I don't really have a target price range. I'm more concerned with buying something that will last through the years .. you know, good quality from a manufacturer with a good reputation. I'm okay with up to $1500 for the gun and a couple hundred (?) for the scope, which looks well within the range of most shotgun combos.

I want to stay away from a deer-only shotgun though. My intention is to use it as a "regular" shotgun also. Hopefully in the future I'll get into bowhunting so the shotgun will be used less and less for deer. But in the meantime, for deer also.

Is there any noticeable difference between the use of a cantilever mounted scope versus a receiver mounted scope? I don't mind having to sight in the scope when necessary, which I guess would be any time I need to change barrels (if I had a receiver mounted one). However, I can't see myself changing barrels mid-season since our deer/geese/turkey (firearm) seasons don't overlap.