doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Vent ribs on side-by-sides - why???

I think the purpose is to see more sky. A substantial part of the sky below the target is blocked by the barrels. If the target is going down or I have the gun pointed too high a raised rib gives me a better chance of hitting.

I have an old Model 21 someone set up for trap with 32" barrels and a Simmons ventilated rib. Like it fine.

I have seen the heat waves off of a hot barrel distort the site picture. Like looking through the bottom of a coke bottle.

Best,

Mike

Agreed, I think they needed another UGLY option to go with rubber recoil pads and BT forearms..........that way the whole gun could be butt ugly............you know, like fat white wall snow tires on a Ferrari.........

OWD: The only S x S gun that IMHO is more attractive with a ventilated rib is the Model 21 Winchester....or at least that I have seen. It seems the market agrees because the ones with vents cost more than matted. This may be due to rarity. I believe, and at one time I was a competition shooter, that vent ribs do dissipate heat. More importantly is to remove oils from barrel prior to high volume shooting. I have seen heat waves with a vent esP on a hot day. Obviously it evolved with competition shooting in mind. Some ribs on modern guns, e.g., adjustable ribs were developed with POI in mind. Buzz

I don't see the rib at all. All I see is my target and the bead. I've had some people say I'm wrong and that I should see some of the rib. Like if I had a mid rib bead I should put the front bead on top of the rear bead. For some reason this type of sight picture/elevation does not work for me and I overshoot my target. What ever works I guess. Nothing beats a patterning board to know where you're shooting.

The Smith vent rib was introduced in 1925 and advertized as providing the 'single sighting plane' advantage

I know that I've shot more than a few times with guns that had beads knocked off the rib and didn't even notice for a long time. I think the rib/bead provide some level of reference, otherwise how would you judge lead?

Not True

Rib configuration has nothing to do w/ the POI of a shotgun. That is determined by the relative positions of the shooting eye and the centerline of the bore since it is generally considered that even if one does not look at it, the end of the bbl or front bead is guide relative to the target. All the rib does is provide a "sight picture".

I have a Mirage that I have gathered two additional bbls for. It has 70cm, 72cm, and 76cm bbls. The 70 has a flat rib, the 72 a 2mm step and the 76 a 4mm step. Vastly different "sight pictures", but they all shoot to the same POI because the front beads are all the same height relative to bore center and that is my target sighting ref for the pattern board.

Draw your own picture if you need. You will see that you can wave the rib around all you want under the line between the eye and the front sight and it affects nothing.

have a day

Dr.WtS

Agree with WtS.

So how does a VR help with sight picture? I take it most have not shot a M21 trap model. It was a revelation for me. The VR definitely helps with rising targets, especially those obliquely rising (trap teals, too). Frankly, if I ordered a purpose-built NSCA double I'd have a VR. The VR sets the eyes higher above the vision-obstructing bbls. I can see no downside to it........well, aside from aesthetics.......as that elevation would not hurt me on crossers and droppers. All else equal, the rib will add weight up front which needs to be factored.

Sam

They were put on to appeal to those who thought they looked good and bought them with though it would make them better shots. It was also done to try to make the guns more atractive to the generation that hade grown up with OU's .Like all things a good sales man can make a convincing sounding pitch,lets face it a lot of shooters are a sucker for a gimmick and gunmakers trying to get sales will pander to these wants .
Some may and indeed many have called me a cynic but I have offten said that if a winner of the Olympic gold medal for shooting had a wooden leg .........

I saw two LC's this week that look like the one in Drew's pic. Both were long barreled Specialty grades with vent rib and factory beavertail forends. One had 32" barrels, a Miller trigger, safety slot filled with red 'stuff' and no buttplate or recoil pad. Somehow I missed bidding on this one. I don't know what I was doing at the time, but I wasn't paying attention.

The second has 30 or 32" barrels, Hunter One trigger and a factory beavertail. It was so badly rusted one of the breach balls was almost gone. Barrels were pitted and one so full of spider webs, you couldn't see through it. I think it sold for $50. I didn't bid....