Dogs and Doubles

Tag Archive for 'Over and Under'

Good gun alert: FAIR Model 600 16 gauge O/U…

by Gregg

True sixteen gauge over and under shotguns are tough to find.  By “true” I mean O/Us with actions scaled for sixteen gauge barrels. When a 16-gauge O/U is built on a 12-gauge action, it looses these handling benefits and makes itself obsolete.

16 gauge FAIR Model 600 Over & Under Shotgun
16 gauge FAIR Model 600 Over & Under Shotgun

 

This 16 gauge FAIR over-under is far from that. In fact, it’s a great double, a true step up from a 20, but lighter and quicker than a 12. FAIR shotguns were imported by New England Arms from about 1999-2005. I’ve seen a lot of them and most of them have been nice guns.

 

 

Boss’s Vertical Gun…

by Gregg

Over and Under double barrel shotguns don’t seem innovative to us. But back in the 1920s, shotguns with stacked barrels were still a new idea to most shooter. This old add from Boss shows how they sold these new-fangled things.

I like the “Vertical Gun” description, as well as the claims of “Perfect and quicker alignment, better balance, less recoil.” I’m not sure these claims are true (less recoil definitely isn’t), but that’s salesmanship for you.

Advertisement for Boss's Over and Under double barrel shotgun
Advertisement for Boss's Over and Under double barrel shotgun

Auction Alert: Fox, Ithaca & FN/Browning…

by Gregg

Good guns! Some nice double barrel shotguns are coming up to auction of the next few weeks. Here are couple side-by-sides and over-and-unders that caught my eye:

Fox A grade 20 gauge double barrel shotgun
Fox A grade 20 gauge double barrel shotgun

A.H. Fox Grade CE, 20 ga. side by side shotgun, mfg. 1927

A.H. Fox Grade A, 20 ga. side by side shotgun, 28″, mfg. 1930

Fabrique Nationale & Arms 28 Ga. O/U Shotgun

Ithaca Classic Doubles 4E 20 Gauge Shotgun

Lubricating your double-barrel shotgun…

by Gregg

I’m really liking these short videos produced by Midway USA. This next one is about how to lubricate a break open shotgun. Even though the double barrel shown is an over-and-under (a Pigeon-grade Browning, I think), the same guidelines should apply to any side-by-side, too.

Act quickly, nice doubles being auctioned off tomorrow…

by Gregg

Sorry for the late notice, but I just stumbles across this auction. It’s being held tomorrow, 8/13, in Montrose, GA, at Montrose Auctions.

20g A.H. Fox shotgun at Montrose Auctions
20g A.H. Fox shotgun at Montrose Auctions

It features over 850 firearms, including nice looking doubles like this sharp 12 gauge Francotte and this clean 20 gauge Fox A grade. The sale also includes a bunch of Parkers and Brownings, and other nice guns.

If you go here and run a search for shotguns, you see a complete list of all the doubles in the sale. So if you’re in the area, or if you’re feeling lucky enough to bid online without viewing the guns, go for it. You might get yourself a good deal and a nice double.

Chance to get a fantastic 20g Beretta O/U…

by Gregg

Starting in 1949 and running though the 1960s (and maybe later), Beretta made a line of boxlock over & under shotguns called the AS grades.

Beretta ASEL 20g Over & Under Shotgun
Beretta ASEL 20g Over & Under Shotgun

Most Beretta guys agree that they are the finest boxlock double barrel O/Us shotguns ever made by Beretta. They came in 12g and 20g and were offered in a handful of different grades and with a number of different options.

This is one of the more desirable grades & configurations: the ASEL 20 gauge. If you’re looking for a great O/U and you don’t mind a single trigger and pistol grip, it’s a great gun. Because it’s at auction, you may be able to get a good deal on it. I think $4000-$4500 is a fair price for this gun, so anything less than that is a good deal.

Here are couple of there ASELs on the market to compare this one to: a ASEL 12g and a real nice one in 20 gauge.