I am thinking about a high quality skeet/sporting clays shotgun. Would someone care to educate me in the advantages/disadvantages of the Beretta DT-10 and the Krieghoff K-80? Of couese the price between the two is substantial and I can get a great deal on the DT-10. I will be using this shotgun for competition only.
Thanks,
Jim

Beside the fact the Krieghoff K-80 is a heck of a lot better gun that's stood the test of time, if you ever want to sell it you will realize a bigger percent of the price you paid for it and there will be a lot more people interested in it. One interesting fact is that you can frequently sell the barrels, the action and the wood individually for more than you can the entire gun.

And if you want to change barrels most K-80 barrels will fit onto other receivers with very little fitting.

Thanks,DB Bill. What you are saying is that I can recoup my investment should I ever decide to sell the shotgun? What would the effect of a slightly altered stock have on the resale value?
I really like the features offer for the Krieghoff: coil springs, lock out safty/barrel selector, rib choice, etc., plus the interchangeable parts.
Jim

Jim,

Bill knows his K guns. I'm new to the Krieghoff scene but I've been really happy so far.

Before switching to the K-80 I wore out a few Beretta 682's. While the 682 is less gun than the DT-10, you'll still find that the K-80 is a much more robust gun.

I've traveled quite a bit shooting sporting clays and seen a lot of people try out the DT-10's. I can only think of one serious (west coast) competitor who switched to a DT-10 and stuck with it. He was unhappy with it at first but now instists he's in satisfied with it.

It's fairly rare to find someone who's taken the plunge to go to a K-80 and then switch away. (I have seen a few guys go from the K gun to a Perazzi, but personally I don't shoot them as well so it wasn't a viable choice for me.)

It seems like the DT-10's have generally really slid in value since their introduction, while K-80's only drop so far, even if ridden hard and put away wet.

Whichever way you go I'll bet you couldn't blame any misses on either gun. It's probably more a question of value and longevity.

Best of luck with your decision and let us know how it goes.

Kyler

Jim...if you buy a new production gun at retail you will rarely recoup the full price when you sell it ... note I said prodcution gun so guns like Fabri's and Purdey's are a different duck.

If, however, you buy a nice used K-80 at a reasonable price the chances of you losing much by re-selling is pretty low especially with the price of European guns going up -- expect 8-12% for Krieghoff early in 2008 and a bit less for Perazzi.

With respect to modifications --- never recoup what you paid for them and depending what they are, might actually lower the value....adding screw-in chokes is normally a "plus" as long it's done by someone like Briley or Wilokinson but you won't get all the money back. Porting is a "no-no" and will limit those who are even willing to buy it. Stock modifications are mostly case-by-case unless you cut the lop below 14" or if you need to modify it for a left-handed shooter...custom stock, while pretty, may bring a slight premium but not nearly what you spent on it.