Hunting & Sport: Your Guide to the Best Over-Under Shotguns

Before we dive into specific guns, let’s cover the basics that separate over-unders from the pack. If you’re already familiar with O/U mechanics, feel free to skip ahead to our buying guide. But if you want to understand why these guns command premium prices and devoted followings, this section explains what makes them tick.

How Over-Unders Work

An over-under is deceptively simple: two barrels stacked vertically, sharing a single action that opens on a hinge. Pull the trigger once, fire the bottom barrel. Pull again (or flip the barrel selector), fire the top barrel. Open the action, shells eject (or extract, depending on the gun), reload, repeat.

The beauty lies in the details. Unlike a pump or semi-auto with their complex feeding mechanisms, an O/U has exactly two moving parts that matter: the trigger mechanism and the hinge. Fewer moving parts mean fewer things to break, jam, or malfunction when you’re knee-deep in a swamp or the temperature drops below freezing.

The barrels are typically joined by a monoblock — a solid piece of steel that houses both chambers and connects to the action. This creates a rigid, weather-sealed platform that’s virtually immune to the feeding issues that plague magazine-fed shotguns when you’re shooting different shell lengths or cheap ammunition.

Key Advantages: Why Choose an Over-Under?

Reliability in All Conditions

When the weather turns nasty, over-unders keep working. No gas system to gum up, no magazine spring to weaken, no action to short-stroke under stress. Open, load, close, shoot. It’s that simple.

Two Chokes, Instant Selection

This is the tactical advantage that clay shooters and upland hunters love. Bottom barrel choked Improved Cylinder for close shots, top barrel Modified for longer range. Or load the bottom with #6 shot for pheasants, top with #4 for late-season roosters. Your choice, instantly available.

Superior Balance and Handling

The mass of an O/U’s action sits between your hands, not out front like a pump or semi-auto. This creates what shooters call “lively” handling — the gun pivots naturally around your grip, making fast target acquisition easier.

Single Sighting Plane

Unlike side-by-sides with their offset barrels, both tubes of an O/U are vertically aligned. Your sight picture is consistent, and most shooters find them more intuitive to aim than traditional doubles.

Honest Disadvantages: What You Give Up

Capacity Limitations

Two shots. That’s it. No quick magazine top-offs, no rapid-fire capabilities. For waterfowl hunting where three shells are legal, you’re handicapping yourself. For home defense, you’re bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Weight and Cost

Quality O/Us are expensive. Even “budget” models cost more than decent pumps or semi-autos. The precision manufacturing required for proper barrel regulation and smooth action work doesn’t come cheap.

Slower Reloads

Breaking the action, extracting empties, and reloading two chambers takes longer than stuffing shells into a magazine. In high-volume situations like dove hunting, this matters.

Shotgun Type Comparison

How do O/Us compare to other types of shotguns? Take a look:

Essential O/U Terminology

Understanding these terms will help you navigate specifications and reviews:

Monoblock: The steel block that joins the barrels and houses the chambers. Quality of monoblock construction largely determines barrel regulation (how close to each other the barrels shoot).

Ejectors vs. Extractors: Ejectors kick spent shells clear of the gun when you open the action. Extractors merely lift them partway out — you pull them free by hand. Ejectors are faster but add cost and complexity.

Selective Trigger: Allows you to choose which barrel fires first via a button or switch, usually located in the safety. Non-selective triggers fire bottom barrel first, always.

Barrel Regulation: How precisely the two barrels shoot to the same point of impact. Poor regulation means your second shot hits significantly different from your first.

Break-Action: The hinged mechanism that allows the barrels to pivot downward for loading. The quality of this joint determines how long the gun will maintain tight lockup.

Here’s where most buyers go wrong: they think one over-under can excel at everything. Sure, you can take a trap gun dove hunting, but you’re compromising performance in ways that matter more than you might think.

The Fundamental Divide

Clay sports prioritize precision and handling hundreds of rounds per session. Hunting demands portability, weather resistance, and quick handling in unpredictable conditions. These require different engineering approaches.

