Which Barrel Do You Fire First?

[BeeMaa]

It's been debated for a few days in another post about which barrel someone should (or should not) be firing first on a double rifle. The same would hold true for a SxS shotguns and O/U rifles & shotguns.

I would like to know what people are doing and the reasons behind it. Do not get me wrong, this is not an attempt to judge anyone for their way of doing things. Everyone is welcome to do as they please as there are many different ways and reasons for teaching each discipline.

For me and a SxS (rifle or shotgun), the right barrel (front trigger) is shot first. My reasoning is that in most double barrel shotguns, the right side typically has a more open choke than the left. This means the first shot will be more spread out, and the follow up shot (if needed) will have a tighter pattern to reach out a little further.

For the O/U configuration, I shoot bottom barrel first. This is to keep the vector of the recoil lower on the shoulder to minimize muzzle rise to make follow up shots more quickly. Once again in a shotgun, the bottom barrel is typically choked more open than the top.

Two votes allowed (one for each configuration). No changing of votes and you need to vote to view the results.

 

[8 x 60]

I have what most here would consider a small bore DR. I always fire the front trigger first. I have been shooting sxs double trigger shotguns for over 50 years so moving from front trigger to back trigger it is natural for me. Although with a shotgun if I want the choked barrel first I switch to the rear trigger automatically. Also the front trigger on my DR can be used as a set trigger (which kind of indicates the order of play)

I don' t use O/U guns but had a go with my Son's once. A weird contraption!

 

[grand veneur]

The front trigger is always pushed first in the case a second shot must be fired quickly. It is easier to pull the finger back on the rear trigger than to move it forward, with the attendant risk of getting to stuck on the front trigger.

 

[Schüler Jumbo]

Right hand rifling twist in a double rifle barrel means the rifle will torque left. Firing the right barrel first moves recoil into the right-handed rifleman’s center of body mass making recovery faster. Again, firing the O/U lower barrel first keeps recoil lower in the shotgunner’s center of mass allowing a faster recovery for the second barrel. Note, a SxS recoils laterally and an O/U recoil vertically.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I shoot left barrel (full choke) first on my 12 gauge 3” Magnum Beretta Model 626E, followed by right barrel (modified choke). Unfortunately, decoys have been illegal in our part of the world since 1927 due to an archaic law imposed during the days of the British Imperial Forest Service. So ranges tend to be rather long for most waterfowl hunting scenarios.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Reasons to pull front trigger first on a double rifle,

• It is more natural to move trigger finger from front to rear immediately after recovering from the recoil of the first shot.
• Front triggers on double rifles and shotguns have lighter pulls than the heavier rear trigger. This is to prevent the rifle from doubling during recoil. Firing back trigger first negates this safety feature.

Reasons to pull back trigger first,

• Recoil of rifle is far too much for shooter to control
• Shooter is unfamiliar with shooting large caliber rifles
• Shooter is not practiced with double rifle
• Shooter does not dry fire double rifle for extra practice to instill the proper manaual of arms into his subconscious
• Shooter does not invest in a cheap side by side shotgun to dry fire extensively and shoot the heck out of to become familiar with shooting a double anything!!!

 

[grand veneur]

A double rifle is similar to a double shotgun, and in the case of the latter, for good reasons the front trigger operates a barrel with a more open choke, while the rear trigger operates a barrel with a tighter choke. Shotgun shooters don't ask themselves any questions about triggers when shooting in the field, and therefore also not when shooting with a double rifle.

 

[West_Texas_Bull_Shooter]

I don't have a double rifle, but I have a friend who was hunting elephants, and in the heat of battle just pull both triggers on a 577 Lott. I think he called it a double tap. When he woke up the elephant was dead. I don't know which one took the most damage.

 

[grand veneur]

I don't have a double rifle, but I have a friend who was hunting elephants, and in the heat of battle just pull both triggers on a 577 Lott. I think he called it a double tap. When he woke up the elephant was dead. I don't know which one took the most damage.

Something like that has happened to me as well with my double rifle caliber 577 Nitro Express. Fortunately not while I was hunting, but on the shooting range. I was knocked off my feet, but I did not sustain any injuries. However, this was due to an error that the gunsmith made during the restauration of the rifle. I had pulled only the front trigger, as usual. It can happen, of course, that shooters inadvertently pull both triggers at once, but that constitutes a handling error.

 

[jruby]

In my experience on my shotguns the more open choke on a SxS is the right barrel so assuming one is shooting game one would leave the more choked barrel for the longer shot. I have also found the more choked barrel on a O/U is the top barrel. I am talking fixed choked shotguns.

I know nothing of double barrelwd rifles.

 

[steve white]

If constantly shooting incoming birds (like uphill incoming partridges on the Glorious Twelfth) it might pay to shoot the tight choke first, the open choke as they approach. Not sure if any guns are MADE that way, or if a double trigger just allows the selection.
I have heard that some Continental drilling/combination guns may be regulated so that when the rifle is switched on, then the left barrel might be regulated for slugs with a second trigger pull. That would put the second trigger as the slug regulated barrel. BUT I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY SEEN THIS. A Bockbuchsflint may choose to have the rifle as the first trigger--this makes a shotgun discharge a second trigger event when the shotgun is fired first, which seems to me backward....a rifle can be shot with an unhurried pull, and location of the second trigger more naturally. When shooting a shotgun, you are generally in a hurry.
All other "normal" configurations, I agree with BeeMaa.

