Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game OU Question: Upland Game

Is it better to have an OU with ejectors, not extractors, or is it just as easy to hunt with either extractors or ejectors?

I have a 20 GA with extractors and wish it had ejectors. Just looking for more input.

Extractors can be a pain if you are trying to reload quickly, especially if you have gloves on.

I prefer ejectors. I catch the hulls in my hand and put them in my pocket so as to not litter with them.

Don't find either a problem. If you need to reload quicker switch to a Auto or Pump.

If the shots are coming fast or a competition gun then ejectors....If I have to catch them, then put them in my pocket, no time has been gained, if quick is a priority.
Catching requires two pockets...one to put them and one to get live rounds...Two separate actions....If not then you end up having empties mixed in with live....

For the vast majority of field situations I would rather have extractors...something less to break. However, most two barrels today come standard with ejectors....


Addition: As far as walk around hunting, neither will make or break a season....unless one is fortunate enough to go to Europe and shoot driven Birds,,,,

IMO, for an upland hunter that wants to PU his shells, I favor extractors. Now if you were a waterfowler in a large box blind and could count on the empties staying in the blind, them maybe an ejector for slightly faster shooting.

In my opinion its all about personal preference. I prefer ejectors. I catch the hulls, throw them in my bird bag, and grab reloads.

I find a gun with extractors a pain in the neck, in either hunting or target shooting. In both cases, I use the ejectors to kick the hulls into my hand, which is often gloved. I hate to leave empties on the ground. With extractors, it’s a pain, more so with gloves on.

I won’t own a double without automatic ejectors (nor will I own a gun with an automatic safety, but that’s another subject).

I've deactivated the ejectors on all of my doubles.
If shooting is going to be that fast and I feel like chasing hulls after I shoot I'll grab a auto.

I don’t chase them (with ejectors) ever; they pop in my right hand.

I'm for extractor's, hate to have a shell hit the ground. Of course you can cover the breech with yiur off hand and catch them coming out. But forget and the shells hit the ground! I have three AyA's that came with ejectors, I removed them and not it's extractors. Gun's all open a lot easier without the ejectors. Really it's probably more a matter of what you like than anything else! I also have two CZ's and they came with extractors.

I prefer ejectors for hunting & manual safety for clay targets .

Ejectors..never found them to be a problem...catch the empty, or empties, with right hand, place in upper pocket of vest, pull out two reloads from the bottom. ZIP, ZIP. Course I`ve had lots of practice.

this. That would be about number 20 on a list of my concerns bird hunting.

I have both on my sis's and os's and never cost me a shot

So do you catch the hulls coming out of your semiauto?

Another vote for ejectors. I like having the empties shoot into my hand and then throw the hulls in my pocket. Although I think my next gun will be a CZ Bobwhite which is extractors.

I like ejectors. I can choose to either hold my hand over the empties and then pull them, or keep my hand away and let them clear the gun.

There are very few hunters that shoot semi-auto or pumps in the field that go back and pick up spent hulls, the O&U or SXS hunters are better at cleaning up after themselves in the field, and are usually better shots than the semi-auto and pump shooters, not trying to piss anyone off, but this is what we see every year guiding Quail and Dove hunters. Rio7

Don't know what the big deal is about picking up empties off the ground. I shoot a semi-auto and try to chase down all my hulls. I also pick up every empty that other people leave, as well as wads when I find them. Hulls and wads are litter and I can't stand litter. When I lived in the desert I picked up 1000's of hulls left behind by dove hunters, to say that made me angry is an understatement.

ryoushi, You are an exception, Thank you. Rio7

You're welcome! Sometimes we hunters are our own worst enemy, I'm just trying to do my part to counter that.

Was always taught to pick up empties.

Turkey hunting, waterfowl, small game, upland or doves.

Pick em up when you can.

I don't want trash in my yard so I try not to leave it where I go.

Depends on the game and type of shooting. With ruffed grouse and woodcock, you don't usually don't get a chance to shoot more than 2 shots and miss.

I prefer extractors for this as it saves me picking up empties of the ground, assuming that others don't leave empties lying around as well. With the ejectors I always just put my hand over the chambers to save picking up.

Anyone who uses a pump or semi for upland is a reprobate. This explains much about what they do in the field. Most likely to find beer cans mixed with those empty hulls.

Kiss my reprobate ass. My humpback Sweet 16 has as much class and nostalgia as any of the Euro trash y'all might be toting.

And down south we pick up our empties.

<LOL> ....... Got a bite.



Nice shotgun. Belgium is in Europe you know.

Yep, just stirring the pot a little.

The mason jar was a nice touch.

Peach brandy out of KY. That was a good day. My old GSP worked hard.

My euro gun was made in Japan.

Very very nice!

And speaking of the Euro-Japan connection, if you want to have your eyes watered at quality precision assembly and exemplary fit and finish work, take a close look (inside and outside) at the Miroku Charles Dalys of the late sixties and early seventies.

In either O/U or SxS configurations, they are superb, easily the peer to anything to come out of Belgium (and I’ve owned and used a lot of Belgian Supers over the years).

