Buying a shotgun
Shotguns are available in all shapes and sizes. There is an enormous diversity. The traditional shotgun is the side-by-side, also called juxtapose. Here the two barrels lie next to each other. Very popular are however 'the over-and-under' models, also called superpose. With this type of rifle the barrels are one above the other.
Those who would like a rifle with a classic look choose the side-by-side. The shooter must realize that a side-by-side shoots a little bit different than a superpose-model. Not better or worse, but different. This has mainly to do with the location of the rib and the way you look over the barrels. There are also guns with three barrels available (the drilling) and even a quadruplet. With these rifles, a combination of hail and bullet guns within a model is possible.
Taste
The choice of a good shotgun is often a matter of personal taste. All new rifles made today meet the necessary qualifications. Hail-guns range from roughly one thousand to one hundred thousand euros. The hail guns used in the Netherlands are usually double-barrelled, but very sometimes you sometimes come across someone with a single-barrelled hail gun in the field.
The permitted hail guns in the Netherlands all hinge with the aid of a bascule. These shotguns are hinged and can therefore be 'broken'. This is also how the patterns are placed. This type is considered to be the safest type of shotgun because it is not ready for firing when 'broken' and it is therefore clearly visible whether or not it is loaded.
