Are expensive guns worth it?

[stubblehound]

I say worth it, but what I am trying to ask is "Would you notice the difference if you used a £500 gun compared to a £5000? How does it improve your game?

 

[Will Hewland]

The exact question I asked when I bought my first gun in 1998. The shop owner said "they all go bang". 

Depends what you want. A £500 gun that fits you well is better for you than a £25000 gun that really doesn't. Never forget that a gun is really only some steel tubes attached to some wood, albeit with a mechanical middle bit. 

The short answer is that £800 upwards is probably where a good second hand gun of a good make starts. You pay more for nice wood and engraving at any level but none of that helps your scores.

 

[westley]

Is it worthwhile ?................probably,        is it necessity ?..................probably not !

I bought a used Westley Richards boxlock ejector in 1978, it was cased with all the bits (snapcaps, oil bottle, cleaning rods etc.). I then had it fitted by Westley's in Birmingham. I still have that gun today. It has shot countless cartridges over the years and accounted for a lot of Game. I traded an AyA No. 2 sidelock for it. Had I kept the AyA would I have shot any better ?  I doubt it. BUT, the pleasure derived from owning and using what is, a quality gun is immeasurable. Would I do it all again, bloomin right I would   ! 

 

[stubblehound]

More or less what I was thinking. I just wondered like my watches, I would love an Omega, but my casio does the same job and guessed it would be a similar thing.

 

[ips]

interesting question.

to a degree YES you get what you pay for. I have had numerous DT10s and can say that the DT10eell is by far a totally different beast. Having said that as will says a well fitting cheaper gun is better than a badly fitted expensive gun.

as I say its a very interesting topic

 

[stubblehound]

Can anyone recommend a shop that will fit me when the time comes within the Cheshire/Lancashire area?

I went to my local gun shop but the owner wasnt really engageing

 

[Bebo]

I've had three guns over the relatively short time I've been shooting and still have two of them.  A Beretta Silver Pigeon, a Beretta DT10 and a Kreighoff K80 Parcours.  The main difference between the first and the last:

- balance is very much better on the K80 than the Silver Pigeon and a fair bit better than the DT10

- the trigger is very different on the K80 to the other two.  Absolutely no slack to take up and very crisp and consistent

- it feels much more solid when closing it up, no movement at all

Am I scoring more with it than with the DT10?  Probably not significantly and it's still very dependent on what sort of day I'm having.  Am I enjoying shooting it more than the DT10?  Yes, it's lovely to shoot with and I'm enjoying using a quality bit of equipment.

 

[ips]

Can anyone recommend a shop that will fit me when the time comes within the Cheshire/Lancashire area?

I went to my local gun shop but the owner wasnt really engageing

bamfords of eccleston

macavoys at standish

both good smiths

 

[stubblehound]

Might pop into ByGone Times whilst up there in Eccleston

 

[Surge]

Last year I shot a Franchi Alicone One, £700 off the shelf and did the job. As I was only shooting once or twice a month I didnt bother with anything expensive. I now shoot several times a week and have been fitted for a Caesar Guerini Invictus which cost 5x and the difference is very noticeable. Still misses if I dont do my bit, but the feel is very different

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ips]

there is more pleasure in missing with an expensive gun than missing with a cheaper gun. The misses are exactly the same. ?

 

[Hamster]

There is a noticeable quality difference between a £1k gun and those around £6k, they'll have better triggers and feel more solid closing and opening, they will also have nicer wood and be nicer to shoot generally, the same jump in feel and engineering grandeur isn't nearly as noticeable when you jump to £10k and beyond. This is mirrored in everything we need in life such as cars, furniture and clothes, beyond a certain level the gain is no longer material but psychological and to an extent, led by our desire to own the best and let others know it too. Nothing wrong with any of that it's just how it is, I haven't burnt money on guns but have on cars and maybe even arguably restaurants ! 

The digits on the score card are 98% skill and knowledge led, the rest is down to equipment. 

 

[balltrap]

there is more pleasure in missing with an expensive gun than missing with a cheaper gun. The misses are exactly the same. ?

:lol: says he who misses a lot

 

[Rupert]

To answer the OP  the purchaser must establish value relevant to his own personal circumstances. I dont think they are "worth it" but the have a feel good factor.

 

[ips]

hic. ?

 

[chippy]

there is more pleasure in missing with an expensive gun than missing with a cheaper gun. The misses are exactly the same. ?

Myself I think its nice to see someone winning a shoot with knackered old nail of a gun. Thorrold used to win several with his 682 painted matt black with tape holding the forend on.

 

[Lloyd Pattison]

I traded a grand's worth of 682 gold E for a Blaser F3 Supersport a couple of years ago and I have never looked back.my scores initially jumped after changing which I put down to excellent gun fit and the balance of the Blaser which is like nothing else. I am still not breaking everything and I don't expect to but I bloody live shooting it, every single shot is a genuine pleasure and the gun is (IMO) gorgeous. 

https://goo.gl/photos/6U6GuJARYiFDuakx7

Since then I have added an F16 to my cabinet and I love that too. It's not about buying points, it's the pleasure of owning the thing I guess.

 

[Geordieboy]

A great gun is a great gun.  I have an MK38 Grade 5 trap with a trigger that rivals most top guns out there and patterns every bit as good.  This gun is great because it is a great design and was built by a great company with great steel.  So it is Great!  I know of a chap that has a Beretta 682 X-Trap and that is an excellent piece as well.  If you choose carefully you can buy a great gun for sensible money.  I know of some very expensive guns out there that are just rubbish.  Berettas current 690 offerings are poorly made (I know of several that have just fallen apart), as are Brownings 725's..........(Watch the bluing rub off the black actions).  I bought a wonderful looking Perazzi that shot 3ft high at 25m, and bashed me about terrible.  I now have a Perazzi HPX DSR and that is an excellent piece with triggers to die for and balance and poise I could only die for.  I'd suggest finding a good (cheap) gun and learning how to shoot with it.  Only moving on up the ladder if you are sure that the more expensive gun (which you must shoot first) has better feel to meet your personal requirements of fit and balance.

 

[salop sniper]

What do you define as cheap and expensive ?

I have not shot a real expensive gun as yet such as a "K-Gun" or Perazzi.

I have a grade 1 B525 sporter and am very happy with it. Back in the summer a guy on a shoot offered me a go with his Blaser F...something (Black action and yellow embossed lettering) and it looked real nice and sported a pair of Mullers, on mounting it felt nice with the grip etc but that was all spoilt when I pulled the trigger, it recoiled horribly and felt like the barrels flexed, it clearly did not fit me either as I missed all targets I shot at. I was happy handing it back and picking up my far cheaper B525 that felt much more solid to shoot. If I had the money I sure as heck wouldn't spend it on a Blaser from that experience.