I look at that I want to buy the best shotgun (as any other gun) that will function flawlessly when I depend upon them, that suit me well and will last a life-time. I look at firearms I expect to last a lifetime or more. Looking at it that way, amortizing the cost over 30-50+ years of use, even though a quality firearm may cost more up front, it's really very economical over the life of use. Shotguns, for me, it's Benellis (M1 Super90, M2, SBEII)