I would suppose...maybe an English chap would explain.

I recently bought a UK imported Browning Superposed that has screw in chokes...had a cylinder in the top and a modified in the bottom.

The gun has a barrel selective safety so selection played no part...Being that most people shoot the bottom barrel first on an O/Ur it kinda puzzled me a little.
What ever the fellow was shooting he was expecting his first shot to be longer...just the opposite of upland hunting.