Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Side by side shotgun recommendations

I'm interested in buying a side by side shotgun (preferably with double triggers). This will be for grouse and pheasant hunting a couple times per year. Is there a make and model that is considered just a good all around shotgun - but not crazy fancy? Like the remington 870 of side by side shotguns?

Thanks!

An old Stevens 311 or Savage Fox model B. Can usually find one of the Stevens for 400 - 500.00 in good shape. A couple hundred more for a Savage Fox. Both are good sturdy field guns with modern stock dimesions. If you can find one of the old Sears J.C. Higgins 101.7 side by sides they're an even better deal. They're just a Stevens 311 relabeled for Sears. Can usually pick them up cheaper than a 311 and they've got a real walnut stock and fore end as apposed to the walnut stained hardwood furniture on the Stevens

The Savage 311 type is probably the closest one can get to an 870 in a SxS as they are inexpensive, common, relatively rugged and simple to repair. Their negatives are clunkiness and most often being found in Mod/Full- at least in this region. I've used one in 16 ga for my sporting clays league the last two years with little problem.

The next step up will run at least double the Savage and more like triple or more. These would be various Spanish guns, Japanese guns like the SKB, some German/Belgian/French guns (especially guild guns), and American guns like Winchester, Ithaca, LeFever, and Parker. These will cost more as mentioned, may be in a lesser condition, parts could be an issue due to age or uniqueness, and they might be stocked differently due to a different way of shooting if one is looking at an older gun. I've owned a couple of German SxS as well as an Ithaca and a Parker. I did not care for how they fit and the cost of a new stock was prohibitive to me so they went down the road.

The next step will be over a grand and often well over. They will all be decent and one will have to decide for themselves if the cost justifies the use.

^^ What he said. get a 311 in 12, 16, or 20 and don't look back.

To me those Savage guns handle like a heavy 2X4. I would be looking for an Ugartechea. Get an older one imported by the American Import Company for about $500-$700. They will have a third lug. An Uggie will feel like a wand compared to a Savage.

Here is one like I am talking about. A little high but well worth it to me.
https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...uge-2-3-4-39-double.cfm?gun_id=101029308


One of these models would be nice as well.
https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...arker-hale-12-guage.cfm?gun_id=101129109

Either one of those above two Ugartechea. for the long term win.

battue, I am thinking of getting another double or o/u or both... I have looked at the Caesar G.on the web.. But the field models only come with 28 " barrels and I wanted 30

Another friend suggested the English Army /Navy guns.. I would like to go somewhere I could handle some of the shotguns.. That is important to me.. Been down the Beretta Browning trial.. Don't care to make that trip again.. Maybe I should look at the older Parkers an Fox guns.. What do you think???

How are the CZ's?
For the money?

I have a 20 ga Sharptail that I love. Seems well built and handles nice. I think I paid a little over $900. Good luck, Dave

Look for an SKB 200E.

Budget?

I looked for 3+ years off and on for a light, double triggered, 16, mostly looking at Simson and Sauer. I kind of lucked into this one on gunbroker a few months back. 5# 15 ounces of non 2x4ish wand. If I said the price I’d look like a liar.

That's very nice.I would definitely look for a nice used gun of Spanish,German,Belgium, make over a Savege. To me the Savage is a serviceable hunting gun,but I would rather shoot squirrels or rabbits with one than quail. There are some real bargains if one is patient. I bought a nice Merkel model 8 recently that should have been around $2000 for only $650.

Here are a few resources for the OP. other than the normal,Gun broker, or Cabela's,or Guns International,Guns America.
http://gun.home.cyberverse.com/

Beautiful gun Cheesy. There are incredible bargains to be had with the Simsons. You got yourself a great one!

The Stevens 311's never seemed that heavy or ill handling to me. I have one in 16 gauge choked IC/M {actually a J.C Higgins 101} that I bet I shot 1000 rabbits from in front of my beagles with. It's definitely lighter than my 12 gauge 28" 870. Never had a bit of trouble with it in the 20 some years I've owned it and I shoot it well.

The 311s are like an 870- inexpensive, common, and serviceable in all aspects. They aren't an exquisite handling gun but neither is an 870. I would put the Baikal guns in with the Savage for cost and durability but they place further behind in handling and fit. They are hard to find around here but one does see one now and then.

There are other SxS guns I think are "better" but they come with a higher price. That is why I made a separate category for them. A person looking at a utility gun is often under a price constraint which is why they are asking in regard to best quality for the lowest price. A "Uggie" would fit in the second category nicely under Spanish guns and is a large step up in all aspects from a Savage.



