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Why is an O/U so expensive

43K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  drsfmd 
#1 ·
Hey guys i was just curious as to why an over and under shotgun is so expensive versus an auto loader which has more parts and takes more time to make. Just curious.
 
#3 ·
There are many reasons an O/U cost more. Most are hand fitted to some degree as far as barrel fit and lockup. You also have to asemble 2 barrels along with the associated cost of 2 of them as opposed to one barrel. Most of the internals are machine made and also require fitting. They tend to have better quality wood and better checkering. The tolerances are much closer than a semi. You have 2 firing mechanisms to deal with along with controls to activate each correctly. The fit and finish of the materials are better as is expected in a quality firearm. You have the option of using 2 diferent chokes. I suppose I could go on and on, but I won't.
As far as your statement that auto's take more time to make? well, I would beg to differ with you. I have been to the Remington plant in Illion, NY and have seen them turn out shotguns as fast as GM can put on wheels on a Chevy.
Additionally, I suspect there is a greater markup in them as they are desireable, more so for most serious shooters than an Auto.
 
#7 ·
marist89 said:
There was a long thread about a month ago about this subject.
Indeed. I believe I'd classify this as a FAQ.

Since I'm posting, I'll go ahead and answer the question, though. The short answer is that they're harder to make than pumps/autos. People pay the extra money because they have qualities that match the price tag (and I DON'T mean fancy engraving and higher grade wood, because some of them are pretty plain). They are worth the time and effort put into making them. If you haven't shot one, go do it and you should see what I mean. If you still prefer pumps and autos, that's your perogative, and you're welcome to it. Something for everybody, right?
 
#8 ·
O/U's are infinately more complicated. The semi may have more parts, but really is relatively simple.

The barrels also add hugely to the cost - they need to be built and tuned to have the same point of impact, etc... this is time consuming and requires skilled labor.

How many of you can strip a pump or semi? How many of you can strip an O/U? I rest my case...
 
#9 ·
The long and short of it is, a double is two guns where it counts. Two hammers, sears, hammer springs, ejectors and barrels. Barrel regulation is not an easy thing to accomplish and this in of itself accounts for much of the labor related part of the O/U. Machining and fitting of the monoblock is a complex and precise operation that has to be done perfectly before you even screw the barrels in.

Overall fit and finish is to a much higher standard on the double than the auto. In fact, there is usually little to no hand fitting involved with an auto at all, which really drives down the cost.

The difference in price is 100% gun related, not snob appeal. With that in mind, is a double twice as good as an auto? Used to be, but these days that's a tough one, as more and more professional Sporting Clays shooters are turning to autos.

What it comes down to is; for the money, you can't buy a better gun than a top quality auto. For about 2k, I can have a downright decent O/U capable of doing just about whatever I want to do. Or I can have a well tuned, fitted auto that's world class in every way
 
#10 ·
Simple answer: O/U's are expensive because it costs more to make them. The premise in your question that autos are more expensive to make and have more parts is just wrong to start with.

And they sell for the higher prices because some people prefer shooting them.

Snob appeal? not even a factor
 
#13 ·
There are several reasons.

The first is that every double gun, including an over and under, takes a lot more hand work to make than a pump or auto. Just regulating the barrels to shoot the same place takes time and money, although they claim they do it with special jigs now. The ribs to a double have to be hand laid and silver soldered, the finish overall has to be absolutely perfect, because what the customer would forgive in a cheap autoloader he'd be mad about in a double gun. It's just tougher to make them. Way, way back it's always been true. Those cheap, cheap Spanish Matadors sold for about the same money as a Belgium Browning Automatic forty years ago. It's always just took more time with more skilled workers to make doubles.

Then there's the overall quality factor. I'd guess that most of the reason that an over and under cost more than an auto or pump is that the customer doesn't want a cheap over and under. An over and under is a dream gun, the gun you step up to, not the one you start with. The customer wants the best. He'll not buy anything less. It's sort of like a cheap Cadillac or Lincoln. There really isn't much of a market for a cheap over and under, and there really hasn't been all my life.
Ruger quit making their synthetic stocked RRL. Lack of bling. Same thing happened to Beretta's "Essential". Buyers bought the higher grade. In double guns, the customer only wants so cheap of a grade of gun, and no less.
 
#14 ·
As a slight aside, to me an over an under has two things in its favor which most dont mind paying for.Number one is it has two barrels thus two chokes, this gives you close and far away capabilty, using improved and modified. Number two is reliability and ease of cleaning. Although semi autos are considered reliable by modern gun standards an over and under is generally regarded as more so. I just like hunting with one. Seems like the way it goes ,when your young you sart with a pump,end up using a semiauto a long time and when you finally figure it all out you go back to what your grandfather used a good over and under. I wish I would have bought one to start with.
 
#15 ·
hey guys lets not get personal with this. I can go out tomorrow an buy one if i want. I was just wondering. I shouldered a couple today and they did not seem to line up as well as the benelli if that is how you spell it. yes it is a preference. thanks for the info andi will try to look up the previous post.
 
#16 ·
It is all what fits and hits for you.Personally,and this has nothing to do parts or labor wise---is that an O/U gun has a STIGMA to it that seems to do with high scores.Same with the price of anything SxS right now.I'm 29,and grew up seeing these in the field and it does evoke memories of my dad and grandpa.Not enough to drop $2,000 on a new one though.I already have a nice Fox,and I can find a used SxS for my purpose alot cheaper.

I remember going to my first SC shoot,being an experienced trap shooter.I didn't know what SC was,but I thought I was good.I took my 870 Wingmaster and got severely embarrassed shooting 29/50.I can pump that gun like you wouldn't believe it.My trap/skeet/hunting buds are amazed.The shell is on the ground before the target breaks,or so it seems.Long story short,it is nice to have a double or an O/U for that purpose,or an autoloader as there is one less step involved for the kill.I will say this,those orange birds don't taste very good.I've got a freezer full of meat that says O/U guns aren't the "Holy Grail" of shotguns.A pump or auto is pretty much all the average guy needs,an O/U or SxS is good for alot of things too.Pick your gun on what you'll use it for the majority of the time

Jimmy D
 
#17 ·
Va Browning Man said:
hey guys lets not get personal with this. I can go out tomorrow an buy one if i want. I was just wondering. I shouldered a couple today and they did not seem to line up as well as the benelli if that is how you spell it. yes it is a preference. thanks for the info andi will try to look up the previous post.
That's a matter of gun fit, having nothing to do with whether the gun had one barrel or two...
 
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