Good $ value sxs shotgun brands?

[Sharps45-70]

Wow thanks for taking the time to respond with such helpful posts! I can see I'm only just scratching the surface of this new to me world. Couldn't be more excited. So many different makers styles and configurations and so much history as well.

Ashcroft I am scheduled to work the kamloops gun show but I hope to get a day off to attend. You mentioned that to be able to buy British guns intelligently a person needs to know how to evaluate these guns. Are there any pointers on this? General things to look for? I would assume a tight lockup, decent wood condition, top lever positioning, apparent bore condition, and overal finish would be a start?

Appreciate all the comments so far.

These are definitely main start points on any gun. I generally bring a pair of snap caps to any show or store so I can test trigger pulls and ejectors; if the gun has them.

The main points to look for on SxS's specifically are:

1. Top lever positioning. Preferably right of centre but left is not the end of the world, it can be tightened up fairly easily with someone with know-how.
2. Ribs. Check the ribs to see if they are loose. This is a large job to have them fixed and required soldering and refinishing of the barrels. To check this, a visial inspection for gaps, followed by hanging the barrels by the underlug on your finger and tapping the outside of the barrels with a metal object. Good barrels will ring, bad ones will clunk. Midway USA has a good video on this on youtube, just search "how to check barrel ribs Midway usa"
3. Action tightness. With the forend off and the action closed, do the barrels wiggle side to side or up and down? This can be fixed if you really want to but its a process for sure. NOTE; keep an eye out for people slipping in shims or business card peices in the action to tighten it. Some people do this to tighten it up for the unsespecting buyer. This is why I ALWAYS disassemble the gunn before I test most things.
4. Matching serial numbers
5. Sidelock vs boxlock. Believe it or not, you can indeed buy budget sidelocks, if that is more of your taste.
6. Automatic safety vs manual vs none at all.
7. Rib style.
8. Cracks in the stock.
9. Chips from the stock/forend.
10. Forend style and forend looseness. Also check the way it is attached, or by what mechanism.
11. Dents in the barrels.
12. Bore condition and chokes.
13. Ejectors vs extractors, ejectors will bring a premium over the same gun with extractors, but can also be a point of trouble if worked on by Bubba in the past.
14. Barrel length. This is mostly personal preference, I like 30" barrels. I am not a big guy (5' 9") and I love how they swing.
15. BARREL MATERIAL. BIIIIGGGG concern here. Do you want the beauty and hassle of a damascus gun? They usually go for much much MUCH cheaper that steel guns at shows, just because of all the paranoia around them. With dealers...Not so much, since most know what they have. My recommendation: Get a steel gun first before you decide to dive into damascus; you need to know what to look for when inspecting a damascus gun. Just avoid them...for now
16. Chamber length. This is another biggie. You probably just want to be able to grab a box of target loads to the shelf and head to the range, so 2 1/2" 12 gauge is hard to find (I am assuming you want a 12). Get a gun with 2 3/4" chambers. But be careful. In North America, many short chambered guns were lengthened, barrel wall thickness could be a problem in a really dainty gun. Check the proofs. If it says 1 1/8 oz or less, it was probably a 2 1/2" gun. More than this and it is almost 100% a 2 3/4" gun or longer. Also, look for stretched out forcing cones. Normal ones will be only about 1/2"-1" long. If they are longer (2-3") they were lengthened to accommodate longer shells. This all leads nicely into the next point:
17. Gun weight. Smaller chambered guns will be lighter than larger chambered ones. Not a big deal, just keep that in mind. Also corresponds with heavier proof loads.
18. Gun fit to you is a MAJOR point. If it doesn't fit, it can be $$$ to alter the fit to your dimensions.
19. Point 18 has an important anecdote which deals with SPECIFICALLY English guns. It is not uncommon for these guns to have altered stocks. This is normal practice in England. It doesn't really detract in value toooooo much unless the recoil pad is just too damn ugly to live with
20. Condition of checkering. This is a good indicator of how much the gun has been used in its life, or at least how much it has been carried.

Once you deal with all of this stuff, the rest is just picky stuff to look out for depending on what you want.
- drop points
- checkering patterns
- Side clips
- Engraving styles
- Buttplate style
- grip styles
These (and many more) things are just personal preference and you will see some guns within your price range have certain features that others don't. That is the wonder of the English gun. No matter the manufature, you could almost assuredly find a gun they made that has similar features to the highest end guns. The difference comes in the attention to detail.

