17-Sep-2026
Ask ten British shooters what they use, and at least eight will hand you an over-and-under. Since the 1960s, the stacked-barrel gun has taken over the clay ground, the driven line and the pigeon hide alike, and today the choice is enormous: Turkish-built guns that cost less than a season’s cartridges, Italian and Japanese workhorses that will outlast their owners, and competition guns priced like a decent car.
That breadth is what makes “which over-and-under should I buy?” so hard to answer in one sentence. It depends on what you shoot, how often, and how much you are prepared to spend, so this guide is organised by budget. Within each bracket, we name the guns UK buyers actually search for, and that hold their value second-hand, and we say who each one suits. Prices are broad brackets rather than exact figures, because grade, condition and barrel length move the number a long way; the linked listings show what is on the market today.
Under £1,000: The Turkish and Spanish workhorses
At this end of the market the over-and-under is dominated by Turkish manufacturing, and the quality has improved out of all recognition over the past fifteen years. The Yildiz Pro and SPZ ranges are the volume sellers: light, well finished for the money, with multichoke barrels and single selective triggers as standard. They make sensible first guns and equally sensible second guns for the person who does not want to take a £3,000 gun into a muddy pigeon hide.
The ATA SP is the other name that comes up constantly. It has become the default recommendation for a first sporter because it looks and handles like a gun costing three times as much, and the Silverline and Sporter variants give you a choice of field or clay stock dimensions. Kofs offers the Sceptre at a similar price with a slightly more traditional English feel.
Spain still has a foothold here too. A used Lanber, particularly the Sporter and Deluxe grades, is one of the best-kept secrets of the second-hand market: solidly built, cheap to buy and easy to have serviced. Older Baikal guns are heavier and cruder, but almost indestructible.
Who it suits: beginners, occasional shooters, anyone who wants a knockabout gun that will not be babied.
Browse: Yildiz Pro · Yildiz SPZ · ATA SP · Kofs Sceptre · Lanber shotguns
£1,000 to £2,500: The guns most of Britain shoots
This is the heart of the UK market, and three names dominate it: Beretta, Browning and Miroku. Between them, they account for most of the guns you will see on any clay ground, because they are reliable, well supported by gunsmiths and easy to sell on when you want to upgrade.
The Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon I is the obvious starting point. It is the most searched-for over-and-under on Rightgun.uk; it is available in field and sporting configurations in 12 and 20 bore, and its low-profile action gives it a lively, fast-handling feel. The 687 grades add engraving and better wood for a modest step up; the 682 is the older competition variant and a superb used buy for the clay shooter.
Browning’s answer is the B525, a scaled-down version of the classic B25 action with a deeper, heavier feel than the Beretta that many shooters prefer for sporting clays. The Game One is the entry grade, the Sporter One the clay equivalent, and a well-kept used B425 or B325 does the same job for less.
Miroku, which builds Browning’s guns in Japan, sells the same quality under its own name at a slight discount. The MK38 and MK70 are proven sporting and game guns respectively, and the MK60 game gun is one of the best-value new over-and-unders you can buy. The Winchester 101, another Japanese-built classic, is a strong used alternative.
Who it suits: the committed weekly shooter, the first “serious” gun, anyone who wants a gun that will still be worth money in ten years.
Browse: Beretta 686 · Beretta 687 · Browning B525 · Miroku MK38 · Winchester 101
£2,500 to £6,000: Competition guns and better game guns
Step up here, and you are paying for two things: better handling through balanced, often adjustable barrels, and better wood and finish. This is where the clay shooter who has decided to take the sport seriously usually lands.
For sporting and trap, the Beretta 692 and its successor, the 694 are the modern competition standards: wider receivers, longer forcing cones, adjustable stock options. Browning’s B725 Sporter and the newer B825 compete directly with them, with the same deep-actioned feel as the B525 but more refinement. Blaser’s F16 has become a genuine contender, an under-the-radar German design with a very low action and a trigger that is hard to fault.
