Best Double-Barrel Shotguns: Sport & Range

Double-barrel shotguns are stinking sweet long guns --- classics that span the world and are beloved by almost everyone.

I do mean everyone.

No one ever talks smack about double-barreled shotguns. Double-barrel shotguns have retained their appeal for centuries, maintaining their popularity even now.

So, let’s talk about these shotguns some more! We’ll look at why you might want one and give you a rundown on a few of our favorite models.

By the end, we’re sure you’ll agree these are some seriously cool guns.

Best Double-Barrel Shotguns Comparison Chart

How We Chose the Best Double-Barrel Shotguns

We tapped our resident shotgun expert, Travis Pike, to put together a list using a mix of hands-on testing and thorough research to find the best double-barrel shotguns across a variety of use cases.

The guns on this list were chosen based on the following criteria: Performance, reliability, fit & feel, use case, features, and overall value.

Best Side-by-Side Shotguns

1. CZ Bobwhite G2 - Best Budget Side-by-Side

Best Budget Side-by-Side

CZ Bobwhite G2

$687

at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$687 at GrabAGun

Classic Firearms (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

Specs

• Gauge: 12 ga, 20 ga, 28 ga
• Chamber: 3"
• Barrel Length: 28"
• Length of Pull: 14.5"
• Weight: 5.5 lbs - 7.3 lbs

My favorite SxS shotguns are simple, efficient in design, field useable, and ultimately a working man’s shotgun.

CZ’s Bobwhite G2 meets all those requirements.

Though CZ receives acclaim for its pistols and rifles, their shotguns also prove worthy contenders.

Like many affordable double-barrel shotguns, these are Turkish-built guns. Unlike some inexpensive double-barrels produced overseas, though, craftsmen build all CZ shotguns, bringing experience and attention to detail.

The Bobwhite G2 offers a hammerless shotgun design with a straight stock, brown walnut furniture, and blued finish.

It’s not fancy and doesn’t need to be. A deer, a rabbit, or a bird isn’t much concerned about how fancy the shotgun that you’re using to take it.

CZ moved to CNC receivers for all their O/Us, and the G2 gets the same treatment. G2 shotguns come in 12, 20, and the cult-favorite 28 gauge.

It is worth noting that while most 28 gauge guns are just 20 gauge guns with 28 gauge barrels, CZ makes a true version. A purpose-built 28 gauge shotgun provides a very light and svelte platform, perfect for long hunts or smaller shooters.

In general, the Bobwhite G2 is a lightweight and easy-wielding shotgun.

It fulfills that classic American need for an SxS shotgun, easy to shoot and simple. Not to mention, dual triggers make putting a load or two of lead in the air trouble-free.

Best Over-Under Shotguns

2. Mossberg Silver Reserve II - Best Value

Best Value

Mossberg Silver Reserve II

$583

at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$583 at GrabAGun

Classic Firearms (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

Specs

• Gauge: 12 ga, 20 ga, 28 ga, .410 bore
• Chamber: 3"
• Barrel Length: 26" - 28"
• Length of Pull: 13.25" - 14"
• Weight: 6.5 lbs - 7.5 lbs

I know enough about double-barrel shotguns to enjoy them. I shoot them well and can be picky about things like stock fitment, cast, and drop.

That said, I don’t understand naming conventions, and Mossberg Silver Reserve II sounds like some kind of scotch.

In reality, it’s an O/U shotgun produced in Turkey for Mossberg. Bonus, it’s available at a rather excellent price point!

Turkish-made shotguns run a gamut from terrible to surprisingly good. Thankfully, Mossberg imports run the latter.

The Silver Reserve II is one of the most popular options at my local gun club. My favorite is the Sport model with shell ejectors.

It flings shells fiercely from the gun and never fails to amuse me.

Shooters can choose between 12, 20, and 28 gauge as well as .410. A special package includes both 12 and 20 gauge barrels.

Barrels range between 26 to 32 inches.

I find 28 inches to be the sweet spot. It makes the gun a little more balanced at the cost of a longer sight radius.

A 14-inch length of pull will be a turn-off for some, though.

Sport shooters use a bladed stance, so it’s not as big of a deal if that’s your style.

Prefer a shorter LOP? The Bantam model offers a 13.25-inch LOP (but only comes in 20 gauge).

These sweet little Mossbergs bring an affordable option complete with all the finely tuned features you’d see in a standard O/U shotgun.

Mossberg Silver Reserve II Bantam

$630

at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$630 at GrabAGun

Classic Firearms (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

We get fancy wood, an engraved receiver, a vent rib, and a dual-bead fiber optic sight that allows this shotgun to compete with much more expensive models.

Do you like the Mossberg Silver Reserve II? Give it a rating below!

3. Benelli 828U - Best Over-Under

Best Over-Under

Benelli 828U

$1947

at Kygunco

Prices accurate at time of writing

$1947 at Kygunco

Guns.com (see price)

BattleHawk Armory (see price)

Specs

• Gauge: 12 ga, 20 ga
• Chamber: 3"
• Barrel Length: 24" - 32"
• Length of Pull: 14.75"
• Weight: 5.8 lbs - 8.15 lbs

Benelli is well-known for its tactical and sporting semi-auto shotguns.

