snowcat you've really opened a can of worms now. i bet ken hurst doesn't like to hear that stuff. the answer is easily explained. take autos as an example. ever seen a tricked out old clunker? many of those guys could go buy a ferrari or porsche, used or new, but they don't because they get no personal attachment with it. to get a semi custom gun where i get to choose the wood, measurements, and engraving pattern will cost me minimum $10k probably closer to $15k. i could have that done to my lefever for less. i could buy a new gun off the shelf but what fun would that be?
lastly i take the "english best" stuff with a grain of salt. the american "hardware store" guns such as fox, lefever, parker, lc smith are just as good functionally as the english. what english gun can compare with a model 21 as far as durability and function? just because a gun is hand made doesn't mean it functions any better. so if the guts are good why not throw some personalized embellishment on it and have some fun?
