it's always hard to go to a different system or setup when shooting.
change is hard, the gun is not the problem.

I was gonna say the reason the guy thought it was hard to shoot was because it was probably choked Full & Fullest!

With todays shotcup wads, it probably will be hard to shoot, because it shoots like a rifle!

rcmodel

I was gonna say the reason the guy thought it was hard to shoot was because it was probably choked Full & Fullest!

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That could be, too. LOL My old Sarasqueta (a Spanish gun) is mod/full and just too much choke for anything I'd use it for now days. I bought it for waterfowl and it worked back when there was only lead shot for waterfowl. But, it's too tight for dove shooting. I'd like to find a good gunsmith that could open those chokes up to I/C, mod maybe. Anyone got any suggestions where to send the barrels for that? I hardly ever shoot that thing anymore and it's a good shooting old gun.

I shot a 20ga 311 when I was younger, and could never hit anything with it. I attribute that to poor fit and inexperience, however. I couldn't hit anything with the 20ga Browning Auto-5, either.

LOL

The guys who shoot H&H doubles in England might be inbred, but so are a lot of these old American shotguns.

Okiecruffler, a Farmall may be a helluva tractor, but if you can beat even a base-model BMW 3-series around a sports car track with it, well, I guess I'll eat my hat.

Same difference.

And no, I don't have a BMW. I drive a Jeep and I like it. But that doesn't make the Jeep a Porsche.

Get real. You don't understand the 311 and it's kin. It wasn't made for some tweed wearing product of generations of incest. It was made for the common man. The guy who worked 18 hours a day and only quit because it was too dark to see. The man who took a break on the weekend to go to church and not much else. The man who planned on taking his vacation in heaven because he'd only have time for one after he'd passed on. They were made stout because that man wasn't just buying that shotgun for himself, but also his children and their children.
A gremlin? Only to those who don't know any better.

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gremlin... no. Buick... maybe... but it would be a regal not some other model.

SXS are so good for me! I can thit crud with an o/u, dont know why but the swing just seems so different... I can move and swing a sxs easily, I love the simplicity and the wider sight plane. If you have one that is set up so the clay or bird is sitting just on top of the barrels, on a no lead shot, then it is deadly.

I had a Simpson-Suhl post war 16g that I was murder with. The stock cracked, and I arrogantly thought I could just get another gun. I have missed it ever since.

311? How bout Model A pickup?

Had a friend that had one. They ain't THAT bad. I liked it, but it weren't real pretty to look at and was a might heavy compared to my Sarasqueta 12 gauge and the 311 was a 16. It didn't kick too bad, though.

side by side

side by sides aren't hard to shoot. One of the other guys mentioned that we have been told since 1960 that they are.

I have a couple of sidebysides, an auto, a single and an ou. I shoot best with one of my sxs guns. that is becuase it fits me better. Thats the truth in this. if it fits you will shoot it better. Of course if you are in the position that you can afford to buy a gun and have it fitted then i believe that an o/u might be better for trap shooting.

I can't afford that but my sxs happens to fit me better.

steve

(English but not in bred... redneck)

Crap, I didn't know SXS's where hard to shoot and apparently neither did my 23 year old son. I grew up shooting a 311 and my son grew up shooting the same gun. We both shoot it very, very well and when I told him to pick one of my shotguns for his next gift that's the one he picked out of 9 shotguns including 3 Wingmasters and an 1100. Already found another 311 to replace the one he is taking.

I honestly think the SXS is easier to shoot for cross shooting doves etc. The wider site plain and added weight seem to make it easier for new shooters to follow through. I guess it works for some people and doesn't for others. I shoot eaqually well with my Wingmaster and my SXS. Never been able to shoot the A5 design well myself.