doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Upsurge in SxS Guns & Shooting them

Traditions are about identity and history; trust in memories of the "way things were". When the world seems to be falling apart, holding on to traditions can be comforting, and stabilizing. I think the recent coronation in Great Britain is an example.
Almost no one at Ben Avery is using a vintage double, because Arizona doesn't have that tradition. The few that do are transplants from the Midwest, where "tradition" is likely a new fangled autoloader for the big family opening day in SW Kansas in the 60s. But there was often grandpa's double in the house. And as we get older, a sense of connection to the past becomes more important.
Most of us have probably been through a bunch of pumps, SAs, and O/Us, which we shot well, but now find pleasure in using a vintage (or new) SxS, esp. when we show up the hotshots Some are even using pinfires and single shot MLs!!

I enjoy the technical changes on guns from 1870s through 1900 and I shoot the ones I have.where I live there is almost zero interest ,at local gun shows you might see one sxs I guess there is no tradition here even though everyone here is from some where else.

And less likely that your car will be stolen.

I ran into an older gent at a Federal WMA here in Minnesota, perhaps three seasons ago. We had the place to ourselves, and he was hunting with a Franci O/U that was fairly new. He bought a 12 because it was easier to get non toxic loads. He was dogless, and not far from being one of those old guys who used to hunt, in my estimation, but, I’ve been wrong before. He was very concerned that my 16 gauge Lefever Nitro Special might not have non toxic loads in it, and I’d be fined, or, worse, if the Feds checked me. I had that covered, of course.

It has been many years since I ran into anyone in a woods hunting with anything other than an auto loader or a pump, in that order. My son prefers his A5, as does a coworker who makes his land available to us a few times a season. There is a local guy who shoots his doubles at my club, but, he has a wide variety of guns, and it is just as likely that on any given day, he will have a repeater along.

Virtually no doubles at the club or in the field. Most local gun shops will not even take a double on consignment, they are packed with guns the Pepsi generation has aged out of.

If there is a revival, it missed my haunts.

Best,
Ted

My father didn't shoot S&S when I was growing up and was taught to shoot My first gun(other than an air gun) was a .22 shot moskeet pump. Many years later when Winchester Model 23's were selling cheap he bought a few of them and found he didn't shoot them well. I bought a Model 23 Grande Canadian 20 ga. from him and as said in a different post, shot loose it in Columbia and Argentina in the eighties and ninties. I fell in love with side by sides and except for trap and like games(helice and etc.) that's what I shoot. I am trying to find or make a S by S for those games too.

I've been corrupting some of the people I shoot skeet with. Five years ago I was the only one who shot skeet with a vintage SxS. While the ones I've corrupted haven't bought vintage SxS, three have bought SxS (CZ, BSS, Rock Island & Baikal) to shoot skeet with and a couple of more have dug deep into their safes and dragged out some SxS to shoot skeet and scap with. Prior to me being a bad influence, almost all of them shot skeet and the skeet league with O/U.

Exactly the way to do it. I've gotten at least 5 people to convert to nearly exclusive use of side by for hunting in recent years

Same at my club. I am the only regular SxS shooter out of 280 members. There is one other English gun shooter, but his tastes run to modern Purdey, H&W, and Holland small bore O/U’s. Nobody else at the club even appreciates his Purdey .410 O/U. Everyone likes my SxS but rarely does anyone want to shoot them when offered. I have tried to convert 2 friends, but they have “backslid” to O/U’s. There is progress…my club recently added a SxS championship shoot and I have been asked to display some of my “old guns” in the clubhouse!

True, side by side guns here in the U.K. are going for absolute bargain prices. Put an O/U 20 bore Berretta up for sale and it will go in an instant. Excellent well made English SxS boxlock guns seem to sit on Dealer's shelves for a long time. Continental boxlocks are just about unsaleable. Not complaining too much as I am adding one or two interesting things to my collection. Not as investments but just because they interest me. Any American double gun enthusiast would be like a kid in a candy shop here if they were looking for a decent boxlock. Top sidelocks still seem to command a price but Provincial ones are good value. I recently picked up a cased Robert Lisle of Derby sidelock ejector up with game scene engraving for just £600 and a boxlock ejector with 90% original finish for £175 to add to my collection of locally made guns. Lagopus.....