Good points, all but there is a difference between collecting and buying guns to use. Younger people (say in their 30s and younger) don't "collect" stuff and we see a drop-off in the antiques trade, for example.
But many guys of that age group buy SxSs to shoot and use and the Spanish guns, the Merkels and even the more expensive Italian guns are doing well. I own 8 (I think) SxSs and shoot them all. None are American classics (none are American) and I bought each one because of the way it handles. I am in my 70s and have spent my lifetime collecting other stuff - not guns - but SxSs are common among my younger friends - they are not the obsolete relics that the pump-gun-crowd likes to make them out to be!
So let's not despair! SxSs are alive and well and I am always surprised at the very nice English and European guns that I see when I bird hunt.
Last edited by Gnomon; 06/22/11 09:08 AM.
