Are Shotguns Overpriced?

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BCFred

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I don't like being negative if I can help it, and I like looking at a nice shotgun as much as the next guy. But the above question has been in the back of my mind for quite some time. I think what finally led me to ask out loud was reading questions like is such and such $700.00 gun OK to start with and so on. The answers are usually get a used B gun (I did a couple of times and was happy.). The cheap(?) gun won't last etc. etc. I usually feel most guys and girls commenting have reasons for what they are saying too. But isn't it legitimate to expect a decent, tough over and under clays gun could be built for $2,000 brand new with chokes thrown in? And what can be put into a shotgun that warrants its price going beyond $4 or $5 thousand? We aren't building pieces individually by hand anymore are we? Is it a protected market or is it because shotguns started out as rich guys guns? I don't want to be more simple-minded than I usually am, but basically it's one or two tubes with a trigger and a stock and maybe some adjustable stuff isn't it? The technology has been around forever right! Help me out, it really does puzzle me. If I am being silly at least I'll know after you tell me:confused:.
 
I guess it is all relevant, Fred. Look at the price we pay for other junk that we are forced to buy, like major appliances, vehicles, furnaces ... I could go on. You have to consider quality when you start looking at shotguns, especially ones that shoot high volumes. Quality appears to have something to do with where they are made and the costs involved. Western countries have higher wages, operating costs, taxes, etc. I am fortunate enough to own a Kolar. About 5 years ago, I was told by one of the principals at Kolar, that over $1,000 of the cost of each gun was for medical insurance for the employees and that was before Obamacare came into the picture.
 
Wow, that just seems like a crazy cost.
Beretta687EELL said:
I guess it is all relevant, Fred. Look at the price we pay for other junk that we are forced to buy, like major appliances, vehicles, furnaces ... I could go on. You have to consider quality when you start looking at shotguns, especially ones that shoot high volumes. Quality appears to have something to do with where they are made and the costs involved. Western countries have higher wages, operating costs, taxes, etc. I am fortunate enough to own a Kolar. About 5 years ago, I was told by one of the principals at Kolar, that over $1,000 of the cost of each gun was for medical insurance for the employees and that was before Obamacare came into the picture.
Click to expand...
 
I agree you have to pay for quality and reliability but prices for firearms in general are a bit high, particularly in Canada. Some firearms are half the price in the states, way it is I guess but still I agree some things, shotguns included are over priced in general. It's hard to get a true quality bargain these days.
 
It's all relative to the price you are willing to pay and your needs and desires.

In my own example I always wanted a Germanic drilling just about all my adult life. I ended up buying a Prussian made BP cartridge drilling from the late 1880s in superior shape for it's age.

At $3400 USA, this is a steal compared to the current asking price of many other more modern drillings.

ymmv
 
A Timex will do about the same thing as a Rolex. A Chevy Chevette will basically do the same thing as a Benz. Own a Timex or a Benz for 5 year and see what your investment is worth.
Same goes for shotguns. If you shoot a lot of trap, skeet or sporting clays meaning 200-500 rounds a week a cheap Turkish made shot gun will likely be trash in less than a year. Shoot a B gun or a higher end gun the same amount of shooting and it will just start to be broken in.
 
Depends are you buying or selling ??? lol Sorry couldnt resist. Like preivous posters have said, depends how much shooting you will do with it etc.
 
You can start to get into a browning for about 2k. There is a lot more work in attaching 2 barrels and ensuring they point in the same direction. They also have to be fitted to the action. You cant just swap citori barrels from gun to gun like you can an auto 5 or bps. All of that takes skilled labour.

A lot of companies are trying to build O/U's to a price point, but they just cant seem to do it while maintaining quality. There would be a huge market for what you want to see, lots of $1000 over unders being sold despite the limited use they can take. If Browning could step into the $1000 price bracket without sacrificng quality they would make money hand over fist.
 
At $4 - $5 k, a decent quality O/U is worth maybe 40 to 50 flats of first quality target loads, or maybe 70 - 90 flats of "promo" loads.
About the amount a fairly active shooter would go through in say 3 to 4 years. A competitive Trap or Skeet shooter might do that ... or more
in a year. Over the course of 10 years, which a good quality target O/U will easily last, the cash outlay when amortized being less than $ 1.50/ day.
"Cup of Coffee" / day !

Your 10 year old lightly equipped, standard cab 4x4, will likely amortize out at about $9-$10/day !

Relatively speaking, the $4 - $5k target shotgun isn't a bad investment. Should last considerably longer than your truck !

The good quality target shotgun is something like hay.
No. 1 grade, first quality hay for your livestock comes at a premium price. Stuff that's already been through the horse once costs much less.
 
beretta boy said:
The good quality target shotgun is something like hay. No. 1 grade, first quality hay for your livestock comes at a premium price. Stuff that's already been through the horse once costs much less.
Click to expand...

I like your analogy ... one step further ... it is like buying good vs. cheap dog food ... the good food allows the dog to perform better in the field and you end up with less poop on the lawn (LOL).
 
I do not have any trouble in seeing the difference in quality when say picking a Stoeger Condor out of the rack to view and then picking up say a Beretta 686 to view. You can see the difference in the quality of materials, fit , finish , etc. Then to work the lever and open the action the feel is night and day. Quality comes at a cost and you can tell immediately that quality comes from at least some amount of hand fitted labour not to mention the costs of better materials. Are shotguns expensive? In my opinion the only truly expensive ones are the mass produced poorly finished ones like the Express that manufacturers have brought into the line up by gradually reducing quality and workmanship decade after decade to the point of building guns with a thin metal liner surrounded entirely in plastic. Those are the types of shotguns I find overpriced. I wouldn't pay $100 for one let alone $500-$800 for them. I will happily pay extra $ for a good quality firearm, even an older used one as at least many were crafted in a manner and a time when quality and pride inworkmanship were important.
 
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From my experience, there comes a point of minimal return (when the fit is sorted)
Myself and others are average high volume/competitors and go through 26K per year on average (there are many who do much more)
I've been fortunate enough to shoot Kreighoff, Perazzi, Kolar, and very high end Berettas.

Having said that, I would pit my lowly 686 Onyx Pro on durability and build quality against any of the others I have mentioned.

To the OP's original question: There is a point when it comes down to wood and engraving (if you have the cash.....why not?)
Just my 2c's

A lightly used B gun for 1500-2000 will last you a lifetime, even for a heavy shooter. If you ever wear it out, it can be rebuilt.
 
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I too struggled with this. I talk myself into believing that a Stoeger was worth $750. I even thought they could make a decent a reliable(not quite as pretty) gun at this price point. After the second trip to warranty center I had to open my mind a little and looked at the B guns. I ended up with a 686 sporting. There is no comparison. The 686 is perfect, ###y and fits like a glove. I can see exactly where the money went into making a quality entry level gun that will last. I'm now a believer that if they could build a quality o/u in a lower price point they would. The truth is they can't and that why they are sold labeled Stoeger and not Beretta.
 
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