I own a couple of pretty good shotguns, not FEDs (Fine English Doubles). However, I've discovered there's a pride of ownership when you buy a perfectly shootable shotgun for very little money. In other words, getting a good deal on a shotgun has its own glory and a deep sense of satisfaction. Not fine wood and engraving, which I'd like to be able to afford, but a blue-collar gun that you can set in the corner and not worry too much about.
I've got two such guns in which I have less than $450 total, and they're perfectly good shotguns. One is a hundred + year old Husky, outside hammers, tight lockup, barrels a bit pitted but not all that bad. It's definitely not a concours gun, but good for rabbits and would probably be good for birds. It's a 16 ga. which is rapidly becoming my favorite bore.
The other is a J.C. Higgins (Yes, a J.C. Higgins) 101.7, a catalog version of a Savage 311. It's almost mint, if that matters in a cheap shotgun, which it doesn't. But it has a decent straight grain walnut stock, uncheckered (which I plan to checker) and is also a 16 ga.
And it's not just shotguns, I bought an 8mm rifle for $225 with an ugly stock that shoots ~1 MOA. I LOVE it!
Anyone else get this comfortable feeling in a cheap shotgun? Or any brands of shotguns that are underpriced or underappreciated?