Identifying bias is important when reading gun reviews, so let me make this easy for you…I’m a Benelli fanboy.

Shotguns like the Benelli 828U make my heart melt.

Benelli’s first O/U, the company wasted no time innovating and breaking from tradition. If you look hard, the 828U even kind of looks like a sporting semi-auto in the receiver area.

But this slim and modern O/U is different than most in several ways.

The breechblock is part of the barrel instead of the receiver. A moving lock plate sits where the breechblock normally would. This yields a more durable shotgun that suffers from less wear on the hinge.

Do you like stock adjustments? Good. The 828U’s stock adjusts in 40 ways to change the cast and drop of the stock.

It’s the only O/U shotgun I know of that offers this many adjustments without swapping stocks.

The 828U’s stock also sports a recoil-reducing Progressive Comfort system. Benelli placed buffers in the stock that adjust to various sporting loads. Shooters will feel the difference.

Brilliant ergonomics and modern design make the 828U shoot and handle like a dream. It points and swings like it was designed for me.

The only awkward bit was taking it down due to its unique design.

The 828U will clip clays down birds and allow you to experience a modern, finely tuned Italian shotgun for the cost of a gently used Honda.

4. Stoeger Condor Field - Best Budget Over-Under

Best Budget Over-Under

Stoeger Condor

$344

at Kygunco

Prices accurate at time of writing

$344 at Kygunco

Guns.com (see price)

Midway USA (see price)

Specs

• Gauge: 12 ga, 20 ga, 28 ga, .410 bore
• Chamber: 3"
• Barrel Length: 20" - 30"
• Length of Pull: 13" - 14.5"
• Weight: 5.5 lbs - 8.85 lbs

A lot of these double-barrel shotguns come with high price tags, especially the over-under guns.

Unfortunately, the high price makes trying one somewhat difficult.

But if you want to experience the joy of how fast you can swing a gun and bust a clay, we have a budget model perfect for penny-pinchers.

Stoeger once again makes the list with their excellent Condor Field model.

It offers a traditional sporting O/U complete with a vent rib and beautiful wood stocks.

This isn’t the best “good enough” shotgun because it’s a budget shotgun. We get features that make it a desirable shotgun regardless of the budget.

Firstly, the 12-gauge model weighs a bit over 7 pounds. This makes it easy to carry and maneuver while still having enough heft to smoothly track a flying target.

The Condor is available in 12, 20, 28, and .410 gauge, with chambers up to 3 inches where applicable.

Auto Extractors make reloads quick and intuitive, and a simple brass bead works adequately for target acquisition.

The Condor even looks good, thanks to its A-grade satin walnut stock.

Just stepping into trap, skeet, or upland bird hunting? Then the Condor is a great place to start.

Be sure to check out our full review of the Stoeger Condor!

5. Beretta SO10

Specs

• Gauge: 12 ga, 20 ga
• Chamber: 3"
• Barrel Length: 28" - 30"
• Length of Pull: 14.625" - 15.25"
• Weight: ~6 lbs - ~8 lbs

God tier is the best way to describe the Beretta SO10.

When it comes to fine European double guns, Beretta is the undisputed champ. And the SO10 is Beretta’s legendary and flagship double-barrel shotgun.

There are no cast or welded portions of the SO10’s receiver.

Skilled artisans craft the whole thing from a block of high-resistance tri-alloy steel, which gives the gun an unmistakable look that oozes quality.

Polish is applied painstakingly by hand to the receiver’s external and internal areas.

Beretta’s sidelocks pop off with ease so you can peer into the internals and gawk at your Italian stallion. They even custom engrave the side locks for you, which can take upwards of 200 hours.

There are no visible pins or screws to ruin the looks of pure craftsmanship or any potential engravings.

The SO10 locking system is superbly strong.

This gun is a true heirloom. You can put tens of thousands of rounds downrange with it and then pass it on to your kids. They can do the same over and over again.

Beretta makes the gun in 12-, 20-, .410, and 28-gauge. Each gun is scaled to the round it fires.

These beautiful guns are the Rolls-Royce of firearms and feature a similar price of over $100,000.

These are the guns Beretta doesn’t even let you handle at things like SHOT Show. If you are like me, you gawk and feel poor looking at them.

Best Tactical Shotguns

6. Stoeger Double Defense - Best for Pests

Best for Pests

Stoeger Double Defense

$457

at Kygunco

Prices accurate at time of writing

$457 at Kygunco

Guns.com (see price)

Midway USA (see price)

Specs

• Gauge: 12 ga, 20 ga
• Chamber: 3"
• Barrel Length: 20"
• Length of Pull: 14.5"
• Weight: 6.6 lbs - 7.1 lbs

Am I sold on a double-barrel for home defense? No.

But do I think the Stoeger Double Defense is a cool shotgun? Heck yeah, I do.

Short and light shotguns are the absolute best, and the Double Defense is about as short and light as it gets.

The Double Defense comes in both an SxS and O/U configuration, with the SxS acting as the lightest version. Both are available in 12 and 20 gauge, with the 20 gauge variant weighing only 6.4 pounds.

