I think the general principle is that the shallower the frame, the less vertical distance there is between your pointing hand and your eyes, which leads to more accurate pointing. (Why else do we shoot from the shoulder and not the hip whenever possible?).
As the risk of going out on a limb with a big chainsaw, this could also possibly explain the frequent “sxs for field/OU for clays” preference. The horizontal barrel configuration/shallower frame of an sxs offers the least vertical separation between your pointing hand and your eyes. In the field, where one shoots low gun and often with little advance warning about target direction and speed, the ability to point quickly and accurately is an important advantage.
However, for clays, the targets’ speed and line are usually known, and targets are often shot pre- or cheat-mounted, so there is generally less need for quick pointing accuracy. In most instances, there is more time for evaluation of the target/barrel relationship (not aiming), which is reflected in most of the techniques used for clay targets (pull away, maintained lead). The vertical distance between the pointing hand and the eyes is therefore less important. At the same time, where one is more deliberately evaluating the target/barrel relationship, some may find the narrower barrel profile of an OU less distracting and therefore less likely to pull focus away from the target.
Plenty of people shoot clay targets very proficiently with sxs and plenty of birds have gone down in front of OUs, so this is far from a perfect explanation. But I do think quick shooting benefits having your eyes and pointing hand as close to the same plane as possible - which is why many OU shooters (me included) still prefer a shallow-framed sxs in the field.
Last edited by Doverham; 03/27/12 05:50 PM.
