what does a big bucks double barrel shotgun got the cheap ones don't?

[JagerDog]

Yes. Most anyone with any wingshooting experience could tell the difference between <$1k and $6k.

[Bakerloo]

I have a Beretta Silver Pigeon I purchased new 14 years ago and it is an excellent O/U shotgun, price back then was $2K total. The wood is very elegant, the engraving is excellent, and the overall fit and finish of the whole is excellent. Balances well, trigger is great, the mechanics are tight and precise. I also own a Stoeger Coach gun in 12 gauge that I bought for $400 and it is a fun gun, but make no mistake, it does not compare to the SP1, not even in the same ballpark. The wood furniture is OK, does not have the grain structure of a better gun. It is a two trigger system and it works fine, but doesn't have the crispness of the Beretta. Fit and finish is a little rough when you take it apart. But for $400, it is a fun little shotgun.

I've got a couple of Silver Pigeons (12GA Sporting and a 28GA field gun with a scaled frame). Both are wonderful guns priced at $2500 or so. Last week I got a Beretta 694 Sporting. It's around $5300. There's definitely a big difference between them. The grade of wood is way better, fit and finish is better. The receiver is bigger and stronger. It has a palm swell and crazy long forcing cones to reduce recoil.

In the late 70's Chevy made 2 Vettes. The Chevette and the Corvette. Both would get you from point A to B. One cost less than half of the other. Only you can decide if the second one is worth the premium price.

[deckhandmike]

Who cares if the grain is better if you can’t drive without recasing the gun or throw it over a fence. It actually hunts worse. My beater sits on the front seat ready to go as I cruise the ranch and I can slide down hills in hot pursuit.

With an unlimited amount of choke and shot combos a cheap gun can keep up on what matters, shooting. I’ve yet to wear out a cheap hunting gun .

And no, I’m not poor. I just don’t see the return on investment. As long as it goes bang and fits who cares about the rest. It’s a tool. A 6000$ hunting shotgun is like a 6000$ shovel, stupid. Can’t even stick it in the dirt without messing it up.

[deckhandmike]

And for all the stupid car comparisons. A beater shotgun is a rattle canned, hemi swapped wrangler on 37’s . And a fancy shotgun is a G Wagon. Put them on a rock crawling course and tell me who’s going to go farther and faster.

[JagerDog]

Who cares if the grain is better if you can’t drive without recasing the gun or throw it over a fence. It actually hunts worse. My beater sits on the front seat ready to go as I cruise the ranch and I can slide down hills in hot pursuit.

With an unlimited amount of choke and shot combos a cheap gun can keep up on what matters, shooting. I’ve yet to wear out a cheap hunting gun .

And no, I’m not poor. I just don’t see the return on investment. As long as it goes bang and fits who cares about the rest. It’s a tool. A 6000$ hunting shotgun is like a 6000$ shovel, stupid. Can’t even stick it in the dirt without messing it up.

So you created your own question to answer?

I've never needed to "throw my gun over a fence".

I have a couple 682's . They're target guns. I've hunted minimally with the sporting model. I generally prefer autos in the field. My B-80 and 48 AL have been my primary hunters for 4 decades.

And if I had Musk money, I'd have no issue hunting with a $10k or even $100k shotgun.

If I was shooting sea ducks, I'd have a different answer.

[Imageview]

Who cares if the grain is better if you can’t drive without recasing the gun or throw it over a fence. It actually hunts worse. My beater sits on the front seat ready to go as I cruise the ranch and I can slide down hills in hot pursuit.

With an unlimited amount of choke and shot combos a cheap gun can keep up on what matters, shooting. I’ve yet to wear out a cheap hunting gun .

And no, I’m not poor. I just don’t see the return on investment. As long as it goes bang and fits who cares about the rest. It’s a tool. A 6000$ hunting shotgun is like a 6000$ shovel, stupid. Can’t even stick it in the dirt without messing it up.

I don’t have a ranch to drive around, so driving it around uncased isn’t important to me. I also don’t hunt where there are many fences. It’s not that I think you are wrong, it’s just that my answer is different than yours because my situation is different.

That being said, I like the 20g cz shotgun you hunt with as I’ve said before. I think it’s a good value. It’s not the best shooting shotgun I’ve ever shot, but it’s a good enough shooter for sure. Capable of more than I am. But if I can spend a bit more and get something that swings better for me? I’m ok with that.

Do I like having a “nicer” shotgun, with fancy wood and beautiful engraving? Sure. But that’s not what’s most important. What’s important is hitting birds. If I don’t shoot a gun because I’m afraid of it getting dinged then it’s not hitting birds. So I don’t own anything I’m not comfortable using. Even if someday I do get a ranch.

[Bakerloo]

I enjoy owning and shooting nice guns. Hitting birds or clays is fun but it's not the most important part for me. I don't hunt for survival... Being out with my dog in a dove field or duck blind waiting for the world to wake up is the best part for me. A nice gun hasn't increased my success at all. For some it's a tool, for others it's a trophy or a prize that you win for working hard and saving your money to own it. Now, I think I'll go open the safe and wax the beautiful stocks on my nice guns.

