When a shotgun gets too expensive

[oneounceload]

Perazzi and Kreighoffs ARE production guns - the difference with a Perazzi is that you can also order one - to your specs - for no additional cost - want a different grip style? How about only half ribs between the barrels? Custom grip angle? Personalized stock dimensions? - All no biggie. And yes they use CNC machinery, as does Fabbri. Fabbri's titanium shotgun goes for over $225,000 - every single part is made in house - including springs and screws - on their own machinery. They vacuum are remelt the barrel steel - something usually only done for the spacecraft, and then they will hook you up with the likes of creative Art, Fracassi, Perdersoli, or one of the other world famous engravers to discuss the artistic commission

You can buy a used Perazzi or Kreighoff in the 3500-7500 range - depending on model and condition - and have a gun that will be still be shooting long after you are done with it.

Kim Rhode, Olympian, shoots a Perazzi - her first - by her estimations has well over a million rounds through it - one of the reasons you see them more than any other in the Olympic winner's circle - and they are production guns

 

[robertsig]

Those last two posts gave me everything i needed. Thanks.

 

[vaskeet]

1st what do you want the shotgun to do? Trap, Skeet, Sporting clays, hunting, or home defense/combat as this will determine the proper shotgun and configuration. Also shooting style has a large bearring on what gun works for you. I shoot skeet I have a very aggressive shooting style. I shoot best with a very muzzle heavy gun like my Krieghoff which helps smooth out my swing. I have friends that shoot best with a between the hands feeling gun like a perazzi. Hunting guns semi auto from any good manufacture will last you a lifetime combat seems to be mossburg 500's and remington 870's Let us know what you want to do with the gun and we will tell you our opinions Randy

 

[checkmyswag]

We all put our money and time into what we value...but if you put more $ into a gun...doesn't mean you enjoy it proportionality more. Same w the truck. My favorite truck was an old shorted chevy a bought cheap. Payments/debtsucks is not for me. Glad in this instance im given $30,000. Would buy a $5000 truck and a $1000 shotgun and sit around the house and count my $24,000.

 

[BigJimP]

The upper end of both Browning and Beretta will probably give you all the gun you'll ever need / at a very good value.

One of the things you'll find that if a Browning fits you ( grip area, weight, balance, adjustability, parallel comb or non-parallel comb..) then the Berettas will probably not fit you. But one of them will have a gun that will work for you.

In Brownings line of guns - they have so many models its really confusing ...but the Citori XS Skeet with an adj comb ..is a solid gun. I think its a gun that will fit 99.9% of the shooters out there...and its a general purpose O/U that works as well in the field, for sporting clays and in Skeet ...and while its not a great Trap gun ...its serviceable there as well. They are coming out of the factory with some decent wood on them in grade III / IV ...and trigger is around 4.25 - 4.5 lbs ...

List price is $ 3,600 now ....and street price in my area is about $ 3,200.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=008B&cid=013&tid=066&bg=x

Beretta DT-10 is a nice gun ....and others in the Beretta line as well.

 

[oneounceload]

One gun that keeps getting omitted is from Connecticut Shotgun - their new A-10. When it was first announced, if you took advantage of all of the available discounts, you could have gotten the gun for 4K - now they are at their MSRP of 8K - and even that is a good price - this is an American-made sidelock, copied extensively from the Beretta SO5, which sells for 15-25K and up. Built using the latest CAD?CAM techniques, it is a production gun, with a few options to choose from. Definitely worth a look

 

[BigJimP]

Sure, OneOunce is right ....there are a lot of good solid guns that get lost in the discussion ....when you focus on guns over $ 10K ...but there are a lot of guns under $ 10K that are very solid guns...and you shouldn't necessarily only look at O/U's either...

Caesar Guerrini, Zoli and others ....out there / that may not be guns that I'm personally attracted to ...but it doesn't mean you should reject them either...

and in the semi-auto world ....there are a lot of good general purpose guns that will be good long term choices ...even under $ 2,000 ....
Benelli Super Sport is one ...
Beretta AL 391 gold target is another one ...( and I know at least one Master Class shooter in my area - that is shooting one and put his Beretta O/U's away ) in sporting clays competition - and qualifying and staying in Master class - is not something they give you based on your good looks - you have to perform in tournaments ...and if the Beretta 391 Gold Target didn't perform - trust me, he would shoot something else !! I don't know him well ...but I do know he can afford to shoot a new K gun if he wanted one.

A $ 200 Rem 870 express isn't a bad gun ...but it may not be a decent gun for the kind of usage most of us expect out of a long term target gun ...but our moderator, shoots a lot of 870's ...and he's a discerning guy ...and he likes them a lot ....but no, its not just pay $ 10K or its a waste of money !!

We say it often on this forum ....you need decent equipment / that will hold up long term if you're going to shoot 20,000 - 30,000 shells a year ...and most of us want a gun that will last at least 10 yrs in that environment ...and not let us down. But you have a lot of choices...and well before you get into fancy wood and fancy engraving...

Shoot what you can afford ...shoot what you want ....and for god sakes, have some fun with it ! ....and appreciate whatever gun you shoot, each and every time you pick it up to go to the range !

 

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

I need to throw my 2 cents in this one...

When it comes to new, current model year, over/under shotguns I would simply not buy anything less than a Browning Citori Satin Hunter at around $1295.. Any of the Turkish or Russian made over/unders to me are generally a waste of time.. By waste of time, I mean that for me they will not hold up to the amount of shooting I do on a regular basis.. Also, as a general rule its hard to get a cheap over/under that has the barrels regulated so that the point of impact is close...

I don't have problems with cheap guns as long as they work... Even with all the stuff I do shoot.. I still like to pull out the Mossberg 500 I paid $100 for...