Description
The Citadel Coach 20 Gauge Side by Side takes the classic short double-barrel and drops it into the gauge that most shooters actually enjoy firing. Two 18.5-inch blued barrels, a three-inch chamber, a case-colored receiver and Turkish walnut furniture make it look like it rode in on a stagecoach, while the 20-gauge chambering cuts recoil enough that a smaller-framed shooter can run it comfortably.
Why 20 Gauge Makes Sense in a Coach Gun
Short doubles are light, and light guns kick. In 12 gauge a coach gun with buckshot is a handful for anyone who has not spent time behind a shotgun. Dropping to 20 gauge trims the recoil substantially while keeping more than enough pattern density for defensive distance or a close-flushing bird.
The gun also loses weight up front, which makes it quicker between two targets in a cowboy action stage and easier to hold on target one-handed if a door needs opening. For a first shotgun, a spouse’s home gun, or a young shooter moving up from a .410, the 20-gauge coach gun is close to an ideal starting point.
Citadel Coach 20 Gauge Side by Side Barrels and Action
Both blued barrels are chambered for three-inch shells, so light target loads, field loads and buckshot all run without any change in setup. A single trigger fires the barrels in sequence and a tang-mounted safety falls under the thumb where it belongs on a double. Extractors lift the spent hulls just far enough to grab, which keeps brass in your hand rather than in the dirt at a match. A bead front sight rides the top of the right barrel.
Wood and Receiver
The buttstock and forend are Turkish walnut with cut checkering at the grip and forend, capped with a black recoil pad. The receiver carries a case-coloring heat treatment, the mottled straw-and-blue finish that distinguishes this version from the plain blued and nickel Coach models. Citadel shotguns are imported by Legacy Sports International.
Handling and Fit
Length of pull and drop on the Coach follow traditional American shotgun dimensions, so most adult shooters mount it without needing a stock fitted or a pad added. The forend is a slim splinter style rather than a beavertail, which keeps the support hand close to the barrels and makes the gun point naturally at close range. Because there is no magazine tube hanging under the barrels, the balance point sits right at the hinge pin, and that is what gives a short double its distinctive quick, almost weightless feel between targets.
Specifications
- Model: Coach (CITSBS2018HT)
- Gauge: 20 gauge, 3 in. chamber
- Action: break action, side by side
- Barrel: 18.5 in., blued
- Capacity: 2 rounds
- Receiver: case coloring / heat treatment
- Stock: Turkish walnut, checkered grip and forend
- Trigger: single
- Safety: tang
- Extraction: extractors
- Sights: bead front
- UPC: 682146897456
Why Buyers Choose the Citadel Coach 20 Gauge Side by Side
Two groups drive most of the demand. Cowboy action competitors need a coach gun by the rules, and the lighter 20-gauge shells let them cycle stages faster with less punishment over a long weekend. The second group wants a home defense shotgun with nothing to learn: open, load two, close, and it works.
The honest limitation is capacity. Two shells and a manual reload is the entire story, so anyone expecting to need volume should look at a pump or a semi-auto instead. Barrel length also rules it out for trap and skeet, where a longer tube gives a smoother swing.
Who Should Buy It
Cowboy action shooters, recoil-sensitive or smaller-framed shooters, households that want a simple defensive shotgun, and collectors drawn to traditional color-case guns will all be well served. Clay target competitors and waterfowl hunters should shop a different barrel length and action.
Learn more from Legacy Sports International, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.
Every firearm we list ships to your chosen FFL and is transferred there after a background check.
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