The American Beagler Forum

I'm just wandering what you guys think. Which is better for rabbit hunting an auto gun or an over and under shotgun?

The most significant advantage the O/U holds over the Semi is that you have a choice of chokes. Usually you have a tighter choke in the over barrel and a more open one in the under. Depending on how far the bunny or bird is out, you choose the better pattern for the shot. In the case of incoming game, you use the tighter barrel first (as it's further away) and the more open choked barrel second (as the game has come closer). Reverse that for game going away. The same applies for SideXSide shotguns.

The Semi holds an advantage of having more rounds on tap before needing to reload. A quality Semi is almost always cheaper than a quality O/U or SXS. I'd take a quality Semi over a cheap O/U or SXS.

If you have the money, I feel you can't beat a quality O/U or SXS for all upland game hunting. The double barrel shotguns (at least the better quality ones) are much better balanced and are usually lighter than the Semi counterparts (w/ the notable exceptions of the Franchi and Benelli Semi's). In the better quality Semi's and doubles, I'd choose the double every time over the Semi.

For the most part, however, you get what you pay for. I wouldn't want a double for under $500 (no offense intended to guys who own them). I've seen guys have major problems w/ the cheap imports (shooting loose, safety issues, etc.). The cheaper ones usually are heavier and don't have the balance that the quality ones have. Of course, quality is relative. A true double connoisseur w/ a fat wallet would look down upon my Browning Lightning Feather 16 gauge in favor of his Perazzi, Lujitic, or fine English SXS. Before you buy, go to a gun shop that has a lot of O/U, SXS, and Semi shotguns. Handle them all. In the $1,000 - $2,000 price range, you will find some very nice doubles. Check out the Ruger Red Label 28 gauge, Browning Citori Lightning Feather 16 or 20 gauge, and Beretta's 20 & 28 gauges. SKB makes a decent 20 gauge SXS. If one of those trips your trigger, and you don't have enough for a new one, check out some gun shows or some on-line gun pages. You can pick up a decent quality used O/U or SXS in the $600 - $1,000 range.

Having said all that, the gun I carry the most for rabbit is a T/C Encore Pistol in .410.