SHOTGUN: o/u or pump?

If it were me, I'd go for a good quality O/U (Browning, Beretta, Winchester...) THAT FITS YOU

Make sure it is steel shot capable, 3" chambers and multichoke

How badly do you want to shoot slug? I found getting both my barrels to shoot to the smae place with either of my other unders impossible (Didn't mind the elevation so much, was more the windage that was the issue and remembering if I would have to over or under lead that bugged me). If you are adamant about using slugs anywhere 25 yds or more I'd look for a single barrel something.

Why O/U?
Usually easier to shoot than a side by side (Single sight plane)
Acceptable in most places whether legally or culturally
Shoots pretty much every length of shell

SxS
Some can be fragile.
Double trigger is a new skill to master and a double discharge at the wrong moment is not helpful or forgetting which trigger has already been used
Often legally uncomplicated
Wide variety of shells work

Pumps
Can be a pain legally in some jurisdictions (Particularly in Europe funnily enough)
Frowned on in some places culturally
Lots of choices in barrel length and smooth vs rifled
Not really ammo finnicky but if shells are too short can be a problem
Big issue - you forgetting to pump or short stroking

Sem-autos
Can be a pain in some jurisdictions
Some areas not culturally acceptable
Helpful in that you want another shot, you just pull the trigger
Can be ammo finicky - not a problem as you just feed it what it likes. Is a problem if you're in bush and only thing you can get it doesn't. Then you have a straight pull. (Or if really unlucky, the extractor drops the shell and you have to manually clear everything every time)
Lots of choices in barrels

Anyway, just my poor thoughts

Scrummy

Speaking from a little experience: Remington 870 pump for best all around gun. There are several barrel choices, though I've found I need only one with screw in chokes. For birds, etc, use a modified or full. For big game, a modified, cylinder or rifled with buckshot or slugs. Get the extended tube to give you a couple more rounds and load with different shells for the situation, ie: first round slug, second round buck or slug, etc. The new sabot slugs are accurate out to 100 yards for tight groups and work in either cylinder bore or rifled chokes. I have used slugs in a modified but they have a tendency to let my shoulder know it's not a very good idea.

My old one (circa early 1980s) is a 2 3/4 inch, but I would say go with 3 or 3 1/2 inch. Gives you much more choice of fodder.

That's true Newboomer, up to 3.5" gives you lots of choice

I spend alot of time behind a 12 gauge. I currently own a Beretta a400 and a Remington 870. Both have been customised to fit me. FIT IS EVERYTHING IN SHOTGUN SHOOTING. I repeat SHOTGUN FIT IS THE ALPHA AND OMAGA. Send me a pm and I shere my two cents worh. Reliability of a good semi is better than a pump. The problem is getting that semi licenced.

I've found for reliability and longevity, a pump is hard to beat. They will eat anything you feed them. Semis can be fussy if you don't keep them clean. If a pump fouls up , dunk it, slosh it, shake it out and squirt a little oil in it and you're good to go. Not recommended, but will work in a pinch (field expedient). If you notice, most law enforcement and military units use pumps. Maybe they know something.

Because a semi can not fire "less lethal" rounds. I was trained with a pump and Love shooting a pump. Problem is a pump is realy not well suited to the shooting sports where you need that quick second shot. Can be done and in fact I have done it but you are at a disadvantage. Today's semis are incredible. Mine honestly does not jam no matter what I feed it,even light 21gram loads.

Piet-Skiet said:

Because a semi can not fire "less lethal" rounds. I was trained with a pump and Love shooting a pump. Problem is a pump is realy not well suited to the shooting sports where you need that quick second shot. Can be done and in fact I have done it but you are at a disadvantage. Today's semis are incredible. Mine honestly does not jam no matter what I feed it,even light 21gram loads.

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I have to respectfully disagree. Several current production "gas" guns can be adjusted to operate reliably on very reduced loads, however the question involved breakactions, whether SxS, O/U or single shot; if they are in proper working order, they can handle any load within the limits of the gun and do so quite reliably.

My first choice for a shotgun is an Over-Under. The balance and feel of an O/U just can't be beat, and for a quick follow up shot the O/U has it hands down. I've got a 20 gauge Browning in O/U and that is my duck and goose gun. I've also got a semi auto in 12 gauge for long range goose hunting but my preference by far is the Browning.