Like what's been said before, do your research under different brands. Ask questions (PM me if you have any ), or buy a book or two. Never enough info out there!

 

[Ashcroft]

Find yourself a copy of The British Boxlock Guns & Rifles by Diggory Hadoke ( Safari Press), this marvellously informative book is by far the best single source of information on how to evaluate side by side doubles. In spite of the title the information on features and their various merits, problems and pitfalls, evaluation, recognizing quality, etc applies to all side by sides regardless of action type, country of origin or vintage. This subject is far too vast to cover in any meaningful depth in this forum you need a book like this one, especially if you don't have years of hands on experience on the subject.
The standard advice on buying a used double has always been " buy the barrels", the reason being, if the barrels are not safe to use then the gun is useless because as these English guns were largely hand made and hand fitted, even the least expensive ones, parts including barrels are not interchangeable even on guns that appear identical. Newer machine made Japanese or Italian guns from the 1960's on have some parts interchangeability. Some barrel problems such as small dents and rough bores can be repaired but severe dents, deep pitting, loose ribs and thin barrel walls can not be economically repaired unless the gun is very very valuable. Broken or weak springs, hammers and other parts can be hand made, hand fitted, correctly hardened and installed, guns can be rejointed ( put back tight on face), cracked stocks can sometimes be salvaged due to modern epoxies, stocks can be recheckered and refinished, metal reblued or browned, even case colours renewed. All of these things cost serious money if done by a really competent gunsmith and can turn a prized purchase into a despised money pit where the expenditure far exceeds the value of the finished product. Buy a sound gun and enjoy it, leave the projects for the gamblers with deep pockets. When shopping for a gun be aware that many guns needing work are put on the market because the owner doesn't want to put the money into it. If the seller won't give you a three day no firing no disassembly inspection period maybe you should look for another gun.
Drop by my table at Kamloops in the curling rink room, look for the old guy with the blaze orange cap and vest. I always have some good sound guns ( I don't handle any other kind) in various price ranges and would be happy to spend some time explaining features and faults and can help assess any treasure you may have found. I always have my barrel measuring tools and would be glad to help. Jim

 

[209jones]

I went thru, and am still looking at various styles of SXS shotguns for myself a few yrs ago. It is a long process to figure out what is worth buying and what isn't. Biggest issue I ran across were stocks and chokes, finding the combination of right length stock, or something fairly close, and chokes that were either what I wanted or could be opened up. And then barrel lengths and wall thicknesses got into it as well. A lot of the refurbished guns were overpriced in my view, ones that had been overhauled and/or resleeved. And I like waterfowling, so, that creates another issue, with the proofs.
Either have to load my own lower pressure stuff with specialized steel shot, which did not turn my crank a lot, or find a more modern gun. Even in looking at the more modern guns, there wasn't a lot out there that seemed suitable.The mfgr's have been revamping the lines a bit, and there is a better selection out there now. Still looking for a suitable 20 ga, but, I ended up buying a couple of Fabarms for 12ga. At the time, that was the best balance I could find of something that was versatile and "reasonably" priced. There are a few others out there now, dollar doesn't help on them though. I think part of the change is that Euro guns have to be proofed for high pressure steel rounds these days, 1350BAR. It has evolved into two different sub-7500.00 groups it seems to me. You have traditional lead round guns, and the more modern waterfowling guns. You have the Turkish guns, and the rest. Plenty of choices in lead round guns, not so much with steel, but, it is improving. And none of the sub7500.00 stuff is finished quite the way the old guns were. Always seems to be a tradeoff of some type to be made somewhere in the process.

 

[leveractionjunkie]

Well we're getting into the guts of things eh . Certainly a lot of things to learn and look into and for hey. I can see a guy going through a "growth" period and I'm sure a mistake or two. I found a copy of The British Boxlock Guns & Rifles by Diggory Hadoke ( Safari Press) on amazon and ordered earlier today. I also found a couple of books by Terry Weiland on on Spanish doubles and one on British. Might have a look through them once I've read the first.

Really wish I could head to a few gun shows and handle some different guns. As mentioned earlier a guy really needs to find the one he's looking for. I can see this turning into an obsession all to easily . In reality I have three young kids and all that goes with that phase on life. So hopefully I'll be able to leave the projects and restoration pits for others. At the end of the day what I need is a hunting SxS that'll be a solid and reliable companion.