For game shooting at this level, the Caesar Guerini Summit and Invictus, Rizzini’s round-body guns and Zoli’s Z-Sport offer Italian craftsmanship and lighter, livelier handling than the mass-market guns below them, with side-plated and scroll-engraved versions that look far more expensive than they are.
Who it suits: club and registered clay competitors, the driven shooter who wants a gun to keep for life.
Browse: Beretta 692 · Beretta 694 · Browning B725 · Blaser F16 · Caesar Guerini Summit
£6,000 and up: The guns the champions use
At the top of the tree, the over-and-under becomes a precision instrument. Beretta’s DT11 and its predecessor, the DT10 are the most successful competition guns of the modern era, built around a detachable trigger group and a wide, heavy action designed to soak up thousands of cartridges a year. The Perazzi MX8 and MX2000 are their Italian rivals, hand-fitted and endlessly customisable; the High Tech is the current flagship. Krieghoff’s K-80 is the German alternative, famous for its adjustable barrel hangers and a sliding top-latch action that will still be tight after a lifetime.
For the game shooter with the budget, Beretta’s SO5 and SO6 sidelocks and Browning’s Belgian-built B25 grades represent the best of factory production: hand-engraved, hand-finished and, in the B25’s case, still made much as John Browning laid down a century ago.
Who it suits: serious competitors, collectors, and anyone buying the last shotgun they will ever own.
Browse: Beretta DT11 · Beretta DT10 · Perazzi MX8 · Krieghoff K-80 · Browning B25
How to choose between them
Budget decides the shortlist; three other things decide the gun. The first is discipline. A sporting clay gun is heavier, longer in the barrel, and stocked lower than a game gun; a trap gun is heavier and higher still. Buy a gun built for what you shoot most, not for the one day a year you do something else.
The second is fit. An over-and-under that mounts naturally with your eye just above the rib will break more clays and kill more birds than a better gun that does not fit. Try before you buy wherever possible; stock alterations are cheap on a wood-stocked gun.
The third is second-hand value. The Beretta, Browning and Miroku guns in the middle brackets hold their value better than almost anything else, so a used example from a reputable dealer is often the best buy of all, and you will get most of your money back if you decide to move up.
Browse: Beretta 682 · Browning B425 · Miroku MK70 · Beretta shotguns · Browning shotguns
FAQ
What is the best over-and-under shotgun for a beginner in the UK? A Yildiz or ATA in the under-£1,000 bracket, or a used Beretta 686 or Browning B525 if the budget stretches. The second pair cost more up front but lose very little in value, so the true cost of ownership can be lower.
Is Beretta or Browning better? Neither. Berettas have a lower, lighter action and tend to feel quicker; Brownings sit deeper in the hand and feel steadier. Shooters who like one usually dislike the other, so mount both and let your shoulder decide.
Should I buy a 12 bore or a 20 bore over-and-under? Twelve bore remains the default for clays and driven game. Twenty bore is lighter and more pleasant to carry all day, and modern cartridges close most of the performance gap, which is why it has grown so much in popularity for game shooting.
Is a second-hand over-and-under a safe buy? Yes, if you buy from a registered dealer who will check the gun and stand behind it. Look for tight barrels, a crisp trigger, no pitting in the bores, and a clean action face, and factor in the cost of a service.
Find your over-and-under on Rightgun.uk
Whatever your budget, the right gun is out there. Rightgun.uk lists new and used over-and-under shotguns from registered dealers and private sellers across the UK, so you can compare Yildiz and Lanber against Beretta, Browning and Perazzi in one place, filter by bore and barrel length, and contact the seller directly. Browse over-and-under shotguns for sale today.
Further reading: Beretta 686 vs Browning B525, Browning B525 vs B725, Miroku MK11 vs MK38 vs MK60 vs MK70, Best side-by-side shotguns UK by budget and Shotgun fit explained.
