Like @Charlie112 I've been watching for awhile. I would suggest, that in the price range the OP suggested there are decent new guns available but no good guns. New good guns start in the mid teens. The countries of origin for the good guns are Japan and Italy. Where the good buys lie is the used market. It seems having owned something imparts a level of expertise. So, before I go on, I have owned several Charles Daly guns, a handful of Browning Superposed guns, SKB guns, two small gauge 687EL Berettas, a Zoli Z gun, a BL Beretta, a few Browning Citoris, a Win.101 and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
I will interject a caution here and that is factory support. Kodensha, Miroku, and SKB were the three major manufacturers in Japan. Only Miroku continues to exist. Of the various trade names (like Charles Daly) the current manufacture is for Browning and Winchester. Kodensha built the 101, Nikko, Golden Eagle and probably some others. Kodensha also built the Parker Repros. Kodensha left this world somewhere around 2010. SKB built for Weatherby, themselves, Ithaca and maybe others. The SKB factory is also long gone. That leaves Miroku and the Browning Citoris.
There are actually a bunch of very good Italian makers. Gamba, Beretta, Zoli, the Rizzini guns, etc. and of course Fabbri. Beretta stands out because the 68? series guns have been in production for a long time. There are plenty of guns out there in the used market and they are still supported by the factory. The BL-? series guns started around the mid sixties and have been out of production since the early seventies. So that leaves Beretta 68?.
Landing on just the 68?s and the Citoris is vast over simplification. What it does is answer the question of the OP, and anyone else with a similar question, as regards an under $1K shotgun of good quality, decent dynamics and factory support. If you look with diligence you can find a bunch of O/U Citoris and 68?s in that price range. This is an approach on getting into a "good" gun without becoming enmeshed in the nerdiness of the shotgun world.
Another caution is that some of these guns pre-date steel shot. To find one of these guns under the $1K lid you will probably be looking at something with a fair amount of wear. Honest use but good maintenance is OK. Neglect or a beater is not. Find somebody that is something of a shotgun geek to teach you what to look for. A lot of older guns fit the "carried a lot shot a little" category. On the other hand some comp guns will appear in excellent condition but the mechanics can be heavily worn. I'm sure youtube has some instructive videos.
If you are willing to consider the Kodensha, Miroku or SKB guns that are unsupported the field becomes much wider. There is currently a Charles Daly Miroku on Gunbroker or AuctionArms that appears to be in pretty high condition. Sellers opening bid is $799. and the buy it now is $899. Sounds like a good deal.
I will interject a caution here and that is factory support. Kodensha, Miroku, and SKB were the three major manufacturers in Japan. Only Miroku continues to exist. Of the various trade names (like Charles Daly) the current manufacture is for Browning and Winchester. Kodensha built the 101, Nikko, Golden Eagle and probably some others. Kodensha also built the Parker Repros. Kodensha left this world somewhere around 2010. SKB built for Weatherby, themselves, Ithaca and maybe others. The SKB factory is also long gone. That leaves Miroku and the Browning Citoris.
There are actually a bunch of very good Italian makers. Gamba, Beretta, Zoli, the Rizzini guns, etc. and of course Fabbri. Beretta stands out because the 68? series guns have been in production for a long time. There are plenty of guns out there in the used market and they are still supported by the factory. The BL-? series guns started around the mid sixties and have been out of production since the early seventies. So that leaves Beretta 68?.
Landing on just the 68?s and the Citoris is vast over simplification. What it does is answer the question of the OP, and anyone else with a similar question, as regards an under $1K shotgun of good quality, decent dynamics and factory support. If you look with diligence you can find a bunch of O/U Citoris and 68?s in that price range. This is an approach on getting into a "good" gun without becoming enmeshed in the nerdiness of the shotgun world.
Another caution is that some of these guns pre-date steel shot. To find one of these guns under the $1K lid you will probably be looking at something with a fair amount of wear. Honest use but good maintenance is OK. Neglect or a beater is not. Find somebody that is something of a shotgun geek to teach you what to look for. A lot of older guns fit the "carried a lot shot a little" category. On the other hand some comp guns will appear in excellent condition but the mechanics can be heavily worn. I'm sure youtube has some instructive videos.
If you are willing to consider the Kodensha, Miroku or SKB guns that are unsupported the field becomes much wider. There is currently a Charles Daly Miroku on Gunbroker or AuctionArms that appears to be in pretty high condition. Sellers opening bid is $799. and the buy it now is $899. Sounds like a good deal.