Yup .... I had a Charles Daly Miroku several years ago. It was a 20ga O/U and was a fine shotgun, all the equal of any other working gun I've owned. I'm pretty much stuck on the SKBs so it went down the road, but do regret selling it.

I was taught the same. When I leave a pasture, no one should be able to tell I was there. Hasbeen

My Benelli o/u ejects the fired, extracts the unfired. I thought that is how most all o/u's worked?

My 1968 Winchester and 1967 Miroku built Charles Daley ejects empties and extracts unfired rounds as well. I think that's how all the ejector guns work if I'm not mistaken.

You are referring to selective ejectors; eject the spent ones, not the live ones. Most doubles have these, O/U and SxSs. Those guns which don’t are called extractor guns.

I did have a lightweight Italian O/U, two triggers and non-selective eje tors. Handi to carry at right at 6#, killed game efficiently but is sure wasn't a high volume gun as it would leave you black and blue and too nice to butcher up the stock. It was 40+ years ago, I'm pretty sure it was a Breda.

Darne had a very interesting selective ejector system on their sliding breech sxs's, only drawing the fired shell come.pletely out of the chamber. You could either tip the gun a little and it would roll of the water table or you could just pick it off.

I think I like extractors a little better. Much easy to police the brass. Plus, where I hunt, after my two shots the birds are long gone anyway. A quick reload after ejectors have shot the shells on the ground doesn't help me much.

I’m exactly opposite, won’t have an extractor gun, and none of my empties hit the ground. It’s an easy trick to catch them when the ejectors fire, stuff them in a pocket.

If you like your O/U, having ejectors is no big deal most of the time. An exception would be on a hot and heavy dove hunt, where ejectors would be preferable.

Model 37s throw empties at or near one's feet; easy to find and pick up empties. Should I change my screen name to Reprobate?

I find ejectors more of a pain on the trap or skeet field than extractors. While hunting I don't have a favorite but I do like not loosing hulls I can reload. While ejectors are faster I don't know if it practically makes a difference in the field. Maybe for some it does. For me if I need faster reloads or more shells I have multiple pumps and semi autos for that. All three of my SxS are extractor guns though I use to have a Browning O/U that had ejectors. For me ejectors are not really a plus or a minus.

My SXS's and O/U's all have their ejectors intact, as does my single-barrel trap gun. I catch my fired hulls without even thinking about it. Do I drop one once in a while? Yeah, probably, but if I were so infirm as to be unable to bend over and pick up an empty once in a while I should probably just stay home. On those occasions I shoot a round of sporting clays with my duck gun (Beretta auto, my only repeater) I pick up my hulls before leaving a station.

I have never given it much thought really. My main bird gun is a SxS with extractors, but I also shoot some with ejectors

It's an old habit to open the gun with the heel of my right hand and ever the shells pop I to my hand or I pull them out with my first and third fingers.
Cat

No practical difference. I try to pocket my empties anyway and either is fine. I suppose if fastest loading mattered then the ejector gun might have the edge. If I’m feelin’ plucky, I’ll eject one up in the air and catch it in my hand. Just cause I can. 😁

My shotgun career started with clay games. You very quickly get in the habit of ejecting into the hand and saving for later. I grouse hunt for birds - not a high volume affair for me - especially as I don't have a dog. So for me - ejectors work just fine on the O/U as it's muscle memory.

When duck hunting, I used an auto and policed my shells. We were primarily hunting divers with a 2 bird a day limit so 2 shots, 2 shells floating near me and I was done for the day.

American bird shooting is not much when compared to bird shooting in other places. I have traveled to various US states wing shooting plus, Chile, Peru. Paraguay, Argentina, South Africa, etc. Most of the guns built in the US are built for the US market, which is set for limits like 12 birds a day. If you go places where the birds are considered vermin or pests, then you will run into guns built to last hundreds of thousands of rounds and for very differing speeds of shooting, in thousands not in dozens of shots per day. To shoot 2,000 rounds per day, requires some speed.

I was on my 8th trip to Argentina when the outfitters around Cordoba switched from Benellis to Berettas. The gas guns are easier shooting, the cleaning was done by bird boys with gasoline and labor is cheap. But on my prior trip, the 2nd trip I noticed a marked difference in speed of shooting, counting shells and the actual bird count between my 391 Beretta Urika sporting gun and my 20ga 32" Browning Ultra XS sporting gun. The Citori was faster, mostly due to no stopping the bird shooting to reload the tube. So I shot only one gun on one day VS the other gun on another day. The O/U select barrel, ejector was faster than the 391 on actual birds down and shots fired, both in a high volume shoot, count by the day and over 10 days. After considerable thought, drinking lemonade at the end of day, it was the tube reloads, so tried a shorter string, not shooting the 391 dry, still slower, must turn it to load it.

So when my son returned from one of his outings, to the vacation sand box. 23 tours in Para-Rescue. I told him, if he made it back alive, I would take him to Argentina with me on a 10 day bird trip, all on me. Asked him, which guns he wanted, the autos or the O/Us, so he opted for the autos, 391 Urika sporting guns in 20ga, two Silver side ported Sporting guns. We did the set up for him on both guns and he shot a round of Sporting Clays the day before we left, was pretty even.

