Ted, you're essentially comparing apples and oranges when you're comparing the sxs market to the OU market. The sxs remains, to a very great extent, a hunting gun. When you consider the numbers of vintage sxs on the market, mostly--because of steel shot--an UPLAND hunting gun. Like I said, come to a sxs shoot and you'll see a lot of sxs. Guys who own multiple sxs. Sporting clays shoot . . . yeah, I used to see a few when I pulled or scored the Wisconsin Iron Man. But heavily dominated by OU's. Some autos, almost no pumps. Those kids that are just learning will move to something else. And that will likely be an OU or an auto--because those guns are more versatile than the vast majority of sxs, without question. And how many special purpose guns are you going to own when you're just starting a real job, just starting a family, etc? The good part about all those kids: Get them hooked on shooting, makes it much easier to get them hooked on bird hunting. If you live in an area (like you do, and like I do) where there are wild birds to hunt.
If you eliminate the OU's that are trap or skeet or sporting clays guns and not terribly well suited to upland hunting (usually due to weight), you still have a larger # of OU's on the market than sxs. Mainly because more people go to an OU first. Well, one of those was my first gun . . . but I made the change. But the gap begins to close. And however small the LODGH numbers may be, these guys are among the more dedicated grouse hunters . . . and their choices show an increasing trend in the direction of sxs, in 16ga numbers, and most particularly in 28ga numbers. And while you had no trouble finding plenty of new sxs from the mid-60's to the mid-80's, you would have had one heck of a time finding a new 16ga sxs. Eventually, the Spanish figured out there was a nice niche market. And the Turks have followed suit. And now even enough interest in the 16--which was basically kept alive by sxs shooters--that Browning has brought back the Sweet 16.
As for your read on Cabela's sxs inventory: I'd be the first to admit you won't find sxs numbers in any single Cabela's--or maybe 3 or 4 Gun Libraries combined--that I used to see just at Owatonna. However, that's partly due to the fact there are now a whole lot more Cabela's stores than there used to be. And while Dickinsons are certainly a popular item in Cabela's Gun Libraries, they're far from the only sxs you'll see. A quick check of the Gun Library inventory showed 24 Dickinsons, 17 CZ sxs, 89 Parkers, 39 Foxes (including several Model B's), 18 LC Smiths, and 17 AyA's. Just to list the more widely represented makes of both new and used guns.
You may have missed the trend, Ted, but a revival of interest in classic sxs--or new ones with classic features--got started when Michael McIntosh's career as an outdoor writer took off. His book "The Best Shotguns Ever Made in America", which heaped praise on 6 classic side by sides (Parker, Elsie, Fox, Ithaca, Lefever, Winchester 21) and one lone OU (Remington 32), appeared in 1981. Shortly thereafter, the Parker Reproduction appeared--selling in the neighborhood of 13,000 units (of a gun that cost maybe 3x the price of your typical new sxs or OU) in just a few years. Over 10,000 of those were 20's and 28's; only 2,000 12's. Already an indication of a sharp change in direction, because in the original classic sxs, 12's greatly outnumbered the smaller bores. And at the same time, prices of used sxs, especially the American classics and especially sxs, started heading up.
And first it was the Spanish that supported the lower end of the sxs market. Now the Turks have taken over for them. But the trends are the same: smaller bores, longer barrels, double triggers. Sure, I'll still recommend Ithaca SKB's and Browning BSS if someone is looking for a used sxs--because they're good guns with a proven track record, even if they do have ST's and, in many cases, 26" (or shorter) barrels. And those reliable ST guns are a good place to start, until you master DT's (which usually doesn't take long). And if you hand one of those kid target shooters a ST sxs, you might have lighted a fire. You never know.