Clay Sports Requirements

Longer barrels (30-32″): Smoother swing and extended sight radius for consistency. That extra weight up front dampens the stopping-and-starting that kills clay scores.

Heavier weight (7.5-8.5 lbs): Absorbs recoil better when burning through multiple boxes of shells. That extra pound you curse on a pheasant hunt becomes your friend during a 100-bird sporting clays round.

Adjustable features: Combs, length of pull spacers, ported barrels, and competition triggers (2-4 lb pulls) for precision work.

Extended chokes: Precise pattern control in 0.005″ increments that don’t matter for hunting but can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Hunting Priorities

Shorter barrels (26-28″): Maneuver better in blinds and brush. The 2-4 inches you lose makes virtually no ballistic difference but significantly improves handling.

Lighter weight (6-7.5 lbs): Every ounce matters when hiking miles for upland birds. Lighter guns are faster to mount and less fatiguing.

Weather resistance: Matte finishes, simple mechanisms, and durable stocks that handle moisture and temperature swings without warping or jamming.

Practical features: 3-inch chambers for versatility, flush chokes that won’t snag, and shorter length of pull for heavy clothing.

All-Purpose Compromise

If you’re buying one gun for everything (most of us start there):

Best compromise: 28-inch barrels, 7-7.5 pounds, 12-gauge with 3-inch chambers, Modified/Improved Cylinder chokes.

What you’re giving up: Optimal clay performance (too light for high-volume shooting) and optimal hunting performance (heavier than ideal for long carries).

What you’re gaining: One gun that does everything acceptably well without requiring a second mortgage.

Keeping It Simple:

Choose clay features if: You’ll shoot more targets than birds, plan 100+ round sessions, and prioritize precision over portability.

Choose hunting features if: You’ll walk more than you shoot, need weather resistance, and typically shoot fewer than 50 rounds per outing.

Choose the compromise if: You’re buying your first O/U, budget allows only one gun, or you can’t predict which you’ll do more.

Once the addiction takes hold (and it will), most serious shooters end up with both a clay gun and hunting gun. But for now, the compromise works fine.

The heart and soul of the over-under is the hinge pin. Once it’s worn out, the gun is toast without heavy investment in gunsmith work, which is far from a cheap repair. Bear that in mind.

1. Understand The Over/Under Trigger Systems

The trigger is where the rubber meets the road in any over-under shotgun. Get this wrong, and even the finest barrels and prettiest wood won’t save you from frustration. Here’s what you need to know about the different trigger systems and why they matter more than most shooters realize.

Single Selective Trigger (SST)

This is the gold standard that most shooters want — one trigger that can fire either barrel first, depending on your selection.

How it works: A button, switch, or lever (usually integrated with the safety) lets you choose which barrel fires on the first trigger pull. Pull once for your selected barrel, pull again for the second barrel. Most systems default to bottom barrel first.

Advantages:

• Complete control over firing sequence
• Familiar feel for shooters used to single-trigger guns
• Tactical flexibility for different situations
• Professional appearance and operation

Disadvantages:

• More complex mechanism = more potential failure points
• Typically adds $200-500 to gun cost
• Selector can be accidentally moved in the field
• Some systems have heavy, inconsistent trigger pulls

Best for: Serious hunters and competitive shooters who want maximum versatility and don’t mind paying for it.

Single Non-Selective Trigger (NST)

A single trigger that fires the barrels in a predetermined sequence — almost always bottom barrel first, then top barrel.

How it works: First trigger pull fires bottom barrel, second pull fires top barrel. No buttons, switches, or selectors to mess with. Simple, reliable, predictable.

Advantages:

• Bulletproof reliability — fewer parts to break
• Usually has better trigger pull quality than SST systems
• Significantly less expensive than selective triggers
• No accidentally switching barrel sequence in the field
• Muscle memory develops quickly

Disadvantages:

• No choice in firing sequence
• If you need top barrel first, you’re out of luck
• Less prestigious than selective systems
• May limit resale value slightly

Best for: Practical hunters and budget-conscious shooters who value reliability over flexibility. Also ideal for beginners who don’t need the complexity of barrel selection.