As for CZ SxS, that is still a question. They are made by Huglu who has had a checkered reputation. Over all, they seem better built than in the past but that was a low bar to clear. I hear many more favorable opinions of the CZ versions but there are still a fair number of legitimate complaints considering their numbers. I know several owning CZs with between them with 3-4 guns having issues. All have been sent back to CZ for repairs with all but one being sold immediately afterward. That one still has intermittent light primer hits and I feel it is a headspace issue as it is only occasionally and everything else has been ruled out. There is a sentimental reason to keep it which is why the owner lives with the problem. For the price, I would go with many of the used guns over a CZ at this point. I just can't get myself to trust them enough.

Hazen....

Have given your question a lot of thought, but not sure I will be of much help. I see SxS as extremely individualistic. One that I think is fantastic, another goes ahhhg, no big deal. I really like Parkers as long as they are on a smaller frame. Never been a fan of the Fox until I saw some of the restored ones on the Upland Journal Forum. There are more than a few over there that know their SxS. The forum owner is a dork, but many who post there are astute when it comes to the uplands and SxS shotguns. Would be good place to visit and bring up some old threads.

Then again it depends on what you want to spend. Parkers, Fox and Merkel are all good. I really like some of the Merkels. Field Grade who is one of ours has a beauty. Then there are the Parker Reproductions. I have one that I really like which is a 20/16 two barrel set. I shot more than a little game with it and finally had the stock refinished. They seem on the small side compared to the originals, but are exact copies. One problem for you may be their LOP which is short. Another exception would be their case hardening. It is not the real deal and will wear of rather easily with not all that much use. However, guns international has had some for sale that were Tom Skeuse's personal guns that have a longer LOP. Tom Skeuse is the fellow behind White Flyer clay targets and the one who had the Parker Reproductions built. Most of his had stellar wood.

You said you have been down the Beretta trail, but have you seen this one? It also can be had with a pistol grip. Looks nice from here and so far I have resisted the temptation to go and handle one.

http://www.beretta.com/en/486-parallelo/

Not much help, but a nice SxS that one likes is never a bad choice.

battue, thank you for your time and effort.. I will look this one over...

B. this looks great.. I would like to handle one .. Thanks..

For that kind of money you’d think they’d give you both triggers.....😉

New 2 trigger SxS are almost as rare as stick shift trucks.

I was originally thinking $3-400, which would put me in the Savage 311 budget. However, after looking what another $400 would buy I'm thinking I'd have to spend $7-800 minimum to get something I really liked. Those Ugartechea's that R_H_Clark posted look pretty nice. I'll have to stew on it for a little bit since I'm not a real serious bird hunter.

Thanks everyone for your responses. You've given me some things to read into.

Nice gun, but comes only with single triggers. If steel shot capability is not required, I'd get a Fox Sterlingworth. A 12 gauge would be at the upper end of your (revised) budget. A 20 would be considerably more, but much nicer carrying; no small consideration in a grouse and/or pheasant gun.

I shot a SXS uggie with double triggers as a teen for my first bird gun and for many years afterward. Several years ago I decided I had to have a Beretta O/U. I never did get use to a single trigger. I never could get off a second shot because I could never find the second trigger. I was fine when I was thinking about it but in the field I would hunt for the second trigger every time. On a long shot I hunted for the back trigger and every second shot,so I missed every long shot and every second shot with that beautiful little single trigger O/U.

Your best bet is if you can find a good used one like the ones listed.
Around 30 years ago I got a 1961 Beretta Silverhawk for $175. It was/is in kind of rough condition but I've hunted and shot the heck out of it.

If you can't find a good used one in your price range there are some new ones to look at.
CZ are probably what I would look at getting. I think they are Huglu.
Academy Sports sells a Huglu sxs shotgun they branded "Yildiz".
Stoeger also sells a budget sxs.
Sometimes Charles Daly has sxs shotguns made by various manufacturers.

I started with a pump gun and that's all I ever used for many years. It's use became so ingrained and subconscious, it took me awhile to get used to the sxs. The first few times I used it, I kept trying to pump the damn thing between shots. I haven't used the sxs now in a few years and have gone back to my preferred pump guns exclusively. If I switched back to the double now, I'd probably be trying to pump it for that second shot again.

I really like the 3rd fastener Ugartechea's. They were called the best of the workingman's SXS for years. I've bought them for $500. Cabela's might even take a $100 less if you make an offer. I've negotiated with them before. Ask to speak to the gun room manager for whichever location the gun is in and make an offer. It needs to be more of an I'll pay this right now,than an will you take $$$ for it. Either works but ask all your questions before the offer and be committed to buy when you offer.

You can likely find a used one even cheaper at Gunbroker or maybe even any used dealer. I've had good experience with Cabela's in returning a SXS that had been altered and possibly unsafe. The issue only appeared after 30 days and only with some ammo but they still returned all my money after the issue was verified.To me that was worth paying an extra $100. No guarantee though as to how they would handle anything. I would just rather deal with reputable dealers than individuals even if the price is a little more. I look at it as insurance.

