SxS are just different
A side by side shoots differently than any other action. If you've ever read Churchill, and can shoot that way, (ie low gun, target intercept or swing through) a sxs is the gun to use. A 7 lb double with long barrels (28") is a pure joy to carry and point. My only grouse limits, 25 straights at skeet, and some truly inspired rounds of clays (48/50) have come off a double, low gun.
Sustained lead or any pre mounted style, I'd suggest a stackbarrel or semiauto or pump. I do shoot an semi more
consistently, but even then prefer an "in the palm of my hand" forend (think Beretta vs. Browning). But a well balanced double is just so much nicer to carry.
I've always shot a SxS, same one for thirty years. My dad couldn't hit a thing with it, but with a pump, he's a crackshot. I had to practice, practice and practice with the thing, had the chokes reamed out and practiced some more before I could say I was any good.
The double cost less than $100 new in 1967, a 1999 insurance appraisal put it at $1200. How much did a Winchester 1200 cost in 1967? Buy a 3000 dollar double today and your grandkids will fight over it. My grandpa's Auto5 is still hanging in granny's basement.
And if we want to ignore the aesthetic allure of certain firearms and concetrate only on efficiency, (Doubles have a big cool factor) we may as well throw grenades
Soakers