Glad to see such a wealth of experienced gun enthusiasts knowledgable in guns mostly overlooked and passed by in the area I live. Nice to see such interest in guns I get looked at sideway for bringing up in conversation. Thanks again. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will find the info here useful.

 

[saskbooknut]

Good choice to avoid fixer upper guns. They can be a sinkhole. Buy better, keep longer.

 

[Sharps45-70]

Well we're getting into the guts of things eh . Certainly a lot of things to learn and look into and for hey. I can see a guy going through a "growth" period and I'm sure a mistake or two. I found a copy of The British Boxlock Guns & Rifles by Diggory Hadoke ( Safari Press) on amazon and ordered earlier today. I also found a couple of books by Terry Weiland on on Spanish doubles and one on British. Might have a look through them once I've read the first.

Really wish I could head to a few gun shows and handle some different guns. As mentioned earlier a guy really needs to find the one he's looking for. I can see this turning into an obsession all to easily . In reality I have three young kids and all that goes with that phase on life. So hopefully I'll be able to leave the projects and restoration pits for others. At the end of the day what I need is a hunting SxS that'll be a solid and reliable companion.

Glad to see such a wealth of experienced gun enthusiasts knowledgable in guns mostly overlooked and passed by in the area I live. Nice to see such interest in guns I get looked at sideway for bringing up in conversation. Thanks again. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will find the info here useful.

Yes good choice to avoid projects. Besides, most of them are belgian knock off guns anyways.

I have Terry Weiland's book on British Doubles. Fine book with lot's of info. It even goes over all the main brands and manufactures, telling you things like quality, production techniques etc. Good buy!

I always get looked at funnily too especially being a young guy, all the older shooters and store employees look at me like I'm crazy, while saying "an over under will do all of this so much better" or "just get a autoloader" *sigh*

 

[yorgi]

These are definitely main start points on any gun. I generally bring a pair of snap caps to any show or store so I can test trigger pulls and ejectors; if the gun has them.

The main points to look for on SxS's specifically are:

1. Top lever positioning. Preferably right of centre but left is not the end of the world, it can be tightened up fairly easily with someone with know-how.
2. Ribs. Check the ribs to see if they are loose. This is a large job to have them fixed and required soldering and refinishing of the barrels. To check this, a visial inspection for gaps, followed by hanging the barrels by the underlug on your finger and tapping the outside of the barrels with a metal object. Good barrels will ring, bad ones will clunk. Midway USA has a good video on this on youtube, just search "how to check barrel ribs Midway usa"
3. Action tightness. With the forend off and the action closed, do the barrels wiggle side to side or up and down? This can be fixed if you really want to but its a process for sure. NOTE; keep an eye out for people slipping in shims or business card peices in the action to tighten it. Some people do this to tighten it up for the unsespecting buyer. This is why I ALWAYS disassemble the gunn before I test most things.
4. Matching serial numbers
5. Sidelock vs boxlock. Believe it or not, you can indeed buy budget sidelocks, if that is more of your taste.
6. Automatic safety vs manual vs none at all.
7. Rib style.
8. Cracks in the stock.
9. Chips from the stock/forend.
10. Forend style and forend looseness. Also check the way it is attached, or by what mechanism.
11. Dents in the barrels.
12. Bore condition and chokes.
13. Ejectors vs extractors, ejectors will bring a premium over the same gun with extractors, but can also be a point of trouble if worked on by Bubba in the past.
14. Barrel length. This is mostly personal preference, I like 30" barrels. I am not a big guy (5' 9") and I love how they swing.
15. BARREL MATERIAL. BIIIIGGGG concern here. Do you want the beauty and hassle of a damascus gun? They usually go for much much MUCH cheaper that steel guns at shows, just because of all the paranoia around them. With dealers...Not so much, since most know what they have. My recommendation: Get a steel gun first before you decide to dive into damascus; you need to know what to look for when inspecting a damascus gun. Just avoid them...for now
16. Chamber length. This is another biggie. You probably just want to be able to grab a box of target loads to the shelf and head to the range, so 2 1/2" 12 gauge is hard to find (I am assuming you want a 12). Get a gun with 2 3/4" chambers. But be careful. In North America, many short chambered guns were lengthened, barrel wall thickness could be a problem in a really dainty gun. Check the proofs. If it says 1 1/8 oz or less, it was probably a 2 1/2" gun. More than this and it is almost 100% a 2 3/4" gun or longer. Also, look for stretched out forcing cones. Normal ones will be only about 1/2"-1" long. If they are longer (2-3") they were lengthened to accommodate longer shells. This all leads nicely into the next point:
17. Gun weight. Smaller chambered guns will be lighter than larger chambered ones. Not a big deal, just keep that in mind. Also corresponds with heavier proof loads.
18. Gun fit to you is a MAJOR point. If it doesn't fit, it can be $$$ to alter the fit to your dimensions.
19. Point 18 has an important anecdote which deals with SPECIFICALLY English guns. It is not uncommon for these guns to have altered stocks. This is normal practice in England. It doesn't really detract in value toooooo much unless the recoil pad is just too damn ugly to live with
20. Condition of checkering. This is a good indicator of how much the gun has been used in its life, or at least how much it has been carried.

