shotguns, over-underWhat are the features or options I should be aware of when shopping for an over/under shotgun that I may not be familiar with coming from a pump shotgun?
The first thing that comes to mind is ejectors vs. extractors. Some doubles have ejectors that forcefully expel the spent hulls - kicking them fully out of the chamber. Some merely have extractors, raising the hull ~1/2” out of the chamber so they can be easily removed.
Pay attention to where the safety is, and the barrel selector (lets you select which barrel to fire first - you’ll normally want the bottom one as it will recoil more directly into your shoulder allowing for a faster follow-up shot than if you selected the top barrel. But there may be times where you load each barrel with a different round and need to select based on your target.
Triggers - the aforementioned selector is for shotguns with a single trigger. Some doubles have two triggers if that is your preference.
After that it’s mostly fit, balance, and personal choice.
One thing that you should look at when choosing fit is the cast of the stock. I am a left handed shooter and didn’t know about this when I bought my gun. But, most o/u’s have a cast of some sort, that means that the stock is bent to better fit a left or right handed user. It is not that extreme most times and I have no problem shooting with a right handed cast but it is still something to look at.
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