If you are “looking right down the rib” it should put up to 50% of the pattern below the POI. Some folks like that.
For some reason that does not make sense to me 30” M21’s 20 gauges always seem to shoot lower than expected. I’ve owned several and they all did. It’s even mentioned in the m21 book. The factory barrel makers called it “putting up” the barrels which was an acceptable way of saying bending them.
The good thing about a SXS is that you can get your head position well over the barrels and not lose “barrel reference” like you do with an O/U.
On any SXS I suggest very closely checking barrel convergence prior to buying. It’s amazing how many do not shoot to the same point.
I was told by a very knowledgeable, old time SXS competition shooter that Winchester chokes were always on the open side so that differences in barrel impacts were harder to detect. Example, Winchester full choke in a m21 12 ga were .031-.033 where as a Browning of the same vintage is often over .040.
Last edited by Richard Hale; 06/28/26 06:58 PM. Reason: Added content.
