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A couple years ago, I won a SXP on a raffle. I didn’t need it and returned it. I had an O/U itch and got a used TriStar. I shot it on some trap and shot pretty well. Took it out for pheasants and noticed I had issues getting the safety to disengage that cost me a couple opportunities.
I figured out there is enough play in it that you can push it forward without getting it all the way released. As a result the gun won’t fire. The safety is a combo barrel selector, right for bottom barrel, left for top. I tried to be more conscientious with it and would take the safety off when my dog was on point instead of part of my mount.
Yesterday, I had the issue in spades. Once, bottom barrel fired and top barrel wouldn’t. Tried swapping my chokes and moving it to fire top first. Same problem getting the safety off. Cost me at least four birds yesterday.

I have been shooting a shotgun 30 years and this is my first O/U. I have other shotguns, but not sure what to do with this one. I got it as a cheap way to see if I liked an O/U. I shot a round of sporting clays with a Browning 725, loved it.

I’ve hunted with a lot of different shotguns over the years and never had problems like this.

Buy a better quality O/U.

All of the inexpensive O/U and S/S, Italian, Spanish and now Turkish, suffer the same problem, poor triggers. If the triggers work when new, the only question is how long before they quit. Even the expensive brands sometimes struggle to get the triggers right. The entry level makers don't stand a chance.

You would be money ahead to find a used Beretta or Browning, maybe an SKB. It will be worth more when/if you ever decide to part with it than now.

I have never understood why people who shoot well with a quality semi-auto or pump, "trade up" to a cheap O/U?

No doubt, my 28 year old 870 Wingmaster is a much better shotgun. My grandfather’s A5 “light twelve” another example of lasting quality. Either one would’ve brought home those birds had I been carrying them. I don’t take the A5 much as it’s priceless to me and I don’t want to damage it.

I had also considered a Franchi but think it’s Browning for me, they just feel better to me than the Beretras I’ve handled. I’ve shot a number of Browning shotguns in 10,12,16,and 20ga (A5s, BPS, Maxus, 725) but never a Beretta.

I’m glad I have basically nothing into the TriStar. I don’t think I will get much for it either.

Amen. And you didn't even mention typically divergent POIs.

Re safetys. Have similar issue with Browning H-type selectors. Have to set them to fire top first or will inevitably get stuck in the middle position taking off safe.

Don't have any like that now, and that's my advice: dump it.

hot potato....sell it.
get a better quality o&u.

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And This^^^^

Franchi's ok for a field gun? Otherwise it is a Citori or Silver Pigeon. Also considering buying a high end semi auto as all my other shotguns are pumps or semi's.

Clay target shooters shoot 1000's of rounds a year. The only field O/U's that I would be interested in are the ones that have a Target grade version that has proven durable. Beretta (686, 687, Silver Pigeon) and the Browning Citori are proven quality designs. The field guns have the same actions as the target guns, just different barrels and stocks.

I have no experience with Franchi and only negative observations with the durability of Russian/Turko-trash guns.

I agree 100%. I coached SCTP for the county I live in for several years. I always warned parents not to buy cheap O/U shotguns but every year some would do it anyway, and not one made it thru the year.

there are more quality used american guns to chose from, than the new junk line up from the euros...who sell it to us and tell its the greatest thing since puffed rice, when its not...and laugh all the way to the bank.
cheap guns were made for cheap needs. they called them tailgate guns or barn guns in the day. something to have for that one shot in a barn that you needed maybe once a year. they sold them in hardware stores and were considered no different than a rake or a hammer.
if youre going to dance, get dance shoes, not muck boots.

Many threads on TS.com, most derogatory. I've only seen one at the three clubs where I shoot and the owner didn't have it long. The semi autos are a few degrees better. I have two high school team youth shooting TriStar Vipers and they seem to be holding up. Huglu shotguns are also Turkish an and crudely finished and clunky. There is another Turk that, in the higher grades, is supposed to be close to a Perazzi. No personal experience and the lower grades $700) are cheaply made.
Browning or Beretta.

Yildiz is an exact Perazzi clone....Most times the barrel will interchange and everything works. Yildiz barrels are thought to be better than Perazzi, in that they are silver soldered vs soft. Perazzi has a problem when shot hot with the ribs and mid-ribs coming loose. Yildiz is a good shotgun, however you will pay more than a Tristar.

https://yildizsilah.com/tr/mainpage.html

I had problems getting the "H" style safety stuck in the middle on a bird rise on a couple different Browning Citoris, one a 20 ga standard model and the other a beautiful 16 ga Gran Lighting. Much prefer my Beretta 686 20 as a hunting gun...just push the safety forward versus ensuring it is fully right or fully left before pushing it forward. The Beretta 20 ga is a much sleeker action to carry in the field as well versus the Citori 20 ga. Butot each their own!

After a fairly long relationship with two barreled shotguns. I bought 4 Winchester 101s in 1966 and hunted with sxs's starting in 1957.

If you have two barrels on your HUNTING shotgun you need two triggers, no barrel switching mechanism to fail, either inertia or mechanical. Instant barrel selection and a much simplified mechanism.

Competition shooters rarely even use the safety

Barrel switching in the field is mostly overrated.
IC will take care of most everything out to the distance of mosts abilities to be consistent.

With a good point it will kill everything inside 40 yards. And most upland Birds are killed inside 40 yards.

Tis true, but most don't want to believe it, as it runs contrary to ego.

Learned my lesson a couple of years ago with a CZ Redhead Premier All Terrain. Bought a LN used 725 Field 12ga for twice the price, and it’s been perfect. The mechanical triggers eliminate the occasional whoopsie that happens with inertia triggers, most often IME with sub-gauges.

Nothing not to like about the 725. Would like a Sporting model with longer barrels, but would need to clear out some other stuff to finance it.

I have had this “H” pattern safety problem on several guns, although not all of these safeties I have had gave me trouble. I attacked the problem in a couple ways.

The first is relatively obvious - select the gun to fire the top barrel first (not a problem with screw in choke guns, simply put the more open choke in the top barrel). I have a very nice Miroku Field grade with fixed chokes M/F, and had the top barrel opened to LM; works great.

I have had a couple of Perazzi hunting guns with this selector that gave trouble. In these, I judiciously filed an angle on the right side of the little tongue for the safety. Worked great in both cases. A couple Browning Superposed guns with which I hunt never gave me this problem, as their safety catch is a tad smaller and just feels a bit different.

Anyhow, there are ways around these “H” safety difficulties. Given a choice, I also much prefer either the Winchester Model 21 style (with selector in the trigger) or the Beretta selector in the safety catch.

Finally, as to the business of using any of these selectors when a bird takes wing, I am dubious of anyone who says they are able to do this. Me? I use the redneck selector - select the tighter barrel by shooting the more open one! The only practical barrel selector in these situations is a gun with double triggers.