Hoser-
No need to justify or to get anything like logic into this discussion.
Not with me.
You can get into a Remington/Baikal SxS 30-06 double rifle for about $1000 and that might even include a scope mount or even a scope too. Check Gunbroker etc and go from there.
I've seen/heard of many many guys who have done quite well shooting and hunting with their Remington SxS double rifles.
I haven't followed the pricing/value on Valmet double rifles, but I'd assume you could get into a similar deal on one of them too.
Up in the $4kUSD range there are more choices, and the choices are going to be nicer looking, maybe better handling, maybe better shooting -- but with both the remington and the valmet you can adjust the barrels for different loads (some see this as a desirable feature, some don't)
Where do you live?
There's always the chance that there will be a show/shoot/gathering where you'd be able to see, handle, and maybe even shoot a few different examples of things that are inside or near your budget -- before you buy.
Cheers
Tinker
