I am interested way more in function than looks. But i like looks too. Sometimes you have to pay more to get a better fitting and balanced shotgun, a more accurate rifle with the features you want. But I was poor in my younger years and made do with what I had and that was cheap. Sometimes I think i should have stuck with what I started with.
Quite true about fit. Cheaper lines of shotguns might not fit. With my Mossbergs, or any repeater really, you can shim the stock and MAKE it fit. Mossberg even makes shims for the purpose, though I got cheap and cut shims out of pop bottle plastic,
Makes the gun it perfect. Now, I didn't have to shim my cheap Winchester 1400 Ranger gas gun. It's a bargain semi auto that works fantastic and fits fantastic right out of the box. I think, from what I've seen, I have a Browning/Winchester shoulder.
The way most O/U and SxS shotguns are inletted into the tang of a gun, shimming is not possible, so it's really important to find and try a shotgun for fit before the purchase. My Spartan (Baikal) had not enough drop at comb, common for me, and it has a little cast for a right hander and I shoot lefty. But, I was able to get it cast neutral and with a little more drop with a well placed shim because that gun is cheap and not well fitted, slop to work with when you loosen up the stock bolt. But, it's not perfect. I got to wanting a O/U and didn't want to spend the money a B gun demands, so I looked at a Franchi Instinct. It felt good, but it just didn't seem to be QUITE there for me, a lot better than my Spartan, but not quite there. It was a 1200 dollar gun, so I kept looking. 1200 might seem like a lot until you start looking at O/U doubles. B guns run a lot more. Then, a couple of years ago I found this CZ Redhead Deluxe. It fit WONDERFULLY! It really helps my scores on dove, too. I don't do clays, but I shoot well with it on birds. The clays shooters tend to be snobs about shotguns, but they put hundreds of thousands of rounds down range every year. I'm just a hunter. I don't need no stinkin' B gun.
Yeah, the CZ is a Huglu, built in Turkey, but it's quite high quality, well fitted and finished and fits like it were a custom fit H&H or something. It even has some handsome Turkish walnut furniture. After one dove season, I LOVE that thing.
It was only about $750. You can get into B guns (Browning, Beretta, Benelli in case you don't know) for a couple of grand. I'm quite happy with my CZ. It fits as if it were custom fitted, at least.
And, it's quite easy on the eyes. That Spartan will hurt your eyes. LOL But, it does shoot well. It ain't up to the CZ, though. But, I'll keep it. I have uses for it even if I don't hunt with it much now. The CZ is my choice for dove hunting. I always take the Spartan for a back up just in case when I go to my buddy's for opening weekend.