Once you deal with all of this stuff, the rest is just picky stuff to look out for depending on what you want.
- drop points
- checkering patterns
- Side clips
- Engraving styles
- Buttplate style
- grip styles
These (and many more) things are just personal preference and you will see some guns within your price range have certain features that others don't. That is the wonder of the English gun. No matter the manufature, you could almost assuredly find a gun they made that has similar features to the highest end guns. The difference comes in the attention to detail.

Like what's been said before, do your research under different brands. Ask questions (PM me if you have any ), or buy a book or two. Never enough info out there!

I have no intention of buying a SXS anytime soon. I am so taken back however by the level of expertise you have on the subject and all the detailed info that you have provided, that I will copy your text and save it for "just in case"...

Deserves a sticky, thank you for sharing!

 

[punkkinen]

I went thru, and am still looking at various styles of SXS shotguns for myself a few yrs ago. It is a long process to figure out what is worth buying and what isn't. Biggest issue I ran across were stocks and chokes, finding the combination of right length stock, or something fairly close, and chokes that were either what I wanted or could be opened up. And then barrel lengths and wall thicknesses got into it as well. A lot of the refurbished guns were overpriced in my view, ones that had been overhauled and/or resleeved. And I like waterfowling, so, that creates another issue, with the proofs.
Either have to load my own lower pressure stuff with specialized steel shot, which did not turn my crank a lot, or find a more modern gun. Even in looking at the more modern guns, there wasn't a lot out there that seemed suitable.The mfgr's have been revamping the lines a bit, and there is a better selection out there now. Still looking for a suitable 20 ga, but, I ended up buying a couple of Fabarms for 12ga. At the time, that was the best balance I could find of something that was versatile and "reasonably" priced. There are a few others out there now, dollar doesn't help on them though. I think part of the change is that Euro guns have to be proofed for high pressure steel rounds these days, 1350BAR. It has evolved into two different sub-7500.00 groups it seems to me. You have traditional lead round guns, and the more modern waterfowling guns. You have the Turkish guns, and the rest. Plenty of choices in lead round guns, not so much with steel, but, it is improving. And none of the sub7500.00 stuff is finished quite the way the old guns were. Always seems to be a tradeoff of some type to be made somewhere in the process.

You nailed it there Jones. I have been into sxs's for about 5 years now and I am just now finally getting the full picture of exactly what I do and don't like and what I want. It's a bit of an experience once you get the gun in hand and shoot it then you realize what features about it work for you like stock dimensions, chokes, barrels etc... also if you like waterfowl hunting bismuth can get up there in price so you would want something proofed for steel and a bit more modern to take the punishment. My best advice is try and figure out what you want in a shotgun in terms of options and configuration and once you find one that meets your criteria pick it up and try it out. While all of the advice online is great and I recommend reading into things before buying, I found you can only learn so much from reading, but having a gun in hand to examine, handle and to shoot it is a whole different story and helped me figure out exactly the perfect gun for me.

 

[brybenn]

It's a sickness not just an obsession. I loved pump guns then I showed up for a round of skeet and had the opportunity to hold a Holland and Holland royal. Even though I didn't shot it that day I completely changed my mind about double guns and double triggers. I now have a sxs 10ga. 5 sxs 12ga and one sxs rifle in 45/70.
A sxs in 450/400 3" nitro is on the list as well as an AyA #1 and #2 as soon as the money is available

It will soon be a buyers market with the baby boomers reaching the age where hunting and shooting is no longer a reality. The fact is the younger generation shooters we have now aren't impressed by quality vintage double guns. They want cheap 3.5" semi auto plastic and tacticool firearms.
Even the firearm industry has noticed and started a race to the bottom

Best of luck

 

