Why Buy a SxS

[318AE]

I often find It ironic, that on a site primarily focused on traveling across continents to pursue trophy game, how utilitarian or pragmatic people are about their choices and rationale, and sometimes critical of those that are not. The whole endeavor here is both adventure and frivolous indulgence.

Why a sxs? They are super dam cool!

 

[Altitude sickness]

Thank you 318AE,

The older I get I seem to need to kill less but still enjoy the whole process.
Archery hunting for instance; I don’t need to kill another Buck for the wall. But still like an excuse to go sit outside waiting for the sun. So I got into making my own all wood bows. Or sinew backed bows. Now a cagey old doe is a trophy because I need the animal even closer. I enjoy a stroll with those bows. Holding them. Shooting rotten stumps, logs, leafs.

I seem to need to learn new tactics or skills. I have in the last year switched to vintage SxS’s
I’ve always had the typical Savage or other less expensive SxS shotguns. When growing up I had a cheap single shot 20 GA. hammer gun. It was a big deal for me to see a Fox, Ithaca etc. And never saw a Parker or LeFever as a kid.

So maybe the SxS is not as good at killing for some people as a tactical shotgun. (I think it can be)

But for some guys hunting and fishing has become a function follows form endeavor. Making it harder on the human by limiting ourselves to an antique or “outdated” tool.

I don’t need more trophies and won’t starve if we don’t kill a full bag. But I still enjoy the hunting process. If I didn’t adapt and learn new things as I am now with vintage SxS’s. I wouldn’t be as excited to get in as much bird hunting as possible this fall.

 

[PanhandlinPat]

CZs in any flavor are great, especially the newer ones with coil springs. I bought a bobwhite as a beater SxS some years back and it’s been great. Hard black chrome finish is still pristine, even after many trips of getting tossed in the ranch pickup and bounced around. The thing points like a dream and kills like no other!

 

[Adipose]

Laying out the Scott SxS for tomorrow’s goose hunt. Here’s another reason.
The quality level of engraving.

You didn’t specify vintage but. You would spend a tidy some for this engraving on a modern gun. View attachment 716353

See... Damn sexy.

 

[Red Leg]

I own a number of both and shoot them, I think, equally well. For estate type quail hunting, I use either a Grulla .410 Sidelock SxS or a William Atkins 20 bore. For wild quail or huns it is usually the Atkins or a Luchini hammer 20 bore. It works well on quail because it is a modern built hammer gun with a normal safety. In other words, it works just like any other OU or SxS when cocked and on safe. For doves, I typically use a 20 bore OU "Inverness" by CSMC or a tightly choked 28 SxS by Darne. For pheasants, I have a number of SxS twelves that are most often packed for the trip. Competitive pigeon shooting is with guns built for that purpose in both SxS and OU configuration. My primary waterfowl gun is a CSMC 12 with 3" chambers - though I only use 1 1/4 ounce loads for ducks or geese - and never ever use steel. I might also add that I never use 1 1/4 loads on pheasants. A properly choked light game gun with 1 1/8 ounces of number 6 shot is perfection.

From a purely aesthetic point of view - nothing beats a SxS.

 

[dhughes66]

CZs in any flavor are great, especially the newer ones with coil springs. I bought a bobwhite as a beater SxS some years back and it’s been great. Hard black chrome finish is still pristine, even after many trips of getting tossed in the ranch pickup and bounced around. The thing points like a dream and kills like no other!

I have the first version of the CZ Bobwhite that has a case color receiver. It's close to 20 years old now and has had thousands of rounds of 20ga shells through her and she is still as tight as the day I got her. For the money, I don't think there is a better side by side on the market.

 

[leslie hetrick]

i have been shooting a browning BSS in 20 ga for over 30 years and have just picked up a merkel 47E in 20 ga. i love my pump and semi auto shotguns, but the double barrels make me want to wear funny looking cloths when hunting.

 

[Ray B]

I started out with both rifles and shotguns that were single barrel. the next step was O-U shotguns which gave way to SxS shotguns followed by a SxS rifle. The main difference that I note is that the SxSs are shallower with more on the same(similar) plane. The O-Us are deeper from having two barrels in a vertical plane. For me, going from low gun to firing is quicker with the shallower profile gun, although if I were actually times, there wouldn't be a great deal of difference.