Thinking more about this, if one wants a sxs multi purpose shooter, "butchering" a field or lower grade vintage gun could be a very cost effective option.
Say one buys a Sterlingworth for $1000 and puts another $1000 into "butchering" it to his taste. He may not be able to sell the Fox for $2000, but that is only half the calculation. What new sxs he could have bought for $2000? Nada. He is still up $1000 or more versus buying an RBL (or basically any new sxs). Invest the $1000 elsewhere to make up for what one may end up eating on this hypothetical butchered Fox.
It is sad to think of pristine sxs going out this way. I'm not advancing this idea, but I guess I can understand why it happens. I guess it is an issue of selecting the right gun to butcher.
While I agree that calculation makes economic sense, compared to an RBL or something like an AyA 4/53, there are all kinds of modern used sxs out there for well under $2,000, and they're likely to require less modification in terms of stock dimensions, chokes, forcing cones etc than an American classic. Ithaca SKB, BSS, Bernardelli, Sauer, various Spanish guns, etc. IMO, that's the route to go if you're thinking an economical sxs "shooter"--or else one of the American economy doubles, like Lefever Nitro, Western Long Range, Hunter Fulton, etc. You may still have to modify, but your initial cost is a good bit less.
The sad truth is, unless you can do much of your own work (both wood and metal), if you're trying to come up with a smallbore American classic shooter that both looks good and fits you, $2,000 is probably a reasonable estimate. Unless, of course, it's either a Parker or a Win 21, in which case you'll be spending even more. Lots more for a 21.