I shoot the Browning Citori Sporting guns in Sporting Clays and the bird fields both, they are built like a Patton tank, and are very fast. So I told the son on the plane ride down that I would beat his shell and bird count at the end of our trip, naw you will not beat me! So he was 485 birds and shots behind by the end end of 10 days. He is very fast and accurate, Dad paid the shell bill, which was, smoking.

Oh, I did break a Beretta Silver Pigeon O/U in the pigeon fields of South Africa, the steel actuator arm on the for-end snapped right off. Rendering the gun an engraved wall hanger. You do not take American guns to these places unless you have a sack full of extra parts or a half dozen extra guns with you. My Brownings, each gun, have hundreds of thousands of rounds through them.

By the by, buying a shotgun comes in stages, the first $1,000 gun really hurts, the first $5,000 gun gets your attention, after that it is easy, like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer you get used to it. :-)

In the heat of the wing-whacking fervor, the last thing I want to fret over is chasing hulls.

If you have ejectors and the situation requires speed, you have it, and can pick up the hulls later. Otherwise, catch and pocket them.

My Henry .410 SS really tosses the empties, and loaded ones too! Non-selective ejectors are a PITA.

i try to find my hauls when i hunt . i trap shoot with a Perazzi TM3, my friend uses a Alferman for trap he also picks his hulls up , he wins plenty state titles too , but the both of us when we bird hunt we use auto`s .

Depends on what you like. I have three AyA's what had ejjectors and I removed them all. Didn't really need to but have having shells I'm gonna reload hit the ground is for me a no-no and 28's are awful expensive for field loads, I hate not being able the find one! Of course the answer, if you like, is to simply put your off hand over the barrels and catch shells being ejected, that works but I simply prefer the extractors.

Ejectors any day of the week and twice on opening days. Mb

Agreed Bob, its not even a close call. Ejectors for the win.

From Shotguns by Keith:

On a properly made gun there is a joy to the shooter, when he opens the piece and hears the soft punk of the ejectors kicking the empties clear of the gun. If you do not have ejectors, you are certain to get in a hot corner sooner or later while birds raise all around you and just when you should be dropping a couple more rounds in the gun you will be fumbling with those empty cases, trying to get them out of the gun the while you watch one beautiful opportunity after another fade away on fast wings.

No....Remember if you happen to leave one empty lying on the ground, you are a slop hunter and make the rest of them look bad. You MUST pick up every shell. It is the new rule.

Remember those Lewis and Clark boys were carving their names on rocks...Indians were drawing pictures on prehistoric rock. Its a shame they just didn't know.


Addition. More than once Grouse have decided to come out in one or two, followed be another one or two. Then you may be trying to mark down falls and watch the Dog retrieve. As far as i know, those empties may still be there. I admit it....I'm a slob..

One time I was trying to get a Bic lighter into the chamber after missing the first Bird that came out....It was followed by 6 more and I never could get that Bic to chamber and shoot.

If more birds might flush, faster than I can catch and pocket the empties, I always tilt the gun so they eject on the ground right next to me—hard to lose an empty this way.

Today the Autoloader is at least an 80 percent user favorite. And they throw them into places you could be spending an hour to unsuccessfully find one.

You’re properly lined up in a Pheasant walk thru a field. Stopping to look for errant empty, causes an unnecessary safety issue.

The whole, with exceptions like a Dove shoot, gentleman pick up their shells is mostly BS.

Have an AYA light 12 ga game gun 2 triggers and extractors it carries nice about 7 #'s. But while trying to quickly get it reloaded as Keith said opportunities are lost. On the the other hand my AYA Matador II 10 ga has 2 triggers and ejectors with a pair of rds between your fore end hand fingers it's you be gettner time. Like anything else practice and modifying what you do for the best result is the best plan. Shoot what you like but strive for proficiency..mb

I absolutely hate ejectors, always have. Just a personal pet peeve with shotguns. Closely followed by rubber recoil pads.

I've picked up plenty of hulls that weren't on a dove field . . .

As evidenced by the background cover in some of the previous pictures, policing every shell thrown by an autoloader in a woodcock covert is an exercise in futility . . . not that I haven't tried it. Once was enough, though. . . .

Ejectors!

America is more libertarian than the UK or the continent. Individualism and the rights of the individual (as long as it lasts) are at the heart of our founding documents. This also has its bad side. Barring rules and regulations on every individual’s actions and his property, it gives rise to ugly and decaying properties and the refuse we can find in every state.

I’ve hunted the golden Pheasant Lands of SD for decades, and while spotting a spent shotgun hull is not uncommon, by no means is the ground littered with them even on lands shot from October through January year after year.

Unless you have another guy perpetually on your hip to quickly reload your gun as in the uplands and Heather of England, you will miss many, many opportunities, on pheasants anyway. Some spent shotgun hulls on the ground are the very least of our worries

But, it’s nice to have the freedom to choose.

Spot on.