Double Triggers

Two separate triggers — front trigger fires one barrel (usually right/bottom), rear trigger fires the other (usually left/top).

How it works: Each trigger operates independently. You consciously choose which trigger to pull for which barrel. Traditional English-style system.

Advantages:

• Ultimate reliability — completely independent systems
• Instant barrel selection with no fumbling for switches
• Each trigger can be tuned independently
• Traditional, classic appearance
• Usually the lightest, crispest trigger pulls
• Less expensive than SST systems

Disadvantages:

• Learning curve for shooters used to single triggers
• Front trigger can bite your finger under recoil
• Easier to accidentally hit wrong trigger under stress
• Some shooting sports don’t allow double triggers
• Can be awkward with gloves

Best for: Traditional shooters, side-by-side converts, and anyone who prioritizes trigger quality and reliability over convenience.

2. Gauge Selection: Cut Through the Noise

Here’s the reality about gauge selection: most shooters overthink it, and marketing departments love to exploit that confusion. Let’s cut to the chase.

The Practical Truth

12-gauge is the workhorse. It hits harder, shoots farther, and has ammunition available in every gas station from Alaska to Alabama. Yes, it’s heavier. Yes, it kicks more. But it’s also the most versatile choice for everything from doves to geese to sporting clays.

20-gauge is the sweet spot for upland hunting and smaller-framed shooters. Modern loads are surprisingly effective, the guns are noticeably lighter, and recoil is genuinely more manageable. But don’t kid yourself — a 20-gauge 3-inch magnum kicks nearly as hard as a 12-gauge 2¾-inch field load.

28-gauge is the connoisseur’s choice. Light, fast-handling, and deadly effective within its range. Problem? Ammunition costs twice as much and isn’t available everywhere. It’s a specialist’s tool, not a beginner’s gun.

.410 bore is perfect for introducing kids to shooting or hunting small game in thick cover. For anything else, it’s a solution looking for a problem.

Rules to Shoot By:

• Hunt everything from doves to ducks: 12-gauge, no question
• Primarily upland birds: 20-gauge makes sense
• Youth or recoil-sensitive shooters: Start with 20-gauge
• Competitive sporting clays: 12-gauge for power, 20-gauge for comfort
• Want to look sophisticated: 28-gauge (if you can afford to feed it)

3. Ejectors & choke selection

Opt for ejectors, not extractors, whenever possible. Only the most ardent monocle-wearing traditionalist wouldn’t want a gun that kicked the shells out instead of hand removal.

Look for a gun that accepts choke tubes instead of factory choked barrels. This gives you the ability to change choke tubes to suit your purposes, a key advantage of the dual barrel configuration.

However, if factory-choked barrels are your only option, you want your long-range barrel on the bottom. It should be choked to Modified if not Improved Modified or Full.

3. Fit and finish

Fit and finish can be a budget eater — and where you land depends on your preference, budget, and, ultimately, what you want in the final piece.

A hard working gun will get you a long way in terms of performance but may not look at home above the mantle or offer features found on other shotguns, such as a pistol grip, and ported or chrome-lined barrels.

Conversely, a gun you own to appreciate and occasionally shoot is a different beast altogether.

A lower quality fit or homely looks don’t mean it won’t shoot (just as the Maverick 88), and you’ll also be less displeased if it takes some dings in the field. Then again, there are also people who hunt like crazy with a Purdey and don’t care if it takes a beating because fine doubles are certainly engineered to help skeet shooters, clay shooting enthusiasts, and hunters succeed in the field, even with unnecessary scrollwork on the barrel selector, choke tubes, and tang mounted safety and blued barrels.

In other words, consider first if fit and finish are a priority because there are plenty of O/Us that aren’t pretty but will put grouse on the ground, akin to double-barreled shotguns and scatterguns with various barrel lengths.

Also worth noting: if you’re willing to do some research and a little legwork, you can get yourself into a heck of a vintage O/U for a reasonable price tag.

