...have had great success with beretta's premium grade firearms, and think they are extremely well made, reliable, robust and attractive...tho, as many have stated, the resale value may not be as great as with 'investment-grade' english doubles...

...actually looked at several 455eell's at a number of sci functions...thought the work was flawless, and that the lockup of barrel to action was as smooth, precise and secure as any german sports m or amg saloon...

...assume the 455 is used...what did they want for it?...

te

I found one that you can get for about half of what it would cost new. The price is still in the area of where you may be able to get a good (but not great) older english gun. The question seems to be whether or not you want to put that kind of money in a gun that would not likley hold its value as well as the same money in an english double...They have a beautiful 455EELL at the Beretta store in NYC. It appears to be a great gun, but at around $100K, no doubt its value would drop by nearly 50% once you carry it out the front door. Such seems to be the market for the newer european guns.... But if you bought one at the discounted price, could there be some value in the purchase?

...i suppose the analysis would run something like this...how many trips to africa?...hunting double or investment double or personal enjoyment/show piece double?...net worth and disposable income?...how many years until disposition/sale?...part of personal net asset base or merely an expendable hobby peice?...

...in sum and imho, if you could not afford to lose up to 1/2 of your investment (in a 1/2 depreciated second hand double), i would go with an english double that would be highly marketable if the need to liquidate quickly should arise, and, in the meantime, to take on safari a few times...

...if you can afford to lose up to 1/2 of your investment in a double, then i would merely purchase what made you happy in terms of appearance, function, personal satisfaction, etc...

Spring
There will be NO difference in the shooting accuracy or the "hunting ability" between a 10 thousand dollar British double and a 100 thousand dollar British double. The higher priced rifle will have a "fancier name", wood and engraving, but that will not make any difference to the game being shot. For the money you are talking about, YOUR best bet is to find a British double. You will be much happier in the long run.

NE 450 No2,
You've just about convinced me to take that route, but the problem is, I can't find one that I like! I really don't want to buy a $45M gun and then take it into the briars of Africa. It seems that most of the quailty British guns I've found go for around that price. The British guns that are in the $25-$30 range look to be a bit more haggard than I'd like, particularly if you're talking about a sidelock. Remember that I primarily want a gun that shoots extremely well and not a piece of nostalgia!
Your friend George is supposedly keeping his eye out for me, but so far does not have "the gun" for me. I'm trying to be patient!

Considering that it can take 2 years to build a best quality English rifle, it would not be surprising if you had to wait 2 years to find the right used one.

Be sure to fly to wherever it is and shoot it before dropping that kind of money.