Ted, you keep trying to dodge around the issue--by confusing both the 701 and the Bowood (both significantly higher grade than a Model 700)--that dollar for dollar, a BSS was a much better buy in 1980 than a Model 700. Dealer prices are right there on the 700's--all you need to do is look. And thanks to the information I gave you, you know both the list price of a 700 in 1980, and what I paid a dealer for a new BSS. Now . . . even if those "overpriced" BSS only sell for $800, that's 2x your 1980 investment. For a Model 700 to be 2x your 1980 investment, it'd have to sell for $4,000 or better. Personally, I think they're excellent buys at $2500 today if in good shape . . . but that's pretty much what they sold for 30 years ago. There's your "dollar for dollar", and there's no way to argue with it. Which you'd rather have? Why, I'd much rather have the 700 . . . for which I would have paid 5x as much in 1980, and for which I'd pay about 2x as much today, compared to a PG/BT BSS 12. Again, there it is, dollar for dollar.
Sorry, but I don't remember what you told me about used Darnes. However, I do remember a used Charlin 16 I found in Dijon, summer of 1996. Would've cost me $800, not $3,000. Regretted not buying it when I got home (I'd already purchased an Army & Navy 12 in England), called the dealer, found that it had sold.
As far as the European market in general goes . . . perhaps things have changed, a whole bunch, since my old "Buxton's Foreign Firearms" was printed. Example: AyA Model 37 (high grade OU): $418 in Madrid; $982 Stateside. Let's try a different country. Bernardelli Roma 3: $113 in Italy, $239 here. And yet another maker, Beretta: 409PB, $102 in Italy. Silver Hawk (same gun if with double triggers), $167.75 Stateside. How about another country: Sauer Model 60, $145 in Germany, $198 in the States. Darn, a guy would go broke taking advantage of all those sweetheart deals on imported guns!
Matter of fact, Ted, I'm in your corner on the DT thing--but a lot of folks aren't. And especially a lot of beginners aren't. You look at a BSS 20ga Sporter, for which you may well pay close to $2,000 . . . but tell me, what's out there now, new, with those same features (SST/AE), for less money, that's a better gun? Nothing new for sure, far as I know. And not much used. Well, my personal preference would run to an Ithaca SKB 280E because it's lighter, but a good one of those, 20ga, is likely going to hit mid-teens in price too.
So . . . now that we've determined "dollar for dollar" to be true vs Brummie boxlocks, 1980 vintage . . . we can certainly disagree on how good a gun the BSS is or isn't. However, the current DGJ article is certainly quite praiseworthy. Other than the 12 being on the heavy side (so is a Model 21 with similar features, but lots of people like them--and seriously pay through the nose!), what's not to like? Are you going to find a better ST on a Spanish gun? On a Darne, maybe? On a Brit gun, for that matter? If a guy's looking ST, then I'll recommend the Ithaca SKB's over the BSS, simply because you can get one cheaper, and they're lighter. But a "90%" Long Range with a ST . . . if it hasn't sold in a year, how's that different than BSS 12's not selling for $1200 or so? Overpriced for condition, maybe, in the case of the Long Range? Since there aren't many ST Long Ranges out there, and since there are some Ithaca collectors, I'd think it would have been snapped up had it been that good.
In summary, I don't think the BSS is a great gun. I'd go with a Miroku-made Daly and save the difference . . . but try to find one, ST/AE. But I think you're overly negative on the subject, and your many erroneous comparisons of mismatched Scott models show how far you'll go to make your point. Next thing you know, you'll be comparing a Citori to a Superposed. After all, they're both Browning OU's.