The U.S. is chock-full of old double-guns, with many handed down through time immemorial. While suitability, quality, and condition can vary greatly, don’t be afraid of the used market. The beauty of doubles is they can always be restored.

With true vintage products, just make sure to have a gunsmith look it over prior to touching one-off.

Below is my list of the best over/under shotguns. I list the best choices in terms of value, performance, design, and cost.

Click on the name to head to the product page, read reviews and check prices or skip ahead to the list of shotguns.

1. Best Extractor O/U: CZ Drake

CZ’s shotguns are sleepers, and their entry-level model is the CZ Drake. All models come with Turkish walnut furniture and 28-inch barrels, just about the goldilocks zone for any upland hunter.

It’s available in 12-, 20-, 28- and .410-gauge, 3-inch chambers. Left-handed models – the Drake Southpaw – is available in 12- and 20-gauge.

While some of CZ’s shotguns are made in the USA, the Drake is made in Turkey. Some people bridle, but experienced shooters usually find Turkish firearms are of excellent quality for the price — and their AR12s are top-notch.

The Drake series has a selectable trigger, and all models (save .410) ship with 5 flush-fit chokes, so you can choke the gun as you see fit. It has shell extractors rather than auto ejectors and a white bead front sight. The furniture is an attractive satin walnut stock, which makes for a unique finish.

Overall it’s about as good an entry-level gun as it gets and has many configurations on tap that make it approachable for both experienced and young shooters.

Fit and finish are excellent for the price point. Don’t expect a fine English, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you get in this excellent shotgun.

2. Best Ejector O/U: Stoeger Condor Supreme

Stoeger, a Turkish shotgun brand in the Benelli/Beretta corporate family, makes excellent shotguns that don’t break the bank. The Condor line is their over/under family of guns, and the Condor Supreme are arguably the ones to acquire.

The Condor Supreme is available in 20- and 12-gauge, with 3-inch chambers. Barrels are 28-inch only, with a ventilated rib and a brass bead sight. The furniture is AA Turkish walnut, with a rubber recoil pad on the turkish walnut stock.

The monobloc sides make the gun slim, and the 12-gauge tips the scales at a respectable 7.4 lbs, so they’re light, handy, and very easy on the eyes.

The gun ships with two flush-fit chokes (Improved Cylinder and Modified) but getting upgrades is easy; Stoeger uses the Benelli Mobil choke thread pattern.

The trigger is a single non-selective trigger (top, then bottom) but spent shells get ejected rather than extracted, which is rare for any double at the Condor Supreme’s price point. Stoeger has some less expensive models but frankly more bang for buck doesn’t exist at a working man’s price point.

3. Best Field O/U: Stevens 555 E

Stevens is an old brand name, which used to deal in working man’s shotguns at working man’s prices, which has been resurrected by Savage Arms. The 555 E is their O/U to acquire, given the features list.

All bores are available – 12-, 16-, 20-, 28-gauge, and .410 too – with 3-inch chambers. The gun ships with all five extended choke tubes. The 28-inch (only) barrels are carbon steel, with an aluminum alloy receiver for a smart two-tone look. Turkish walnut furniture is included, with a rubber recoil pad on the butt.

The trigger is a single selective trigger. The standard 555 is a shell extractor model, but the 555 E has auto ejectors. The aluminum receiver cuts weight to less than 7 lbs, so the 555 E is perfect for long days in the field.

4. Upgrade Pick: Franchi Instinct L

Now we begin our ascent into the finer guns, but our first stop is still very attainable. The Franchi Instinct L is a gorgeous Italian over-under that’s very attainable if you pinch some pennies for awhile.

The Instinct L is available in 12- and 20-gauge, with 3-inch chambers and 28-inch barrels, which wear a red fiber optic sight. The steel receiver is case-hardened, for that gorgeous quasi-Damascus finish and the barrels are blued steel, as God intended.

The stock is A grade figured walnut, with a Prince Of Wales (semi-pistol grip) stock and rubber recoil pad. All five popular chokes ship with the gun, so no worries there. It’s perfect for field use, as even the 12-gauge weighs in at a svelte 7 lbs.

