Affordable SxSs were a thing of the past by the time I got out of college in the 90’s, found a job, and had money to spend on a gun.
SKB stopped making their side-by-sides in 1980. Stevens ended their low priced 311s and Fox Model Bs in 1989. AYAs and Arrietas were building SxS in the ’90s, but their lowest-grade guns cost more than my F150 was worth.
If I wanted a new double at a reasonable price, an OU was the only way to go: Berettas 686s, Browning Citoris, Ruger Red Labels.
But according to this new article in Outdoor life by A.J. DeRosa, that’s not the case anymore.
The Affordable Side-by-Side Shotgun Is Making a Comeback with American Bird Hunters, by A.J. DeRosa
The dampness of the cellar mixed with the smell of gun oil hit my nose. My eyes caught the fluorescent lights reflecting off blued metal. Well-kept barrels of various brands and models of vintage shotguns stood out in contrast against a worn table. My bank account was about to be sucked dry; I tried not to think about the overdraft fees. The affordable gun I had originally came for fell by the wayside as I shouldered an Italian-built shotgun with a slender English grip. Welcome to the world of side-by-side shotguns….