What's really important is enjoying your time in the field and not bashing others for enjoying their time in the outdoors with the "tool" of their choice. If you do, you're the real "tool."

[BOBGBA]

I just grab whatever's handy and use it, like this one.

The guy I hunt with loaned it to me. He got it out when I told him I was changing guns and he said "I've got a gun for you to use."
I used it in the field for most of the day.

The only fences on this property are the property boundary fences, so I didn't have to throw it over any fence this time.

My preferred method of getting it over a fence is the Olympic hammer throw method.
Any gun that can't survive the hammer throw isn't a gun that you should own.


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[deckhandmike]

Hey, as long as you hunt a fancy gun hard I got no objection. But I’ve seen many hunters over the years miss countless shots because they were afraid to damage a gun or had it in the case.

2011 race gun for competition, makes sense. Ultralight mountain rifle with expensive glass, I see the returns. Expensive skeet gun I get it. Duck guns you better get a nice one or it fill fail. But a fancy upland shotgun, I’ll never understand.

And yes I might hunt harder (not saying more successful) than others but where I hunt we got steep canyons, lots fences for the cows and lots of property to cover over rough roads so your always hopping in and out of a truck. Guns get beat to hell. I guess if you’re strolling around the plains it wouldn’t matter as much.

[Bakerloo]

Hey, as long as you hunt a fancy gun hard I got no objection. But I’ve seen many hunters over the years miss countless shots because they were afraid to damage a gun or had it in the case.

2011 race gun for competition, makes sense. Ultralight mountain rifle with expensive glass, I see the returns. Expensive skeet gun I get it. Duck guns you better get a nice one or it fill fail. But a fancy upland shotgun, I’ll never understand.

And yes I might hunt harder (not saying more successful) than others but where I hunt we got steep canyons, lots fences for the cows and lots of property to cover over rough roads so your always hopping in and out of a truck. Guns get beat to hell. I guess if you’re strolling around the plains it wouldn’t matter as much.

That's awesome that you don't object to hunting a fancy gun hard! Really wish I would read that before going to sleep last night. I'm sure I would have slept better.

[oddball]

Who cares if the grain is better if you can’t drive without recasing the gun or throw it over a fence. It actually hunts worse. My beater sits on the front seat ready to go as I cruise the ranch and I can slide down hills in hot pursuit.

With an unlimited amount of choke and shot combos a cheap gun can keep up on what matters, shooting. I’ve yet to wear out a cheap hunting gun .

And no, I’m not poor. I just don’t see the return on investment. As long as it goes bang and fits who cares about the rest. It’s a tool. A 6000$ hunting shotgun is like a 6000$ shovel, stupid. Can’t even stick it in the dirt without messing it up.

Well, using your own logic, buying anything more expensive than a Hyundai car is stupid, all cars will get ya from point A to B in the same time and manner, it will perform the same basic function as a Porsche or Lexus. Or in my case, buying a solid oak Stickley dining furniture set for thousands rather than something from Costco for hundreds, who needs it, you're gonna just eat off the table, right?

Believe it or not, some of us like nice things, and are more than willing to pay a lot more to buy nice things. And believe it or not, some of us do not hunt, nor have interest in it, and are also not interested in throwing our guns around in the dirt either.

[W.R.Buchanan]

And for all the stupid car comparisons. A beater shotgun is a rattle canned, hemi swapped wrangler on 37’s . And a fancy shotgun is a G Wagon. Put them on a rock crawling course and tell me who’s going to go farther and faster.

I wouldn't know anything about Rock Crawling? Never heard of it?

This was the second one I built. Built from Scratch only Jeep part on it is the grill. 4BT Cummins, Th400, Us gear OD, Atlas 4.3, HP D44 front with Airlocker, HP Currie D60 rear with Airlocker, 37" Goodyear MTR's ,Etc.Etc.
Randy

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[tacticalcity]

My Dad had a Merkel, which he eventually gave it to his cousin who is an avid hunter and my Dad is no longer physically able to do so. I would say the difference is the quality of the craftsmanship. It was beautiful. The fit and finish was amazing. It screamed quality. It felt wonderful in the hand. Everything worked smooth as butter. Everything about it was money. Do you need all of that? No. Just like you don't need a Bentley or Rolls Royce. Doesn't make it any less impressive.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I saw an absolutely Spectacular Merkel yesterday at our Weekly Skeet Practice Shoot at the Ojai Valley Gun Club. The wood on the gun was un describable ??? I have never seen such figure. Not much engraving, but I learned about the "3 Piece Fore End." which is a little extension of the Craftsmanship on High End Guns. The Fore End is made up of a bottom piece that got checkered, and a top piece on either side that is made from different wood and complements to bottom piece and also has 3 little engraved escutcheons maybe 1/4" in dia. that had flowers engraved into them 6 total.

When the gun was handed to me I felt it come alive in my hands. I saw $15-20K in my hands, and where as, it was way out of my price range, I could still appreciate the craftsmanship. The wood on that gun was worth $10K! easy. !!!

Here's a pic of a Westly Richards Double Rifle I saw at a SCI show in Vegas. It was "On Sale" for $170,000, marked down from $195,000 ?

The Merkel's wood was better than this.

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