[canvasback]

It's a sickness not just an obsession. I loved pump guns then I showed up for a round of skeet and had the opportunity to hold a Holland and Holland royal. Even though I didn't shot it that day I completely changed my mind about double guns and double triggers. I now have a sxs 10ga. 5 sxs 12ga and one sxs rifle in 45/70.
A sxs in 450/400 3" nitro is on the list as well as an AyA #1 and #2 as soon as the money is available

It will soon be a buyers market with the baby boomers reaching the age where hunting and shooting is no longer a reality. The fact is the younger generation shooters we have now aren't impressed by quality vintage double guns. They want cheap 3.5" semi auto plastic and tacticool firearms.
Even the firearm industry has noticed and started a race to the bottom

Best of luck

I don't buy mine as an investment and so don't really care about the "market" for older SxS except as it affects what it costs me to buy what I'm after. But I don't have quite as pessimistic view of the future for SxS (separate from hunting).

I was a hunter for 30 years before I first held and shot a SxS. There is always a market for the newest, latest trends. And in the same way, there is always a market for tried and true quality. Often you need to burn through the crap to understand what quality really is and be ready to value it.

The big factor I see over the next 20-30 years is declining numbers of hunters, rather than hunters opting for different choices.

 

[brybenn]

I hope your right. I'm just stating the trend I see. Not many of the younger shooters want to spend thousands on a engraved double gun with nice wood when they can buy a semi or pump cheap.

Especially the Canadian market. Nice guns will be a bargin eventually as more will hit the market. I don't wish to see any shooter forced to give up their quality double guns but I greatly anticipate the day if and when the market opens up

I hunt with every gun I own except my Ithaca 4E. I do use it for trap but it's in need of repair currently

Once I get my Rst ammo from prophet river even that old Charles Daly will see the field once again

 

[Ashcroft]

Regards your prediction that demand for higher quality guns will wane and prices go down I tend to disagree. Yes, most higher quality doubles are currently owned by people in their fourties and older, I believe this is because they have already gone through the "lets go shooting" stage and have settled into shooting sports where real quality makes a difference, such as competitive shotgun sports, hunting and just the pure joy of collecting - we're all hoarders at heart. At this point in a lot of people's lives they are also more likely to be in a financial position to be able to afford finer toys ( guns, car, watch, house, add your own). Most of us older guys that own higher quality firearms, be they shotgun, rifle or pistol started when we were young with a single shot .22 or 12 gauge or maybe a shaky old hand me down Belgian hammer gun. Over time as circumstances improved we aquired better quality toys but it took many years and many dead ends to really settle into our current passion, be it a Perazzi trap gun, a graceful British side by side, Winchester lever actions, Colt single action revolvers or whatever. The finest new guns are out of the financial reach of most people but most will eventually be able to afford and enjoy the best as a used gun. Once you mature to where you can appreciate true quality you lose interest in remchester type guns. A new British double will cost you $30,000 and up - way, way up. It's still possible in Canada to get this quality in a good well cared for used gun for the price of a new Beretta or Browning over/ under.
So what I see is the current crop of younger shooters maturing in their tastes and interests as they get older. The only downside is that the percentage of firearms owners is not keeping pace with the population. Worldwide trends on quality firearms is a steep upward curve but Canada, as usual, is behind the curve. I truly believe this kind of bargain won't last, if we wait too long we'll miss the train ( again). Jim

 

[leveractionjunkie]

Spot on Jim. I believe you are correct in your analysis of the market for classic guns, SxS shotguns, double rifles, pistols and all the rest. Very few are born into or brought up in an environment where they can use, handle and appreciate fine guns (and anything else for that matter). Most of us start out with what dear ol dad puts in our hands or, if we come into the sport later in life, we start with whatever someone recommends. It makes sense than that fine guns are more of an acquired taste, if that's not too cheesey.

Until I frequented the local shotgun club and shot a couple sporting clays events, a o/u was an o/u an auto was an auto, a SxS was a SxS etc etc. After seeing various budget brands of all action types begin to "loosen" up and flaws come to the surface. It quickly became apparent that cheap more often than not ends up costing more in the long run. From that point the incremental levels of appreciation for quality workmanship, machining, assembly, etc continue to lead down the path that brings us to a thread like this one .

I see quite often in co workers and friends a similar move from budget to quality. There's not a huge apatite around here for shotguns in general but I do know some people close in age with a taste for better than budget guns of differing styles.

