Here we look at the pros and cons of these two different designs.

It’s a question that has been asked for decades, the chat between users of each design and light hearted banter between shooting friends, well.. since the modern production of the O/U design was perfected around the early 1900s.
John Robertson of Thomas Boss created the masterpiece Over & Under design in 1909 and shortly after this in 1913 James Woodward & Sons patented an equally beautiful design which was created by Charles Hill who worked for the firm, co-patented by Charles Woodward and William Evershed, the firm was then later purchased by James Purdey & Sons in 1949, primarily for the purpose of obtaining and using the Woodward over and under design, and Purdey still produce their best guns on the Woodward action to this day.
There were also patents from Edwinson Green and Frederick Beesley in 1912 with his “Shotover” gun, most early attempts where deep in the action and quite heavy, but the Shotover from Beesley weighed in at just 6lb 10oz for the 12 bore and the bottom barrel used an upside down lock, very few guns were made and they were not as popular as the Boss or Woodward.
EJ Churchill later offered an O/U trap gun in 1920 that was directed to captivate the American market, in fact the period between 1909 and 1914 there had been 22 over and under designs from 11 different gun makers.
Some modern O/U guns are still being made on these two early designs from Boss and Woodward, after all they are still considered to be the very best and the Boss and Woodward over and under guns command a huge premium and rightly so.

So, if the O/U style of shotgun is so good why do shooters still use Side by Sides?

It’s clearly a personal preference and whilst the O/U has some clear benefits over the Side by Side such as absorbing recoil due to the weight and barrel configuration sending the recoil directly straight backwards whereas the side by side tends to send a sharper recoil and very slightly to the side as each barrel is uncentered often resulting in a sore cheek if the gun is not mounted correctly.
The O/U also being easier to point at the target because your eye is sighted along the one top barrel or rib as opposed to the sight line of a side by side where you are focused between the two barrels.
The stock drop or comb of an over and under shotgun is also beneficial to the shooter, when the gun is raised the top rib is instantly sighted to your dominant eye whereas the side by side generally has a lower comb and you are forced a little more to seat the gun correctly for the shot.
This being said, there are pros and cons to both designs.
The side by side is lighter to carry and shoot, perhaps easier to point at driven targets or game because of the barrel configuration.
Perhaps it is that the over and under shotgun is suited to the clay ground and competition trap shooting, whilst the traditional side by side is the wand of choice for the hunter or game shooter.

Side by sides predominantly have a double trigger configuration so selection between your tighter choked barrel is instantly available and better suited to game shooting, wild-fowling or rough shooting where the target could be unforeseen.
There is also the undeniable affiliation with tradition and game shooting that sees thousands of sportsman each season out in the countryside clad in tweed and enjoying the sport of our forefathers, shooting game and enjoying good company with friends alike and that’s not to mention the delicious tasty game birds that are taken for the table.
I guess you could compare a traditional English side by side to that of a classic sports car, perhaps not the fastest car in the stable but certainly the most captivating, as with an older English or perhaps Scottish side by side game gun you are shooting a piece of history, an artefact that was likely born long before you or I and seen more days in the field than we certainly have.
These fine old guns were made with an air of quality that most modern over and under guns lack, they were completely hand made by artisans of a bygone era who were mostly at the pinnacle of their craft, pre WW1, rather than a machine engraved and laser cut action of a modern O/U these fine old guns were hand engraved and picked out by craftsmen leaving behind a legacy in their work.

If you have shot with an old English hammer gun with damascus barrels you’ll notice there is a distinctive thud sound rather than the crack sound of more modern pressed steel, it’s a wonderful thing.
I have always shot with English side by side game guns and it is my theory that a side by side can be as effective as killing any target than that of an over and under, although more practice at the clay ground is often required to establish a connection with gun, well that is my excuse anyway.

English side by side guns, especially with an Anson and Deeley lock or Boxlock as it’s more commonly known (as opposed to a side-lock) are currently very underpriced and you can get yourself into the market for as little as £400.
There are also some very well made side by side Spanish guns available such as the robust AYA No4 or the more elegant No2 side-lock that present great value for money.

Surly even the most diehard trap shooter has space in their cabinet for side by side?