Classic pump for front end cost, durability, and reliability are what I use as my “mud” gun. This gun gets thrown in the bottom of the boat or blind, used as a paddle, a walking stick, whatever. Some oil and cleaning and it is ready to be used again.

For civil shoots or where abuse is not a factor, much prefer due to balance and performance one of my O/U.

I own both a multi choke Browning Gold 10 gauge Semi Auto and a BRNO Full choke Over under 12 gauge ( 2 3/4 inch Chambers).
The O/U is very useful for hunting in countries where Semi autos are not allowed. It is also very useful Wingshooting if two different chokes are immediately needed. Unfortunately , mine has both the barrels full choke. But you get what l mean. I wish one of the barrels was more open choked though. It's the Glorious 12th and l am currently in the United Kingdom until the 2nd of September for Grouse Shooting. For driven grouse shoots , the last thing you want is a fixed full choke over under. Either l am missing the birds clean , or if l am hitting them , meat damage is excessive ( grouse meat is delicious ! )
I will try getting a more open choked over under in the future or sanding out the chokes in my BRNO to make it shoot more open.

I have a preference for over-under . My own is a s686 Special from Beretta in 12 bore with 70 millimeter Chambers . One barrel is half choke . One barrel is full choke but acts like 75 % choke with certain brands of cartridges .
When l used to be a professional Shikari in Darjeeling until 1970 , l would use a shot-gun with horizontally stacked barrels . It was 12 bore made by Ishapore which had 32 inch long barrels that were fully choked . I clipped the barrel length to 4 inches less and eliminated any choke from the gun . This was done so that l could use it with SG shot for mammals . Despite the gun's poor quality ( which is another story ) , l appreciated the two trigger design of the gun which , no doubt benefitted me for the 31 leopards , 4 Royal Bengal tigers , 8 bears and the dozens of deer , boar , Gaur , birds and crocodiles which it helped me kill. I had read the autobiography of His Excellence , the Maharaja of Kuch Bihar , who repeatedly stressed the crucial feature of a second barrel which can be discharged at the fraction of a second , at the great cats . This would later turn out to be accurate , as my own experiences in my career showed me.
However in 1990 , l acquired my over-under and it had one trigger . I started liking the one trigger design more , as it did not hurt my fingers . In 1995 , my last leopard ( in the picture ) and the only one l killed after the War of Independence , l killed with it , again using an SG cartridge ( from Remington ) . The animal had killed two honey collectors near Sundarban forest , an old night watch guard and two small children in the nearby village . Then a few BSF members were appointed by the forest department to help kill this animal . I found that the single trigger ( the kind with a switch which allows for the shooter to decide which barrel is fired first ) is not a disadvantage at all.
Pump operated shot-guns are very good too . Auto Loading shot-guns have relatively less jar which can be good for those who are easily effected by recoil.
However , if one takes legality into consideration for international hunting , then , in my experience , the over-under is rivalled by none. Of course , every Shikari should use what they are most comfortable with.
I note that most young shooters of this generation do not shoot shot-guns with horizontally stacked barrels as well as an over-under , pump operation or an auto loader . My late father , being from the British colonial period , was a very good bird shooter with such a gun . His own was an I Hollis 12 bore with 65 millimeter Chambers , and he used them to shoot many quails , doves and pigeons . I can use both with fair competence , because during my youth the horizontally stacked barrel shot-gun was all that was locally available. Clients in India would bring over-under , pump operation or auto loader shot-guns and most of them shot well .

Kawshik Rahman said:

