Shorty shotguns

[Jack O'Conner]

Currently the market offers side by side shorty shotguns called coach guns. Then there are tactical pumps and autoloaders but zero over and under shorty's offered for sale. Why is this? - Jack

 

[KyJim]

Just a guess --- the side-by-side "coach" guns appeal to those involved in cowboy shooting, or at least with interest in having cowboy guns. The pump guns, with more than two rounds in the tube, appeal to those interested in home defense, or maybe just blasting for fun. The over/unders don't appeal to either group a whole lot. There are probably other reasons as well (I always tend to think of over/unders being more expensive, but that may not be for the plain jane models).

 

[dogtown tom]

If it sells, they'll make them....and they dont sell.

Mossberg HS12:

Stoeger

 

[44 AMP]

(I always tend to think of over/unders being more expensive, but that may not be for the plain jane models).

And just where are the "plain jane" over/unders? Not saying there aren't ANY but they've never been common, or popular.

O/U's are literally, more expensive to make than a SxS of equal quality. The design means the action has to be "deeper" because the barrels have to open farther than a SxS which adds complexity and cost.

So, even a "budget" O/U can't quite compete cost wise against a SxS which does the same job. SO traditionally, O/U designs were mostly made as higher end sporting guns, not field grade working guns.

Coach guns come from the era of riding shotgun on a stagecoach. And back in those days, O/U's were not in popular use and pump guns didn't exist.

So, O/U vs SxS, the O/U is more expensive than the budget SxS and is slightly more awkward to reload, which of course is no nevermind when youre shooting birds, but a bit more important when you're trying to stop hostiles.

I don't play Cowboy games, but I do have a coach gun, a low cost Chinese made one (have tested works fine) for my wife to use in an emergency. She's not a "gun person" but does know what to do, and the coach gun I have has double triggers and double hammers, it doesn't get more basic than that.

When it comes to defensive shotguns, the pump gun rules, (with a few semis) and the double SxS is right behind that, the O/U just isn't in that market, never was, and because of that, it never will be.

 

[bamaranger]

Stoeger

Stoeger sells ( or at least did) a short o/u called the "Outback". Screw in chokes, coarse, fixed rifle type sights, matte finish, not sure about stock options, the ones I've seen were wood.

 

[TJB101]

I picked up a Stoeger O/U last year. LGS had a dozen in stock for a really good price. ($200) Keep looking, they’re out there.

 

[Pahoo]

Swing Radius

but zero over and under shorty's offered for sale. Why is this? - Jack

Because there is no need and mostly a negative for a O/U.....

I don't claim any expertise on shotguns but do follow frontier life and history. the basic reason the SXS Coach-Guns had short barrels was to reduce the swing radius, in a combat situation such as far law enforcement or home defense use, same reason. .....

Rem 870, 21"-barrel and 5+ rounds of #8 is better than any O/U, 2-shot, for home defence and I might add, hunting Pheasants in standing corn.....

Be Safe

 

[bladesmith 1]

In the past, SxSs were always more expensive to make than O/Us. I don't believe in todays world of computers that either one cost much more, if any, to make than the other. Dogtown Tom just showed two cheap O/Us, so yes they are out there. Tristar and CZ both make a cheaper shotgun [ SxS and O/U ] but are still good. I think short O/U shotguns just never caught on. As said, there's no demand.

 

[FITASC]

You can find cheap SxS and O/U and you can go all in on bespoke guns costing more than many houses. Depends on what you want.