 

[BeeMaa]

I have a friend who hunts turkey with an O/U shotgun with two chokes and a different load in each barrel. The bottom barrel carries a TKY choke and a 3.5" TSS turkey #7 load, while the upper has a MOD choke and a 3" TSS goose #7 load. He uses the selector switch on the tang for whichever one is needed, because it's a single trigger shotgun.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Right barrel, which is the front barrel. I control that shot with my AAS method, which is as well because with the extended trigger finger a flinch reflex is more likely. Transitioning to the back trigger for a possible fast, less controlled follow-up shot the grip is better, the finger position is more relaxed and natural and that is the softer pull too. All equals a better shot.

 

[SStomcat]

Depends, lefty or righty?

 

[jruby]

If constantly shooting incoming birds (like uphill incoming partridges on the Glorious Twelfth) it might pay to shoot the tight choke first, the open choke as they approach. Not sure if any guns are MADE that way, or if a double trigger just allows the selection.
I have heard that some Continental drilling/combination guns may be regulated so that when the rifle is switched on, then the left barrel might be regulated for slugs with a second trigger pull. That would put the second trigger as the slug regulated barrel. BUT I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY SEEN THIS. A Bockbuchsflint may choose to have the rifle as the first trigger--this makes a shotgun discharge a second trigger event when the shotgun is fired first, which seems to me backward....a rifle can be shot with an unhurried pull, and location of the second trigger more naturally. When shooting a shotgun, you are generally in a hurry.
All other "normal" configurations, I agree with BeeMaa.

You have a valid point - is the target ( bird ) coming in or leaving. Most of the upland hunting I have done the bird is trying to get away. With watefowl most are coming in.
My O/Us all have a selective single trigger- my SxS's all have dual triggers.

 

[Russ16]

If constantly shooting incoming birds (like uphill incoming partridges on the Glorious Twelfth) it might pay to shoot the tight choke first, the open choke as they approach. Not sure if any guns are MADE that way, or if a double trigger just allows the selection.
I have heard that some Continental drilling/combination guns may be regulated so that when the rifle is switched on, then the left barrel might be regulated for slugs with a second trigger pull. That would put the second trigger as the slug regulated barrel. BUT I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY SEEN THIS. A Bockbuchsflint may choose to have the rifle as the first trigger--this makes a shotgun discharge a second trigger event when the shotgun is fired first, which seems to me backward....a rifle can be shot with an unhurried pull, and location of the second trigger more naturally. When shooting a shotgun, you are generally in a hurry.
All other "normal" configurations, I agree with BeeMaa.

Many guns designed for driven shooting have the tighter choke in the right barrel

 

[steve white]

If constantly shooting incoming birds (like uphill incoming partridges on the Glorious Twelfth) it might pay to shoot the tight choke first, the open choke as they approach. Not sure if any guns are MADE that way, or if a double trigger just allows the selection.
I have heard that some Continental drilling/combination guns may be regulated so that when the rifle is switched on, then the left barrel might be regulated for slugs with a second trigger pull. That would put the second trigger as the slug regulated barrel. BUT I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY SEEN THIS. A Bockbuchsflint may choose to have the rifle as the first trigger--this makes a shotgun discharge a second trigger event when the shotgun is fired first, which seems to me backward....a rifle can be shot with an unhurried pull, and location of the second trigger more naturally. When shooting a shotgun, you are generally in a hurry.
All other "normal" configurations, I agree with BeeMaa.

Well, I looked at my Bockbuchsflinte and the first trigger is the rifle BECAUSE it has a stecher set trigger which requires pushing it forward. There would not be room for that in the closer second trigger space.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I’ve always shot right barrel first.

 

[ftrovato]

Double rifles are regulated dependent on the right barrel being fired first.

The left is meant to be fired several seconds after the right for best accuracy.

The heating of the barrels was factored into regulating the left barrel.

This was explained by Ralph Martini the Canadian/German gun builder that was involved with Heym in the design of the 89B.

 

[coreydb]

It's been debated for a few days in another post about which barrel someone should (or should not) be firing first on a double rifle. The same would hold true for a SxS shotguns and O/U rifles & shotguns.

I would like to know what people are doing and the reasons behind it. Do not get me wrong, this is not an attempt to judge anyone for their way of doing things. Everyone is welcome to do as they please as there are many different ways and reasons for teaching each discipline.

For me and a SxS (rifle or shotgun), the right barrel (front trigger) is shot first. My reasoning is that in most double barrel shotguns, the right side typically has a more open choke than the left. This means the first shot will be more spread out, and the follow up shot (if needed) will have a tighter pattern to reach out a little further.

For the O/U configuration, I shoot bottom barrel first. This is to keep the vector of the recoil lower on the shoulder to minimize muzzle rise to make follow up shots more quickly. Once again in a shotgun, the bottom barrel is typically choked more open than the top.

Two votes allowed (one for each configuration). No changing of votes and you need to vote to view the results.

I agree. SxS shotguns come with internal chokes. The right barrel has the more open choke intended for close up shots, while the left has a tighter choke for longer shots.