Why are "Good" Skeet/Trap Shotguns so expensive?

[Verdha603]

I apologize for my ignorance here, and I certainly think it's most likely due to my lack of exposure to the wider shotgun market, but why is the standard for a "good" trap or skeet shotgun something starting at $2K and just goes up from there?

I've noticed that whenever I go to a trap or skeet range it seems that while casual skeet or trap shooters bring whatever they have available, regulars and club members tend to use shotguns with price tags that make me wonder where that money was put into the shotgun.

It just seems strange to me when I've had it explained to me that an over/under or side/side made by well known companies like Beretta, Benelli, and Browning are considered "entry level trap/skeet shotguns", and then getting shown a litany of (mostly) Italian and British gun makers like Perazzi, Rizzini, Fabbri, Purdey, Holland & Holland, and Rigby, as "the shotguns for the serious trap or skeet shooter" costing multiple thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars, and wondering just how much supposed improvement in quality they are getting for their money?

Granted, I've had the good fortune of holding some of those shotguns, and I can't deny that their craftsmanship and artistry is beautiful, but just how much of the cost of those shotguns are actual improvements over simply aesthetics?

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Craftsmanship, attention to detail, bragging rights, status symbol...kind of like owning high end guitars. You dont really need an expensive guitar, but they are nice to have, play and look at.

[rice_man]

Okay let's just not pay those prices and they will come down to fair market value!

[Garv]

IB ysr

[ceh383]

When you get to the high end guns, a lot of the price is all of the hand fitting that goes into them. Aside from that, if you look at the engraving, some are works of art that take hundreds of hours to do. All that time doing it by hand adds a huge amount to the price tag.
For instance, a Krieghoff standard sporter starts at about $12,000. I handled one at PSA a few years back that had a price tag of $99,999...It was all the engraving, it was beautiful, all done by hand.
The standard sporter with the $12,000 price tag, well, it is mostly built by hand...Everything from barrel regulation to hand fit parts in the receiver to the stock. Fit and finish is impeccable, all done by hand.
High quality labor is costly.

[Imageview]

No one says Beretta or Browning quality sucks. They are guns that are made to be shot at incredibly high volumes. As prices increase, of course you get less and less increase in benefit, but having shot my 870 and several reasonably priced doubles and the doubles pointed better, fit better, and were easier for me to shoot.

Some of that cost is asthetics, some is durability, some is precision and quality. A mass produced gun from turkey is less expensive to make than a hand crafted gun from Italy or Germany.

Fortunately there are plenty of nice used guns, some that have been shot very little. The trick is just finding one that fits you. I got my 690 here on calguns for never shot for 800 + tax below what it retails for. It's fancier than I need, but it's a pleasure to shoot and it's beautiful. Cg isn't the best for doubles, definitely more a tactical crowd, but they do show up.

[naz]

There’s always ways to spend more money on any hobby!!

Those mega dollar guns sure are great to look at

[deckhandmike]

It’s just surprising that a 1000$ gets you a half *** shotgun. You would think it would get you a nice one. Sucks even more to be a lefty.

[ceh383]

Another point;
When I started shooting clays I bought a CZ O/U, cost me $800. It did what I needed it to do, never a problem with it at all. I moved on and now shoot a Zoli, bought it for $3300 used (actually a good price). If I were to compare the two, it would be like comparing a Ford Pinto to a Chevy Corvette. While the CZ worked, the Zoli is far and above the better gun. Everything from fit and finish to balance and swing characteristics is vastly better on the Zoli, to me, well worth the price.
You don't have to spend a fortune on a quality gun, Browning's and Beretta's can be had for less than 2k and will last a lifetime.

[fecalguns]

In my little time as a clay shooter, I have learned three important things in a high quality shotgun. Balance, Trigger, and how a gun fits you. Having a gun that fits you is a fundamental. Having balance in the gun and an outstanding trigger are some of the icing on the cake. But they all make a big difference.

To me the balance really made a difference in my shooting. I was shooting a Benelli at the end of the year 2019. In 2020 I went to a tournament and shot that Benelli at a Raahauge's NSCA tournament. My score at the main event wasn't really great, but okay. My friend Pat, let me shoot his gun for the Supersport event and I shot so much better using his gun. While the gun fit me well, the biggest difference IMO was the balance. I was able to swing that gun so smoothly compared to the Benelli because of the extra weight.

I was over leading targets with the Benelli, but didn't have that issue with his gun. I ended up buying his gun. That gun is a Perazzi and it truly does make a difference when you get into a higher end shotgun.

EDIT: FYI. My FIRST O/U was a Beretta Silver Pigeon. That gun is really nice, but there is still a difference between that gun and the Perazzi. First the recoil is much more violent compared to the Perazzi. Some how Perazzis have figure out the balance point in their guns. They push you when you shoot, but they are extremely comfortable. The Beretta will kick as opposed to a push. Don't ask me how they do it, but there truly is a difference. Second the Beretta doesn't swing quite the same. It's enough of a difference where I can over lead a target if I'm not careful. The Perazzi seems to be more forgiving with how I swing.

There have been times when I was able to correct my lead on a longer target and I never was able to do that with any other gun including the Beretta. There is one gun I still have that I haven't given a fair comparison to the Perazzi with, and at some point I will do so. Thanks Trapperjohn.

[tanks]

Yeah, when I saw a lefty Caeser Guerini Summit Sporting with an adjustable comb a month ago, I jumped on it. at $4.5K it is one of their entry level guns.

One thing for sure with the amount of adjustments I made to the cast and the height of the comb I will never buy a shotgun without an adjustable comb unless the stock is specifically made from the start for my measurements.

[BajaJames83]

a $500 gun will get it done just the same as the $400,000 gun just one looks fancier doing it.

[ceh383]

a $500 gun will get it done just the same as the $400,000 gun just one looks fancier doing it.

Only if the $500 gun fits properly and will last hundreds of thousands of rounds.

[Thefeeder]

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Resale value Some firearms are worth more, after you have used them for ten years then what you payed for them 10 years ago.

[RayPDA]