Barrels are selectable, as a barrel selector is located on the tang with the safety, and the barrels have auto ejectors rather than shell extractors. The gun also ships with a fitted hard case, unlike the three previous guns which come in a box.

One suspects the Franchi is a gateway drug to fine doubles. Speaking of which…

5. Also Great: Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I

The Beretta Silver Pigeon is one of the standards by which over/under guns are judged, along with the Browning Citori. Frankly, either gun could be on a list, but this one just happens to have the Beretta. They are almost as good as it gets.

The 12- and 20-gauge guns are on the full-frame, but the 28-gauge and .410 guns are on a compact receiver. All have 3-inch chambers, and you have your choice of 26-, 28- and 30-inch barrels, though the .410 is only offered in 26- and 28-inch choke tubes.

The action includes a single trigger and barrel selector, with ejectors. The stainless receiver features gorgeous scrollwork and is capped with oil-finished select-grade walnut furniture.

The barrels are carbon steel with a gold bead front sight and two choke tubes that are extended screw-in style, which will help with quick changes.

The 686 Silver Pigeon I isn’t unobtainable but doesn’t come cheap, either. It’s an heirloom-quality gun and a workhorse at the same time.

6. Best Sidelock: Aguirre y Aranzabal No 37

Aguirre y Aranzabal is a bespoke gunmaker in Eibar, Spain, in the heart of Basque country. They’ve been making the No. 37, a copy of a Merkel design, for decades.

Gunwriters and hunters Charles Askins and Jack O’Connor both chose them over English doubles, for good reason.

AyA shotguns are handmade, either for select brokers or to-measure for clients. To order one, they recommend you be fitted for the gun to get the correct length of pull and other dimensions. The internals are hand-fitted and polished, just like a Sauer rifle or a Les Baer 1911 pistol.

The No. 37 is a 12-gauge only, with a sidelock action. The stock is select-grade walnut with oil finish, either selected by the factory or the client. Finish is silver or gold wash, with or without scrollwork. Everything else is up to you including barrel length, stock style…whatever you wish.

They are sublime, exquisite. No two are alike because they’re handmade. This is an example of Old World craft; it isn’t a gun, it’s a work of art.

You will pay for the privilege, but Aguirre y Aranzabal literally does the same work Holland & Holland, Purdey or Boss do when they craft a fine double…but at less than one-tenth of the price, because it’s made in Spain, despite the same finery and attention to detail.

If we’re talking about the best over/under shotguns…there are none better. Yes, we could mention the H&H Royal Over/Under or the Purdey Sporter but if there’s any serious difference in craftsmanship, nobody has really found any yet.

Over-under shotguns are a great choice of sporting shotgun. They’re a classic choice for upland bird hunting and shotgun events like sporting clays and trap shooting.

Over-under doubles offer a simpler action, lighter weight, and faster handling than pump-action or semi-auto shotguns, plus more intuitive aiming than side-by-sides given that both barrels are on the same focal plane.

It’s also a bonus that the fit and finish of many doubles can range from spectacular to the sublime…but the best examples of the type will often have a budget-busting price point.

We’ll cover under shotguns that you will never regret buying, why you might consider one, what to look for, and 6 excellent examples to suit almost anyone — ranging from a humble working persons’ double to finery in gunsmithing without equal.

Some are budget-friendly, some will take some saving for… and the really, really good ones are not easy to acquire.

Extending the simplicity of break-action single-barrel shottys with a pair of parallel barrels was a natural evolution of the concept, the execution of which created this proven design.

Often, “double barrel shotguns” mean the classic side-by-side orientation (SxS), but the over-under (O/U) is both more popular and offers the user the advantage of vertically stacked barrels for a single sighting plane.

Firing O/U guns can either be done with each barrel independently or with successive pulls of a single trigger. In the latter case, the first pull generally fires the lower barrel first.

It’s a little unclear who produced the first over-under shotgun, but double-barreled muskets were available in various countries in the 1800s with some early furtive attempts gaining little traction relative to the SxS configuration of old. What’s uncontroversial is who made the first one that worked and sold well.

