At my age, and given the number of guns I’ve a.) shot and b.) owned, you’d think that I’d be immune to gun lust by now. And to a large degree, I am. Certainly, I’m no longer seduced by a pretty gun like this vintage Purdey Hammer gun (because Purdey co$$$$t):
…and for purely cost:quality criteria, I would be more likely to go for something like this Chapuis Chapeur Classic (Classique?):
…which runs for under $5,000 and gives me a balance between looks and utility, rather than a super-budget CZ Bobwhite:
…which sells for under $800, still has all the features I want (splinter/English stock, double triggers, etc.) but would probably not provide the same stirring of the loins when I opened up Ye Olde Gunne Sayffe.
Leaving aside all mention of Purdeys and their ilk, one asks the question: is the Chapuis a better gun than the CZ? Answer: probably, and certainly in terms of workmanship (hand-built vs. Turkish assembly line), yes.
Next question: is the Chapuis six times better than the CZ? Answer: probably not.
The only time this becomes a more interesting question is if one wonders whether such a decision (upgrading to a more expensive gun) would improve one’s score / performance.
And here I turn again to Jonny Carter, who talks shotguns with ace shotgunner Anthony Matarese Jr., multiple-times world- and U.S. champion shooter.
Most of the things I once thought critical to shotgun shooting performance (e.g. locktime and trigger) turn out to be, well, not that critical, according to the (again:) multiple-times world- and U.S. champion shooter.
Go ahead and watch it (20-odd minutes), and prepare to be surprised.