I am not a newbie to shotgun shooting or much else in life. However, it occurs to me that all the top Sporting Clays shooters gravitate to an O/U shotgun. I realize that a break open gun is almost mandated due to the nature of such games as Int Trap, but not SC.

Yet I read herein that many if not most, tend to shoot the same choke out of both barrels. If so, that seems to negate the principle advantage of a two barrel gun. There are also numerous threads I have read where there are problems with point of impact VS point of aim issues with even some very high quality O/U guns.

SC shooters are all shooting quite long barrels for additional sighting plane and in some cases even 34 inch. But it is a well known fact that a semi auto with just 30 inch barrels equals the overall length of an O/Us with 34 inch barrels.

So my question is why the vast majority of all SC shooters don't use a quality semi auto? The ability to have an exact duplicate as a back up with a semi auto is much less of an investment than to have a back up O/U that is identical. In most cases it can be done for less than one quality O/U. Plus, the POI issue is seldom encountered with a semi auto and if needed, can usually be corrected quite easily.

For these and other reasons, why do more SC shooters not use the semi auto as their primary choice? Is it balance, handling, pride of ownership, or maybe some are trying to duplicate what the pros use?

I am just curious and not trying to start a fire fight. Thanks for any input.

I've seen it go both ways. Guy's who shoot one and go to the other, in time most go back what they used first. Balance, weight, gun fit, feel of the gun overall, even physical has a bearing. O/U does give a choice of using two different chokes. If you have a station one target quite far, other quite close, I'll change if it's a big shoot and money,etc, on the line. I have basically gone to mod/mod, taking thinking equation out of what to shoot at what target. I do carry different shells to compensate....

With so many moving parts in a semi they can become malfunction machines if not maintained properly. Most people who shoot semi's are looking for recoil reduction and still be able to shoot heavier loads. I have had plenty of semi's and O/U. Shot my best scores with the semi. Like stated above I can carry different loads to make up for the one choke/barrel. All I carry for my 391 is a PG 10 and 15 choke. 8's at 1250 fps 1 1/8 ounce and some 9's for close rabbits and battues.

I think O/Us are more reliable and safer. And if you have a malfunction, it is easier and safer to clear it in an O/U. Over 50 years of shooting, I've seen a lot more problems with auto loaders and I have both in my safe.

My guess is that the top 50 shooters in the US use O/U's because that's what their gun sponsor WANTS them to shoot. The sponsors can make more money selling $12,000 to $18,000 O/U's to all the wanna-bees than they can selling $2,500 to $3,000 semi-autos to the wanna-bees.

I am amazed at how many people in this country are so mechanically inept, that they can barely even clean a firearm, much less disassemble it and check all of its components, service them and then re-assemble the firearm. To me, it is just unsafe to be so ignorant. No firearm is foolproof, yet there are many fools out there. Sure, semi's will malfunction a lot if not maintained. But the lower purchase price and recoil reduction make it well worth the time to clean and maintain. I personally enjoy stripping down my semi's and cleaning and oiling them. Maybe that's just me. Nothing against O/U here, not at all. But no reason to distrust semi's unless you can't, or won't, spend the time to service them.

Uly beat me to it !

My reason is more pragmatic. I know I am not required to but I don't like to feel guilty about leaving hulls all over. And I definitely do not like picking them up. also like have two different constrictions.

Jim

I would put Joe Fanizzi in the top 10 in the US. He shoots an A400 from Coles.

1. O/U's make you kewl
2. semi's jam at the worst possible times
3. all semi's jam
4. O/U's will feed more different types of ammo and rarely jam
5. I doubt that there are 50 (gun) sponsored shooters in the USA (prove me wrong)

Bingo! I was thinking the same thing but was waiting to see if those with more experience/expertise commented. IMO, the pro shooters will shoot what the highest paying sponsor provides. That goes for shells, glasses, etc.

O/U aren't without issues. Less than semi's but I have seen them quit for numerous reasons. Doubling, fan fire, shells stuck under ejectors, light primer strikes and broken springs. Wonder why some have drop out triggers? They do go bad. No gun is perfect. And when an O/U goes down most shooters can't fix them. Semi's have drop in parts in most cases and you don't need to take the stock off for repairs.

I think that the reason most folks choose an O/U for sporting has nothing to do with chokes, but more for the reliability. My SS functions very reliably, but every now and then it will hiccup. It doesn't bother me but some folks just can't handle it.....and I get it.

I shoot a Benelli SS, very happy with it. Made it to AA with it, so far.

If I buy an O/U it would have to be a Perazzi, K80 or similar, because in my estimation buying a 725 or equivalent Beretta's is a step side ways.

For me a Perazzi or K80 ain't in the budget.

IF I could afford a new Perazzi High Tech it would be on order right now.

I do like an O/U, but I just don't feel that a $3,000 to $6,000 O/U is a big enough advantage to bother with.

A skillful target setter can very quickly put the one choke guy at a disadvantage. That's why George Digweed, Richard Faulds etc. shoot O/U.

Most really good shooters use fixed tight chokes or never change tight chokes. They know how to shoot. Chokes don't have anything to do with how the great ones can shoot. They aren't fixated on choke.

If one is a reloader, hull management is easier with an o/u. It is easier to “show safe” with an o/u. An o/u is a bit easier to clean and maintain than a gas-operated auto. And, an o/u is somewhat more reliable in operation than a gas-operated auto - simply because there isn’t as much stuff going on.

I suspect that most people who shoot o/u do so because they like them better than autos, and conversely.

There may not be 50 gun sponsored shooters in the US, but even if the number is only 30, the principle is still the same.

And even if every single shooter with a gun sponsor doesn't shoot an O/U, the vast majority of them do, so again, the principle is still the same.

As for Joe Fanizzi, yep, he's one of the top shooters in the US, but he's still a kid. He's got plenty of time to worry about making money in a few years. Right now, I'm sure that he's concentrating on shooting the best he can shoot with the gun that's best suited for him, and right now, that's a semi-auto. Perhaps in a few more years when he reaches the ripe old age of 21 and perhaps adds another 20 to 30 pounds to his frame, he might decide to switch to an O/U. Or maybe not. After all, Anthony didn't switch over until he was what, about 30 years old? So Joe's in no hurry, nor should he be.

I know at least 3 top flight shooters who at one time or another lost a gun sponsorship. None of them went to a semi since the “pressure” from the sponsor was gone. Beretta is tickled for their top shooters to shoot an A400. They reach more potential customers. Sponsorship money isn’t enough to make a top shooter shoot something he doesn’t shoot well.

I've seen little Joe shoot and he is very impressive. Makes be wonder why I shoot an O/U Also one of the nicest young men I have had the pleasure of meeting in this sport

^^^^^^^^^