Point being,take some time,educate yourself as to what is considered quality,and start looking. You might find a real jewel for no more than $50-$100 more than your initial $400 budget

Just for fun,here's my latest find. A really nice 12 ga Merkel from the 80's. 28" fixed chokes.IC and M. Sorry for the bad picture.

The Suhl built German guns can be found or good prices.

Merkel obviously, but look or Simson, Sauer, Fortuna, and I;m sure there are one or two others I'm missing.

👍

I would consider the Browning BSS or Ithaca / SKB 200 the 870 of SXS.
No double triggers on these two.
Here`s a good deal.
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...2430/browning-b-ss-12-gauge#Post13192430

Single trigger, no barrel selector. Defeats the whole reason for being of a double.

Browse the Cabela's gun library and check out some of the classic Spanish side by sides. They are nice looking a good value.

http://gun.home.cyberverse.com/

Sorry I forgot before.

Try here . . . https://www.757arms.com/c-4-sxs.aspx

Karl's a good guy to deal with. Bought a Simson SxS 12ga from Karl a while back and converted it to a 450/400 NE double rifle.

Very nice! I have not found anything in a Cabela's gun room even close to reasonably priced, though. And I go in fairly often.

A Lefever Nitro Special is a good gun but you need to check for excessive wear before making a purchase. They are in a class about like the Stevens 311 to me but maybe a little less clubby.

Looking at this site, the OP has several options under $1k and alot under $1500.
If I could convince myself I would use a double, this would have me buying a Merklel.
But, I really don't use the shotguns I have.

Savage 311, Rugged, clunky and handles like a 2x4. Sounds like an 870 to me.

12 or 13 years ago I was looking for the same type of shot gun for rabbit hunting. I bought a new Stoeger Uplander in 28 ga. It became my favorite bunny gun. It's a no frills double gun with 2 triggers. I used it 2 to 3 times a week rabbit hunting in the winter and occasionally I take it to the skeet range. Mine has fixed chokes but I think the new ones have choke tubes. After years of rough use it's holding up fine and still locks up as tight as it was when it was new. It's just a sample of 1 but I'm quite happy with mine.
https://www.stoegerindustries.com/uplander-field-shotgun

Lee

There are many more American made SxSs than what's been brought up. How about Remingtons, Lefevers, Ithacas, or L.C.Smiths just to name a few. I have Parkers, Lefevers, and a dozen or so Remingtons. They all have double triggers. Buying used doubles is more like a crap shoot if you don't know what to look for. Dangle the barrels with you finger under the under-lug and tap them with a quarter up and down the barrel. Somewhere around the middle it should sound like a bell ringing. This will tell you the ribs are tight against the barrels. See if you can wiggle the barrels up and down or sideways when it's closed. If tight it's "on face." Put a couple of empties in the chambers, close the gun and pull the triggers. Are the trigger pulls ok and did you hear the firing pins hit the empty shells ? Look at the muzzle and see if the barrels are touching. This is a good indication the barrels haven't been cut which would remove the chokes. Not bad if you want a grouse gun and a good bargaining point to lower the cost. Check for cracks around the sidelocks or receiver. L. C. Smiths are known for this. These items should get you around most problems with older doubles. I probably shouldn't say it, but Damascus barrel guns are safe to shoot. All my doubles have Damascus barrels except three 1894 Remington trap guns. I reload and keep the pressures under 9000psi, more for respect for the 100+ year old wood in the stocks than for the barrels. If you're interested, the Parker web site [ www.parkergun.org ] in their reloading forum has many safe loads for the old SxSs. RST and a couple of other shell manufactures also make low pressure loads. Good luck. Paul

Check this out, just purchased this one because I'm a Savage rifle nut- cylinder/modified chokes, double triggers, "99% condition", $305 shipped to my FFL. I'm pretty jacked about it. Interesting conversation piece.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/792414415

If I buy a firearm from the Gun Library, I always make a lower offer. More often than not, they accept.

X2 and I rarely find anything in the gun library close enough for me to visit. How much they will take all depends on how long they have had it and what real market price is.

I was trying to buy a nice used o/u recently, and every gun I called and gave an offer for was already sold.

Excellent advice!

I have my dad's old Steven's 311 in 16 ga M/IC . . . It obviously has sentimental value, and is the first shotgun I ever fired as a young boy. It is still a fine, trouble-free quail/dove/pheasant/duck gun. 16 is the ticket with this shotgun. It is slim, sleek, and relatively light weight.

28 Dec 2018

Ugartechea ~ 221 ~ 12 Ga.

That's for sure a beauty.

Extremely hard to go wrongon the Simson / J.P. Sauer shotguns. Undervalued classics.
Bang for the buck may be best out there.