Which choke for which barrel in an O/U

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The question has been brought up about choke choice for which barrel. Open or improved for the top or bottom barrel. Obviously wanting to shoot the open barrel first. Everyone I talk to has a different opinion. Some say better sight alignment others say better follow up shot
 
Well I'm only a 75% shooter when you factor in quail, Chukar and pheasant. I guide pheasant hunts two or three days per week, see a lot of o/u most guys don't seem to care which barrel fires first.
I have one client however who is by far the best wing shot I've ever seen, scary good with a 28. He fires the bottom barrel/ open choke first. Rare he fires the second. Easiest days all season for my dogs as everything seems to fall stone dead.
For what it's worth from a C+ wing shooter, thankfully my dogs are good.
 
I've always been told to fire the bottom barrel first because you'll have less muzzle jump and be able to acquire your target quicker for a follow up shot. With 2 3/4" loads this may not matter as much, but when you jump up to the 3" or 3 1/2" loads I'll bet it's a pretty good rule of thumb.
 
I only shoot skeet for fun, and practice for waterfowl, so take this as my novice skeet shooters advice and what's been passed down to me by more experienced shooters.

It depends on shooting skeet or wings.

Wingshooting, I rarely bring the O/U for waterfowl, but when I do, I'll shoot 2 of the same, depending on expected ranges, say IC/IC, and I'll shoot bottom barrel first just as a habit.

For Skeet, some folks like to shoot IC/Skeet or Skeet/Open, with the bottom barrel and more constricted choke shot first. Reason being, on the doubles, it's nice to have that top barrel with a more open pattern as, at least for me, that 2nd shot is right on top of me by the time I get to it.

I think it's all personal preference vs an exact science. Plenty of folks shoot the same chokes in both barrels and do very well with it, as mentioned above.
 
I've always been told to fire the bottom barrel first because you'll have less muzzle jump and be able to acquire your target quicker for a follow up shot. With 2 3/4" loads this may not matter as much, but when you jump up to the 3" or 3 1/2" loads I'll bet it's a pretty good rule of thumb.

This is correct. Felt recoil is usually less with the bottom barrel, which is the reason many trap shooters use an "un-single" gun -- it is like an over-under with the top barrel removed (and a high rib on the under-barrel).
 
I shoot the bottom barrel first with an open choke, followed by the upper barrel with slightly more construction. Seems like this year both barrels like that more often. Apparently getting older doesn't help your shooting hit percentage.
 
I shot Sporting Clays for years with a Browning Ultra. I liked Skeet in the top
and LM in the bottom. I shot the top first. I shot this combo 85% of the time.
 
I also shoot the bottom barrel first with a more open pattern in an
O/U
I have gone to extended chokes for pheasant hunting. I use the mid
range and extended range chokes from Hevishot. The mid range is
more open whereas the extended is a tighter choke pattern
 
Under barrel first for more in-line recoil recovery, then the top barrel.

For going away targets, such as flushing birds, the first choke is looser, then the second which is more aimed, is tighter.

Incomers would reverse the chokes , but not the barrel order.

For a crossing target, same choke bottom barrel first.
 
I shoot sporting clays strictly to tune up for dove and quail. I don't shoot any trap or skeet. I hunt ducks, but with a different shotgun.

I shoot bottom barrel first w. IC #8 shot. Rarely shoot a 2nd shot, but top barrel has an LM #7.5 shot. On occasion, I will switch to top barrel if high fliers or the flying rat (pigeon) is coming in. If a lot of pigeons are flying, I sometimes even switch to a M #6 shot top barrel.
 
It really doesn't matter at all which barrel is first! I've seen my coach break 20 out of 25 Skeet targets with the gun behind his head ..at his hip.. or under his arm.
He says if you can shoot you can shoot anything else are excuses!
I also saw him win over 100K at a live bird shoot in Texas..He's good! and likes to play the options. Don't overthink it! For most SC shoots 2 LM chokes and a bunch of 1 1/8 oz. 7.5's will break every target on the course!
 
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