doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com SxS's waning popularity

The reason is simple AFAIC. SxS's priced themselves out of the market.People looking for a quality gun went elsewhere and were happy and never looked back. Not to mention all the hassles as noted above. And the simple fact that SxS's didn't bother to incorporate modern innovations in target gun design and remained noncompetitive in the only segment of the gun market that pops for high end guns on a daily basis.
The money grubbers did for the SxS. Exclusive? Not many care if it is that much trouble and something like a Beretta SO, Perazzi, Fabbri are no trouble and seemingly exclusive enough.

For all this talk about the decline of SXS's, I wonder who is buying all the ones being offered by the 6 -8 auction houses that I follow. Each one of them having multiple sales per year, with many SXS's offered.

I agree that the SXS enthusiast is a relatively small group in the overall gun buying world, but the auctions seem to sell most all of the ones offered. (in all grades)

Yes, English gun prices are down, but US SXS's are up in price.

Yes! This! Everything SXS40 has said is true. The SxS guns not only sell, but the prices seem to just keep ratcheting upward while people here keep posting about the pending collapse. I only wish there was some way to go back even 10 or 20 years to check actual completed listing selling prices on Gunbroker and other gun auction websites versus actual selling prices for vintage doubles today. If you get the chance to look at the prices in a 25 year old Gunlist or Shotgun News, you will find yourself wishing you had a time machine.

But on the other hand, James (canvasback) may also get the impression that fewer guys own and use doubles because of guys like Jagermeister... who can't get any further than putting one on layaway, and then backing out of the deal after posting here about it as if he had it in his hot little hands. But since Jagermeister also only RENTS a cheap Chinese .22 rimfire rifle, one might conclude that the popularity of .22 rifles is waning too.

I find in my spheres of interest that there appears to be a generational shift and that us 45 years old plus chaps are not in that shift.

Classic cars, classic yacht racing and yep, classic SxS guns are all followed by the older age group. There are, of course, exceptions and some younger fellows who have developed a keenness for our passions, usually passed down by their father or other relative.

Alongside this though, we have noticed that the younger generations are less likely to belong to clubs and sadly less likely to volunteer. It appears that they find in social media what we found from being members of a club. The human element of camaraderie, friendship and fellowship is less important to that younger generation than it is to ours. We have seen decreasing memberships in classic car clubs, sailing clubs, tennis clubs, golf clubs as well as in younger folk willing to step forward to help in the running of them.

The best we can hope for, I suspect, is that as the generations age they will appreciate what we do now. Thus I hope there will be a continuing interest in 'our' guns, that people will come forward who cherish, admire and maintain them.

Tim

I don't think sxs are all that "archaic". OU's have actually been around for a long time. Just took longer for them to catch on. And it took longer to make a reliable single trigger. But, assuming equal quality in both guns, double triggers will always have at least a slight edge in reliability. So, you wed the most popular design (OU) to the most reliable trigger (double) . . . and you look hard to find very many of them on the market. Especially new.

I'd modify that statement slightly, SXS. In both cases, prices are pretty strong for smallbore sxs. Pretty much anything other than 12ga. Supply and demand. A whole lot of 12's out there; fewer smallbores. FAR fewer smallbores in the case of English guns. In terms of "gun for the money", British or vintage American 12's are good buys right now.

Larry, my notion is OUs will find more favour than sxs. I have a 12 and 20 in that configuration, single triggers---Beretta 686 and SKB Model 500---and I hit more often with them (unexplainably).

I see no end of appeal of the light sxs of any gauge, particularly the British, for upland but question the use of sxs for waterfowling because of ammo manufacturers chasing the gullible with unneeded heavy loads, earth-escape velocities.

I don't see as many handloading today.

From my personal observations in my part of the country.

Online sales of lower grade SxS shotguns is flat.
Local (auction) sales of lower grade SxS shotguns are doing just fine.

I attend at least 3-4 firearm, estate, public auctions per month. At times as many as 10 such auctions in a month.

At these local auctions it is nearly impossible to buy a good, clean SxS. They almost always sell for notably more than they would online. Those that sell for 'reasonable' prices are still not bid on by folks like me. Factoring in time to photograph, list and ship, makes them a money loser.

I see the same for other firearms. Probably the best example is Winchester Model 12 shotguns. A M-12 that would have sold online a decade ago for $4-500 won't bring $250 now. At the local auctions it will still bring $3-400.

Why is this the case? In my opinion (and discussion with other FFLs at the auctions) it is because people get old and die...

The number of lower grade SxSs and M-12s on the market has exploded as the greatest generation and older boomers die off. Buyers are willing to pay more for a gun in front of them that they can handle and examine.

When I end up w/ a SxS as part of an auction lot or by mistake, inevitably I end up consigning it to a local auction house to get it sold. I have three I plan on consigning soon. Been for sale on GB for exactly what I paid (plus free shipping) for months. Even after paying their fees I will likely make a few dollars.

Your mileage may vary.

Harrumph! Vulgar advantages indeed.

SxS's, old A5's, plain 1911's, and all steel S&W snub nose revolvers: those are what I like to shoot, am happiest shooting regardless of market trends, or increases and decreases in value. I love how those platforms are put together, and enjoy the fulfillment of learning about them, keeping them running well, or fixing them so they can continue being used.