View attachment 306777 I have a preference for over-under . My own is a s686 Special from Beretta in 12 bore with 70 millimeter Chambers . One barrel is half choke . One barrel is full choke but acts like 75 % choke with certain brands of cartridges .
When l used to be a professional Shikari in Darjeeling until 1970 , l would use a shot-gun with horizontally stacked barrels . It was 12 bore made by Ishapore which had 32 inch long barrels that were fully choked . I clipped the barrel length to 4 inches less and eliminated any choke from the gun . This was done so that l could use it with SG shot for mammals . Despite the gun's poor quality ( which is another story ) , l appreciated the two trigger design of the gun which , no doubt benefitted me for the 31 leopards , 4 Royal Bengal tigers , 8 bears and the dozens of deer , boar , Gaur , birds and crocodiles which it helped me kill. I had read the autobiography of His Excellence , the Maharaja of Kuch Bihar , who repeatedly stressed the crucial feature of a second barrel which can be discharged at the fraction of a second , at the great cats . This would later turn out to be accurate , as my own experiences in my career showed me.
However in 1990 , l acquired my over-under and it had one trigger . I started liking the one trigger design more , as it did not hurt my fingers . In 1995 , my last leopard ( in the picture ) and the only one l killed after the War of Independence , l killed with it , again using an SG cartridge ( from Remington ) . The animal had killed two honey collectors near Sundarban forest , an old night watch guard and two small children in the nearby village . Then a few BSF members were appointed by the forest department to help kill this animal . I found that the single trigger ( the kind with a switch which allows for the shooter to decide which barrel is fired first ) is not a disadvantage at all.
Pump operated shot-guns are very good too . Auto Loading shot-guns have relatively less jar which can be good for those who are easily effected by recoil.
However , if one takes legality into consideration for international hunting , then , in my experience , the over-under is rivalled by none. Of course , every Shikari should use what they are most comfortable with.
I note that most young shooters of this generation do not shoot shot-guns with horizontally stacked barrels as well as an over-under , pump operation or an auto loader . My late father , being from the British colonial period , was a very good bird shooter with such a gun . His own was an I Hollis 12 bore with 65 millimeter Chambers , and he used them to shoot many quails , doves and pigeons . I can use both with fair competence , because during my youth the horizontally stacked barrel shot-gun was all that was locally available. Clients in India would bring over-under , pump operation or auto loader shot-guns and most of them shot well .

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Mr. Rahman
Please Leave something for my book !!!
In all seriousness , that's a really huge Leopard . Looks 250 pounds in weight , yeah ?

But, Hoss, please....
Lets consider that mr. Rahman is only giving us a preview of your forthcoming book. Untill you publish, we will all be already hooked!

mark-hunter said:

But, Hoss, please....
Lets consider that mr. Rahman is only giving us a preview of your forthcoming book. Untill you publish, we will all be already hooked!

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Fine , but Mr. Rahman ... Leave the crocodile pic and the Bengal tiger pic for my book !

Hoss Delgado said:

Fine , but Mr. Rahman ... Leave the crocodile pic and the Bengal tiger pic for my book !

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Hoss Delgado , alright. Only leopard and boar

who gives a rats ass what the british do in the hunting field? I would think you would have had the shits of britian after the boar wars and the treatment your people suffered under them. we had a dust up ourselfs with the british and ran them out with ball and bayonet. if you want to join the upper crust and wear funny cloths go with what they want you to shoot, if not get a Remington wingmaster 12 ga pump. a shooter here, rudy echen shot 100 straight doubles with a 870 Remington 12ga pump and turned around and did it a second time with the same 870 pump 20 some years later. my general 12 ga is a reminton 1100 magnum with three extra barrels for trap-skeet-small game-deer bear. a set up like this with a Remington 870 would be cheaper to put together.

leslie hetrick said:

who gives a rats ass what the british do in the hunting field? I would think you would have had the shits of britian after the boar wars and the treatment your people suffered under them. we had a dust up ourselfs with the british and ran them out with ball and bayonet. if you want to join the upper crust and wear funny cloths go with what they want you to shoot, if not get a Remington wingmaster 12 ga pump. a shooter here, rudy echen shot 100 straight doubles with a 870 Remington 12ga pump and turned around and did it a second time with the same 870 pump 20 some years later.

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Excuse me ? Who is talking about British here ?

I think someone needs another cup of coffee!

leslie hetrick said:

who gives a rats ass what the british do in the hunting field? I would think you would have had the shits of britian after the boar wars and the treatment your people suffered under them. we had a dust up ourselfs with the british and ran them out with ball and bayonet.

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I am not following.... although, Purdey, Holland and Holland, Rigby, Churchill, Rawland Ward, etc... might be of some influence in the field.

well it sounds like some people are uptight about what firearms one uses to hunt- target shoot and if you don,t you will not be invited back. if you want to toe their line to shoot- hunt and mingle with them go ahead. here you can hunt-target shoot on public-private land with no concern about what firearms (o/u-ss-pump- semiauto) you decide to use. here we can buy any type of legal firearm with out a waiting time and no hassle from the government. it seems most countries don,t trust their people with legal firearms and put up many road blocks to stop-curtail ownership. you get the kind of government you vote in.