Stoeger's Double Defense guns are “tactical” because they have added two rails positioned on the gun --- one for an optic and one for a light.

This does make the double defense stand out among its peers. Plus, it makes it easy to toss on a red dot.

Red dots make guns handle faster and more intuitively. With the right red dot, like the Holosun 507C V2, you can pattern your load to the optic.

Both barrels on the Double Defense are ported. Porting reduces recoil by selectively milling holes near the end of the barrel.

The thinking around the gun is solid. Yet, having only two shots for home defense is a bet I’m not going to take.

As a lightweight field gun for hunting, the Double Defense would work okay.

Cylinder bore means being selective with your ammo to achieve max effectiveness. The right load in this gun can make it a nice and handy pest remover and, in general, a fun gun.

7. Standard Manufacturing DP-12 - Best Tactical Double Barrel

Best Tactical Double Barrel

Standard Manufacturing DP-12

$1199

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$1199 at Palmetto State Armory

GrabAGun (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

Specs

• Gauge: 12 ga
• Chamber: 3"
• Barrel Length: 18.87"
• Length of Pull: N/A
• Weight: 9.75 lbs
• Capacity: 14+2

I love including a wildcard on these lists, and I can’t help but include the living meme gun that is the DP-12.

This double-barrel pump action would make Moe from The Simpsons excited.

The DP-12 is utterly ridiculous and awesome. It holds 16 rounds in a dual-tube design.

Each barrel gets its own tube, and you can fire two shots before having to pump the gun once more.

This gun is huge, bulky, heavy, and brilliantly ridiculous.

It’s like the Doom guy designed a gun.

I can’t think of a practical reason for the DP-12's existence other than being the only double-barrel, pump-action shotgun.

Well, that and for demon-slaying.

Why Buy a Double-Barrel Shotgun?

It’s a simple enough question, but I, as usual, have a not-so-simple answer.

Double-barrel shotguns are straight-up cool. But cool factor aside, these guns are just good overall.

C’mon, there’s a reason these things have been around for so long.

These shotguns offer incredible reliability with all types of ammo. They don’t jam, don’t double feed, and don’t suffer under poor weather.

They fire the lightest of loads and handle short mini shells without any issue. We like it when things just work.

The simple design of double-barrel shotguns also means they last forever. Not much here to wear out, so double-barrel shotguns get passed down from generation to generation.

Double-barrel shotguns also enjoy an ambidextrous design in controls and function. So, lefties don’t have to endure the uncomfortable experience of shooting right-handed.

Two barrels mean two chokes, which allow you to tailor what each barrel is capable of doing.

You can hunt with buckshot in one and slugs in another. Or run various bird or sport loads for different ranges.

Finally, double-barrel shotguns tend to focus weight rearward. This presents a faster swinging, easier handling shotgun for taking moving targets.

O/U and SxS

You’ll see the terms O/U and SxS sprinkled throughout this article. So, let’s define those real quick.

O/U stands for over-under. These have shotgun barrels that run vertically. This gives you a top and bottom barrel with a narrow sight plane.

SxS stands for side-by-side. These have shotgun barrels that run horizontally. You get a broader sight plane, and SxS guns can come with double triggers and hammers.

Before jumping in, it’s worth noting that we chose production firearms. So, you won’t see expensive auction guns from the early 1900s here.

Meet the Experts

Pew Pew Tactical author Travis Pike wrote this article. Travis spent a lifetime shooting as a kid and later joined the United States Marine Corps, where he spent five years as an infantryman. His experience as a machinegunner, recreational and competitive shooter, hunter, and concealed carry instructor has given him unique insight into various weapon platforms. Additionally, Travis has thousands of articles to his name with a variety of publications, and has tested countless guns and other firearm accessories.

Editing and adding to this article is Pew Pew Tactical Editor, Wyatt Sloan. Wyatt is an NRA-certified instructor and also has experience with competition shooting and hunting. Wyatt personally owns over 200 firearms and has 10 years of home-based FFL firearm sales.

Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings runs our experienced team of reviewers. She is a National Rifle Association Basic Pistol Instructor as well as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association. Jacki has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as a media professional for close to 20 years, specializing in gun media for almost 10 years. With 2,000+ articles to her name, she uses her professional journalism and editing experience to set testing protocols and editorial standards for Pew Pew Tactical.

Final Thoughts

Double-barrel shotguns are classic firearms that transcend genres. Everyone knows a double-barrel shotgun is cool.

Even in countries with strict gun control, double-barrel shotguns still reign supreme. In backwaters like Afghanistan, I ran into double barrels from across the world being used by farmers to keep pests away.

This list brings some of my favorite double-barrels to you in the hopes that you’ll find one (or two) that you like.

What is your fave double-barrel design? Let us know in the comments below. If you’re looking for more shotgun content, check out all of our shotgun reviews in Everything Scattergun!

Latest Updates

• August 2025: Added comparison chart. Updated pricing.
• July 2024: Added How We Chose section. Added supplemental information for each firearm.
• April 2024: Savage Fox A Grade removed.