Peterb,

Thanks for replying. However, I’d like to comment on your reply. I’d say there are probably 4 tiers of DR price range:

1: 3-8k : pedersoli, and some over/unders
2: 8-12k : merkel, heym, searcy, etc.
3: 13-50k : vintage British
4: 150k+ : new British

Quality is very subjective term as it can mean many things to many people. However, in a $12,000 DR there are some objective tangible attributes of quality that are immutable, those being: high grade materials, close tolerances, excellent fit and finish, absolute reliability and most importantly, near perfect regulation. The subjective non-tangible attributes will be balance and feel.

In closely examining and shooting several DRs in the past year, personally I don’t think one can get better quality for the price than tier2 if you look at it objectively. Certainly, in form, some rifles are prettier than others, but not better quality.

I’ll agree that the Chapuis and Heym are priced on the high-end, but not by much. The bottom line is that you are not going to find a big bore double for less than 10k, regardless of its quality. Let’s face it, all the rifles in tier2 are mass produced, but you will get a real DR that will shoot a sub 3” group for the price of an used Ford and that is alright in my book.