My concerns at this early stage of this "sickness" are maybe less shooters and places to shoot, as well as the article from field and stream that got me thinking more of SxS's again where SKB's are being chopped down for cowboy shooting. At the end of the day all of these classic guns have been made and there's a finite number of them. Hopefully there will always be "enough" of them .

 

[SuperCub]

I've owned 6 different SKBs over the years (3 M100s, 1 M200, 2 M500s). All performed perfectly as a high quality, no nonsense working gun. The M100s are my favourite as they come with extractors and a splinter forend. The only thing I dislike about the is the single trigger. Once one gets used to a double trigger, they find that it is a far better system for quick bbl selection.

My current M100 20ga has 28" bbls which have been opened up to IC/M. Handles very well. Perfect for grouse and woodcock with out spending and arm and a leg.

 

[Crazy_Farmer]

This is already happening in the US. Prices have come down on doubles. They're seeing a trend no different then old muscle cars. The prices in Canada have seemed to hold on and sellers are asking quite a bit. Or closer to what they bought the doubles for.

But like brybenn stated it could be a reality in the coming years that the prices will drop some on used doubles. Shotguns and rifles. But the next generations just don't have the desire or money to spend that much on the guns. If that's the case I'm hopeful because I am definitely a SxS man and am also searching for a good deal.

 

[leveractionjunkie]

Super Cub I do like the SKBs they seem like good solid entry SxS's, like you say good working guns. I haven't shot double triggers a bunch but I do prefer it for barrell selection as you mention. Good looking pup also! May you enjoy many flushes together

 

[leveractionjunkie]

Crazy_Farmer your mention of muscle cars makes me wonder if it isn't more than jus young guys not being into doubles. I've heard prices on most all bigger ticket items may see a downturn in price in the years ahead. Not because people don't want them, just that not as many people want them. As the baby boomers move on and pass there's a large fap behind them as yet un filled. The bit I recall reading was based on housing const in areas like the okanagan etc where boomers are flocking for retirement and building certain types of houses for retirement that the next generation won't desire as they're raising young families, and as boomers move to seniors homes there'll be surpluses of these homes.

I know I totally derailed us there but it's ok I'm OP lol

 

[canvasback]

This is already happening in the US. Prices have come down on doubles. They're seeing a trend no different then old muscle cars. The prices in Canada have seemed to hold on and sellers are asking quite a bit. Or closer to what they bought the doubles for.

But like brybenn stated it could be a reality in the coming years that the prices will drop some on used doubles. Shotguns and rifles. But the next generations just don't have the desire or money to spend that much on the guns. If that's the case I'm hopeful because I am definitely a SxS man and am also searching for a good deal.

I'm not talking about price trends here but it is my experience that an older SxS, whether American, Brit or Continental, will command a significantly greater price in the US as the same gun will fetch in Canada. Following certain parts of the SxS market for the last 10 years, in either country, I'm not seeing a lot of movement, up or down. The exception I've noticed is field or similar grade American guns that are NOT 99% guns. 10 years ago people thought anything was a collector. Turns out anything isn't. Those guns are down.

 

[heronfish]

Crazy_Farmer your mention of muscle cars makes me wonder if it isn't more than jus young guys not being into doubles. I've heard prices on most all bigger ticket items may see a downturn in price in the years ahead. Not because people don't want them, just that not as many people want them. As the baby boomers move on and pass there's a large fap behind them as yet un filled. The bit I recall reading was based on housing const in areas like the okanagan etc where boomers are flocking for retirement and building certain types of houses for retirement that the next generation won't desire as they're raising young families, and as boomers move to seniors homes there'll be surpluses of these homes.

I know I totally derailed us there but it's ok I'm OP lol

Look at how no one collects pre 60s cars anymore, they just aren't attractive to the younger demographic. They're not as dated and old.

Now will the same befall doubles?only time will show what happens to mid range guns. The best will always be sought after.

 

[Superbrad]

When it comes to good value double barrel shotguns I always keep 4 makers in mind....... keep in mind that I really want to purchase my dream double some day soon, but I am someone that needs "pride of ownership" in the meantime and hates hunting with ugly clunky guns......

If I were you, I would seek out one of these four:

-CZ
-Yildiz (that's what I went with)
-Tobin
-Daudsons

All good quality guns that won't break the bank..... you can even get decent wood on them.... but they are no b guns and you won't find fine engraving or case colouring........ but good quality serviceable guns....