Jack, DT's are only "better" in the sense that they're more reliable--in addition to the fact that they allow instant selection of barrel (and therefore choke). But they're also "old fashioned". OU's only became popular after WWII, by which time many shooters had "grown up" with ST's, on either pumps or autos, because sxs (and therefore DT's) had started to fade in popularity. Also, the ST's on doubles had evolved quite a bit, and were less problematic by that time. As a result, you'll find fewer OU's with cranky ST's than sxs. The Brits had some real problems with ST sxs, and so did the Spanish (because they copied the Brits). Those problems are mostly solved these days, but a lot of doublegun fanciers will still avoid a Brit or Spanish ST gun. And interestingly enough, you very rarely see a new Spanish double with a ST. In fact, I think you have to special order to get one from AyA, Arrieta, Grulla, etc.

But just because something is more "popular" doesn't mean it's "better" (in the sense of being more reliable). For example, cars with automatic transmissions are far more popular in this country than stick shifts. Are they more reliable? Which is more expensive to repair if something goes wrong? And did you ever try to start an automatic by popping the clutch?

Last edited by L. Brown; 01/23/07 09:00 AM.