The Browning Superposed, much like many other types of firearms, was the brainchild of John Moses Browning.

The Superposed was one of Browning’s last guns, as he was almost finished with it when he passed away in 1926. His son Val put some finishing touches on it, and the gun hit the commercial market in 1931.

The design caught on, becoming particularly popular with bird hunters and sport shooters, and today is the most common break-action shotgun design save the single-shot scattergun.

Over-unders of today range from budget-friendly all the way to bespoke, handmade firearms of exquisite quality, with a massive variety of products in between.

An over-under shotgun offers the advantages of a side-by-side when compared to pump-action or semi-auto (e.g. sleek lines, faster target acquisition, two barrels allow for two fast choke selections, instant disassembly) but without the drawbacks of the offset barrels. We dive into the world of shotgun chokes if you want more on that.

1. In-line Barrels Are Easier to Use

Classically, sighting a side-by-side can be tricky due to the offset barrels. Over-unders are easier to use because both barrels are in-line, though a slight holdover is typically required for the bottom barrel it’s significantly less than with an SxS. Nice touches like an adjustable comb, safety and barrel selector, and a tang-mounted safety make these even easier than their SxS brethren.

Recoil is inline rather than oblique to the stock, so over-unders can also be a little more comfortable in that regard, another classic drawback to side-by-side doubles.

Doubles also balance a little better. Whereas most pump-action shotguns tend to be slightly front-heavy due to the barrel & fore-end, the mass of the O/U receiver is behind the barrels, acting as a sort of cantilever and moving the center of gravity toward the shooter.

2. O/Us Offer More Flexibility

In terms of weight savings, O/Us tend to be negligible. Comparing a wood-and-steel pump-action to a double with the same barrel length and chambering is usually a wash, so it’s more a matter of how it handles than how much it weighs.

Another benefit is that over-unders are more available in a takedown model, making it easier to pack for backcountry hunts.

Some prime turkey ground is accessed only by the two-shoe express, which means obstacles can be persistent. 100-year-old fences, crumbling walls, and drainage ditches are easily and safely traversed by popping the gun open and extracting the shells — a nearly instantaneous investment in user longevity. Something to consider.

Over-unders are also the only shotgun allowed in some shooting sports, as you’re decidedly unlikely to see an AR12 on your local sporting clays course.

Not to mention they’re easy to unload & verify as clear. With the action open all it takes is quick poke with a finger in either chamber to verify the gun is cleared, even in the dark. Screw-in choke tubes also make swapping interchangeable chokes a cinch, ensuring you can dial each barrel into your preferred pattern.

Also, and this should be said…they’re easy on the eyes. While an over-under isn’t going to win you many trench battles, some of them are truly works of art — a quality that modern black rifles, black shotguns and black pistols so often lack.

Over/under shotguns, like any other weapon in the firearms space, require responsible gun ownership but can certainly be a workhorse of a gun. They can be brilliantly versatile, shooting sporting clays with ease or taken into the field for literally every bird species you can put on the deck.

Fit and finish range from acceptable to drop-dead gorgeous. The only limit is your imagination — as well as your wallet — as far as which one to get. These six are some of the best examples, ranging from cheap and cheerful to the finest possible gun money can buy.

If you want a sporting shotgun with more class — and more grace — than a black synthetic pump, an over/under is about the best possible choice.

1. American Rifleman, John M. Taylor, Looking Back at Shotgun History, May 23, 2016
2. Wikipedia, Browning Superposed
3. ATF, Importation & Verification of Firearms – Gun Control Act Definition – Shotgun

Sources:

• Lahti-35 Pistol Image
• Beretta 1951 Pistol Image
• Fatal Firefight in Miami — FBI
• 2 Million 9mm Pistols Born in2018
• M1152 & M1153: The Army’s New 9mm Luger Loads

Sources:

• Lahti-35 Pistol Image
• Beretta 1951 Pistol Image
• Fatal Firefight in Miami — FBI
• 2 Million 9mm Pistols Born in2018
• M1152 & M1153: The Army’s New 9mm Luger Loads