SxS Sells

Having discussed the practical pump and soft-shooting autoloader, it’s time to scale the social ladder and chat about the side-by-side. The side-by-side has an aura that the others lack. Shooting driven birds at Lord Twiddlebotham’s manor in Upper Ascot, Frothing-on-Slosh, Yorkshire, is hardly the province of common “magazine” guns. The over/under, although acceptable today, is not the stuff of Riponesque legends. In the glory days the side-by-side ruled. When you think of a British “best,” it’s the side-by-side that comes to mind, not the equally well built O/Us from the same companies.

Looks have a lot to do with it. Nothing is sleeker than a long-barreled double with an English stock, splinter forend and swamped rib nestling down between the barrels. I’ve always found the smaller curved receivers of the Dickson and McKay Brown round-actions to be the epitome of pinup shotguns, but others might prefer the traditional sidelock look of Purdey or H&H. 

I won’t argue the point that adding a pistol grip, heavy beavertail forend or raised vented rib may add some real or perceived practicality to the side-by-side. The American market certainly leaned that way with many of the Parkers, Model 21s, Foxes and Elsies. Of course all side-by-side guns aren’t gorgeous. I’ve seen some Iron Curtain examples more suited to peasant tilling than pheasant killing.

Looks aside, what’s the point of the side-by-side? Why do people like to shoot them? Are they really any better at anything? Is there a concrete advantage to them?

We may all have a different take on this, but I’ve always felt that my side-by-side guns excelled at quick short-range shooting, especially in heavy cover. Translation: grouse and woodcock.

There’s absolutely no reason why a side-by-side should have lighter barrels than an O/U, but the ones I pick always seem to. That makes them fast on the short stuff but a little less steady on longer shots. The barrels of the side-by-side sit much lower in the forehand for a very natural quick point. The comparatively broad side-by-side barrels make it a little easier for me to pick out my barrels against heavy, dark, pine backgrounds. Naturally one doesn’t aim at grouse, but it is helpful to see the barrel blur in your peripheral vision. On the downside, the same barrel width makes it more difficult for me to be precise on long shots, where I tend to aim a little more than I should.

Double or single trigger on the side-by-side is always an interesting choice. On a 12-gauge, I usually want two triggers in case I need to go to the rear one first in the more open country for which a 12 is suited. But if the gun is a very light sub-gauge, I’ll opt for a single trigger because my trigger-switching technique is a little klutzy and I sometimes jiggle a light gun when groping for the second trigger. That’s why I set up my 5-pound 10-ounce RBL 28-gauge quail gun with a single trigger and light 3.5-pound pulls. We’ll see if that impresses Mr. Bob come January at Quail Country.

How does the side-by-side compare to the other three actions for shooting? Generally side-by-side guns are a rarity in the clay games because most shooters feel that the O/Us and autoloaders are better. Twenty years ago I set up a handicap system for the Connecticut Travelers Sporting Clays Association. The goal was to encourage people to enjoy competing with their hunting guns. We gave pumps and side-by-side guns a five-target head start in a 100-bird race, and that has worked out to be pretty fair over the years. Then again, if you have ever been to the Vintage Cup and seen Chuck DeVinne with his Model 21 or Andy Duffy with his Elsie, you’d think that I should have given the side-by-side a five-bird penalty, not advantage. It’s an Indian, not an arrow, thing.

How do you feel about the side-by-side? Why do you shoot them or why don’t you? And don’t tell me that you needed something to go with your new breeks, knee socks and flashes. There is more to the side-by-side than that.

Next time I’ll talk about the O/U.

Boots off. Beer open.