The Best Budget Side-By-Side Shotguns

You don’t have to look too hard to find affordable pump and semi-auto shotguns. Double guns are a different story, especially side-by-sides. These scatterguns are more intricate, which makes them more expensive. 

But you don’t have to be an English lord or quail plantation owner to buy a capable side-by-side. There are several solid options in the $800 to $2,000 range. I tested four 28 gauges in that price bracket while shooting five stand and hunting doves. Here’s what I found out. 

Budget Side by Sides at a Glance

Testing Affordable Side by Sides

Testing side-by-side shotguns at Old Forge Sporting Clays.

The Guns

All the shotguns tested were 28 gauges and I kept them classic with double triggers, english stocks, and splinter forends when offered. They were choked modified and improved cylinder. I shot Federal High Overall and Upland for patterning, target shooting, and hunting.

Patterning

I patterned every gun at 25 yards to see if both barrels impacted the same spot. Every gun was well regulated, which is not a given for guns in this price range. 

In the Field

I took all the shotguns with me on dove shoots this past September to get a feel for their shooting characteristics. Dove hunting over decoys kept my shots relatively close (30 yards on average), but still provided various presentations at difficult targets. 

Weight and Trigger Pulls

I weighed each shotgun and recorded their average trigger pull weights.  

On the Range 

To build on my dove shooting experience I brought the shotguns to Old Forge Sporting Clays in Providence Forge, Virginia to shoot five stand. It was a rainy week day and I was the only person out shooting, so the whole staff joined in on the testing. The four testers ranged from highly experienced sporting clays shooters, including the business owner, to someone just learning the basics. We shot a case of 28 gauge Federal High Overall at everything from rabbits to overhead targets and every tester rated each shotgun at the conclusion of shooting. 

It’s predictable that the Dickinson is the best of this group because it’s nearly twice the price of the other options. Yet, it’s the gun that most closely captures the core reasons one might want a  side-by-side. It has a scaled 28-gauge action, really nice bone and charcoal case coloring, and hand-checkering. It’s the lightest gun tested but the recoil didn’t feel the harshest. It swung smoothly compared to heavier guns. The testers were more consistent hitting targets with the Weatherby, but after you get used to the faster swing and the more instinctive shooting style the Dickinson gun calls for, it dropped doves and shattered targets. 

Everything on the Dickinson fits tight. When I first assembled it, I had to call customer service because the forend latch wouldn’t seat properly. They assured me it was OK to use the palm of my hand to tap the lever closed. The gun has since broken in and assembly is much easier. But the top lever still sits far to the right (see photo above). 

The Plantation is full of nice aesthetic touches. The bone and charcoal finish is beautiful, the wood mates to the metal nicely, and the checkering is as functional as it is good looking. The shotgun has powerful ejectors that send hulls flying over your shoulder. 

In the field, the gun is easy to carry and quickly comes to the shoulder. All the testers agreed the balance was ideal and they liked the gun’s rib and brass bead. 

Overall, if you want a nice side-by-side without jumping into a custom, Beretta Parallelo, or going into the used and antique market, this is a great option. Another shotgun in this price bracket to consider is the FAIR Iside II, which I’ve yet to test. 

If you’re an over/under shooter who just wants to dabble with a side-by-side, the Orion is one to look at. It swings and fits a lot like an over/under while keeping the side-by-side aesthetic. The familiar fit and weight of the Orion made it the best shooting shotgun we tested. This is the gun we all instantly broke clays with on the five stand course. Another reason we shot this gun so well is its light and crisp triggers. Its triggers broke at an average of 4 pounds, which is considerably lighter than the Dickinson and CZ we tested. 

The Orion has a Grade A Walnut stock and a matte blued finish on the receiver and barrels. It’s a clean and simple looking gun except for the large Weatherby scrolled across the receiver in gold letters and blue anodized extended chokes. 

If you’re looking for value, the Orion is absolutely a side by side to look at along with the CZ Bobwhite. Personally, I would buy the Orion in a 20 gauge since the 28 gauge doesn’t have a scaled action and is less than a half-pound lighter. Afterall, if you’re going to carry a 20 gauge weight, you might as well get the 20 gauge payload. 

Read Next: Weatherby Orion SXS Review

The Bobwhite sits right between the Orion and the Dickinson. It doesn’t have all the frills of the Dickinson, but it’s fairly light and pointable. 

A sub $1,000 shotgun isn’t going to win any beauty pageants, but the Bobwhite is tastefully done. It has functional checkering on its walnut stock and forend and some scroll engraving on the metal. There’s nothing loud or gaudy about it. The gun opens and closes smoothly and balances between the hands. 

We shot the Bobwhite just OK on average with some testers liking it a lot and others ranking it lower. It has a fairly short length of pull compared to the Weatherby and Dickinson. It also had comparatively heavy triggers and it balances forward of the hinge. Like most shotguns, fit and time behind the gun are key factors in your ability to drop birds. The Bobwhite is an easy gun to find in gun stores so I’d recommend getting hands on with it to see if it fits you. If it does, this is a great buy. 

See It

Pros

• Bold case coloring 
• Strong ejectors
• Light trigger

Cons

• The selector design can lead to missed opportunities

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Key Features

• 
  Available in 12, 20, 16, and 28 gauge and .410 bore

• 
  Turkish walnut stock 

• 
  28-inch barrel 

• 
  Ejectors

• 
  Brass bead

• 
  Uses Beretta-style choke tubes and includes SK, IC, M, IM, F

The Tristar Bristol has striking case coloring and is light weight, which makes it easy on the eyes and enjoyable to carry in the field. Its single, selectable trigger has a surprisingly light trigger pull. It has strong ejectors that never failed to rocket spent hulls. Those qualities alone make it a solid option in its price range. 

We struggled breaking clays with the Bristol and found its swing too whippy for our liking. The shorter length of pull was also an issue for most of the test team. During testing and hunting, occasionally we’d bring the gun up, establish our lead, pull the trigger, and nothing would happen. The issue is the barrel selector, which needs to be all the way to the left or right for the gun to fire. The selector on the Bristol we tested was loose and easily found its way to the center and therefore made it impossible to move the safety to the fire position.

Final Thoughts

The good news is that all of these guns functioned reliably and both barrels consistently hit the same spot. To me, the Dickinson is a great quail gun, the Orion is a great preserve and pheasant gun, and the Bobwhite is a great grouse and woodcock gun. Choosing the right one for you is going to depend on your use and how the gun fits you. This is especially true if you want to use double triggers because the placement of these triggers varies from gun to gun.