Who shoots double trigger shotguns?

[flightsimmer]

I'm trying to get used to a double trigger shotgun and I'm having difficulty getting used to them.
Is there a proper technique?

 

[dekeshooter]

Long time SxS shooter here.

American made guns with fixed chokes are set up for the front trigger to fire to more open choked barrel and the rear trigger the tighter choked barrel. Some European guns are set up in the opposite way if the gun is to be mainly used for shooting driven birds since the first shot will generally be the longer one.

Also, the trigger offset is designed for right hand shooters with the front trigger set to the right of center and the rear trigger to the left of center. This makes double trigger guns especially difficult for a lefty to shoot. Doubles set up for left handlers are available but the are a very expensive proposition.

If the gun uses choke tubes, install a choke that will most likely match the shot you expect to see first in the right barrel and a choke that will match the second shot in the left. The best case scenario is that the front trigger will be the one you pull first, and your finger will naturally fall back to the rear trigger for your second shot.

I prefer double triggers on a hunting gun since it lets me pick the choke I want instantly by moving my finger to the proper trigger rather than having to move a selector on a single trigger gun. With practice, moving your finger to the second trigger is nearly as fast as shooting a single trigger gun. On a sporting clays course I want a single trigger gun because you will set up the gun before you shoot the station and only have to think about pulling the trigger since you made your choke and barrel decisions beforehand.

 

[t-squared]

One of the cool things about some double trigger scatterguns is that if the barrels are choked differently, say IC and Mod, you can instantly choose the more appropriate pattern for the distance of your shot. Say Mr Rooster sat tight for you...use the IC barrel first instead of the Mod.
Some guns are choked the same so most use the forward trigger first then use the rear one....it just seems to be more natural to hit the forward one first. Sliding your trigger finger off of your index, say the edge if the trigger guard, and past the first trigger to get to the rear one takes a bit of practice but it can get to be second nature with lots of reps.

Gil Ash explains how you can practice it here....[video=youtube;iaWrEd_HeKI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaWrEd_HeKI[/video]

 

[Mongo59]

O/U shooters tend to want the first shot from the lower barrel. They feel it is more in line and causes less muzzle rise for an easier second shot.

With the screw in chokes it can be set up to allow either flush or driven hunting.

My experience is this is more a confidence issue than a realistic one, but I didn't burn through thousands of shells like most of them have...

 

[Sigblitz]

My wife and I like to exercise the LC Smith with some low recoil rifled slugs. It will shoot the button off a shirt.
You were asking about technique. Some things I do is pull the gun into my shoulder with the fore stock. This keeps me from anticipating the recoil, so it may be just a mental exercise. I could make an argument it keeps the end of the barrel steady.
Another thing I do is keep my thumb forward instead of up. This keeps my hand from flexing when I take the shot and it doesn't throw the shot off. Also breathing is important. I always shoot on the exhale when I want it to count.
If you're not sure how your gun is choked, a digital caliper and a chart off the internet will tell you.
I use low recoil brass to protect the stock and chamber, and shoot lead. It's a hoot to shoot.

 

[two70]

IMO, with a double trigger shotgun it's not about technique so much as practice, lot's and lot's of practice. When every other repeating firearm you've ever fired is operated by pulling the same trigger again for each subsequent shot it is only natural that the transition to a double trigger is not going to be easy or seem natural. You just have to practice enough that it becomes second nature.

 

[flightsimmer]

From what I've read so far, all of you indicate the use of only the index finger.
I've played with using two fingers, index on the front and the next finger on the rear trigger but that of course usually results in firing both barrels at the same time so I will have to stop doing it that way and just get used to using my index finger only.

Do to an accident when I was a kid, I lost my right eye, but I am right handed also and that forces me to shoot left handed.

I recently purchased a coach gun and have been trying to get used to it on the skeet range. The chokes are not changeable but are standard for a coach gun I think,
i.e. Imp. cyl. on the right and Mod. on the left. It's a very nice gun and performs well. With slugs, both barrels hit the center of the bullseye at 25 yards and it patterns good on the still board.

 

[Methane Herder]

A short barrel double, Skeet bored 12 gauge, w/double trigger and a hallway, should be an intruders worst nightmare.....and who ever has to clean it up.

MH

 

[indiucky]

Longtime side by side guy here...I always pull the first trigger first and then let my finger fall back to the second and decide whether I need that other shot or not...

 

[bgcatty]

I love double trigger shotguns! I've got three 1950's vintage Marlin Model 90 over-under shotguns in 12, 16, and 20 gauge. The 16 gauge is my preferred upland bird hunting shotgun. All three are choked modified and full and make for quick shooting second longer distance shots. The 16 gauge was my first shotgun given to me by my Dad when I was 17 and that was many decades ago.