Larry,
My Darnes were always much cheaper than you could get them in France. My overhead, as would have been an English importers overhead, circa 1980, compared to the manufacturer, was a pittance by comparison.
Think about it.
The 311s built prior to about 1960 don't suffer much in quality compared to pre-war (question? How could they?) and the stock dimensions will work for most modern day upright hominids. Thats what $500 gets you.
You have to pay for options FROM A DEALER, Larry-private party sales, even in Iowa, have more wiggle room, and a lower price, as a matter of course. Unless you don't look.
Beretta didn't TELL you how you were going to buy the gun, Larry, unlike Browning-want double triggers? Go for it. Want a swan neck stock and a splinter? All your's. No Ejectors? No problem.
Ten times the gun Larry, just getting what you want, instead of being sold something you don't, ejectors, single trigger, POLYUREATHANE, or, whatever.
Only Hyperbole in Iowa, Larry.
Every gun today is asking price, Larry. It's sad, but, you can't benchmark prices off anything in the past 6 months. What shows up as sold in an internet auction quite possibly didn't go anywhere.
Best,
Ted
Ted, you've got to be kidding me. People go to England to buy English guns because they're cheaper. How do you get guns from France to the US and sell them cheaper than the manufacturer? Free shipping? No import duty? I'm calling BS on that one. If you can sell guns cheaper in this country than they sell for new, in their country of origin, you are one of a kind for sure.
Concerning your Brummie boxlocks back in 1980 . . . well, there's a little problem there. Outside of the Scott 700's, which were factory 2 3/4" and made for export to the States, those used Brummies were virtually all 2 1/2". Those shells were far less available back then, Stateside, than they are now. And that was long before the existence of this BB, when a lot of people learned--after much discussion and argument--that you really CAN reload 2 3/4" hulls to proper pressures and shoot them in those guns. So . . . you would've ended up paying significantly more for every box of ammo you shot through those Brummies. When you could find it.
How could the quality of a Stevens 311 suffer between the 30's and 1960? Simple: Those guns were always made to a price point, not a quality point. In order to compete in the market, Savage/Stevens had to cut corners after the war, when labor, material, etc became a lot more expensive. There's a reason both Ithaca and Marlin (LC Smith) stopped making doubles after the war, and it's the same reason the best Stevens are pre-war guns.
Options are always there, Ted. You can't take them away. Can't make a BSS into what it isn't. It will always have ST/AE. And I still haven't seen one, in decent shape, for less than $1,000. But I have seen a very nice Scott 700 sell for under $2,000 . . . which is less than it cost new, in 1980. And even if the BSS sold for $800, that'd still be twice what it cost, new. So which was the better investment? No brainer.
Actually, Ted, Browning offered everything you suggest--straight grip, smaller forend, although they still have ST and AE--in the BSS. Called the Sporter. And it even had an oil finish. And they're worth more than the PG/BT versions. You'll not likely find one of them in 12ga for less than 3x what they cost new. Make that more like 5x what they cost new if it's a 20. Just no accounting for the market . . . but that's the way it is.
As for getting something the way I want it . . . well, what if I wanted a ST and AE on a 311? Did Stevens give me the choice? Nope. And while they did make Nitros and Long Ranges with a ST and AE, you won't find many of them. And guess what? Those features drive the prices up . . . because with those features, the guns have become "rare" and "collectible". That won't happen with a BSS with ST and AE.
So you see, it cuts both ways.
