Ten of the world's finest shotguns

A fine shotgun combines beauty, ergonomics and durability into one elegant steel and walnut package that will last for generations. These are the highlights from Griffin & Howe, one of the nation's leading dealers in fine guns.
By Phil Bourjaily

1. Purdey Best (Pair)
London gunmakers like J. Purdey and Sons are to shotguns what Savile Row tailors are to suits. In business since 1814, Purdey's specializes in "bespoke" guns made to a customer's measure. Order one new and you can expect to pay the price of a small house and wait two years for your gun to be finished.Matched pairs like these two guns are for high-speed shooting when the birds fly thick. A loader stands close behind the shooter, ready to take his Lordship's empty gun and hand him a loaded one.
Price: $120,000 (pair)
Gauge: 12

2. L.C. Smith Monogram
American double shotguns flourished from the 1890s until shortly after World War II, when the public demand for cheaper, mass-produced pump and semiautomatic guns killed the old classics. The high grade L.C. Smiths like this Monogram Grade were among the most heavily decorated guns made during the so-called Golden Age of American shotguns, in the 1930s and 40s. This heavyweight gun accepts powerful magnum loads intended for high-flying ducks and geese.
Price: $12,000
Gauge: 12

3. Perazzi SCO Sporting
Perazzi's earned public notoriety recently as Vice President Cheney's gun of choice for quail and attorneys. Shotgun aficionados, however, have long known these wonderfully sleek Italian guns as winners of countless target shooting titles. Perazzis debuted in the early 60s, and ever since they've been among the top guns of international competitors. This beautifully engraved SCO model is made for Sporting Clays.
Price: $25,000
Gauge: 12

4. Krieghoff K-80
Among competitive trap and skeet shooters, the name "Kreighoff" represents the last word in target-crushing consistency. Machined with Teutonic precision in Ulm, Germany, the K-80 isn't sleek, but it's built to shoot forever. This K-80 comes with four sets of barrels for skeet competition in four different events. It's been decorated with gold engraved ducks and pheasants to remind the owner of days afield.
Price: $13,500
Gauge: 12, 20, 28 and .410 barrels

5. Browning Superposed
John Browning of Morgan, Utah, was the greatest, most prolific inventor of both sporting and military guns in modern times. His last gun, the Superposed, was an expensive gun that debuted just in time for the Depression. Its Belgian factory was occupied by the Nazis in World War II, but the Superposed survived to achieve tremendous popularity by the 1960s. Superposeds remain in production as custom order guns today. The Midas grade model, with its gold inlaid pheasants and ducks, is one of the most lavishly decorated models.
Price: $21,500
Gauge: 410

6. Beretta SO-4
After 475 years in the gun business, you would think Beretta might have learned a thing or two about making shotguns. They have: The SO-series guns stand among the world's finest. Even at their premium prices, SO guns are a relative bargain with fit, finish and engineering the equal of guns costing much more. This S0-4 will withstand decades of high volume skeet shooting, and still look gorgeous in the winner's circle.
Price: $8,125
Gauge: 12

7. Fabbri Over-Under
Think of Italy's Fabbris as the Lamborghinis of shotguns -- stunning blends of beauty and performance at a "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" price. Fabbri makes just a handful of guns a year for such luminaries as Steven Spielberg, Tom Selleck and King Juan Carlos of Spain, among others. The swirling brown and blue patterns on the steel of this gun are the result of case coloring, a process in which the metal parts are hardened by heating them in a steel box with charcoal, bone and leather.
rice: $82,500
Gauge: 12

8. Boss O/U
English makers are known for their side by side shotguns (barrels arranged alongside one another), but the Boss O/U (barrels stacked vertically) is a graceful exception to the rule, and first appeared in 1909. This 1925 example is a beautiful between-the-wars gun. Light in weight for easy carrying in the field, this gun is richly decorated with the rose and scroll pattern typical of British "Best" grade guns.
Price: $48,000
Gauge: 12

9. Cosmi Autoloader
Meticulously hand-fitted parts and a complex design set the Cosmi apart from mass produced semi-automatic, making it by far the most expensive repeating shotgun in the world. The Cosmi's ingenious self-loading mechanism dates to 1925 and requires over 100 hand-fitted internal parts; it's the Swiss watch of fine shotguns. Cosmis hold up to eight shells in a tubular magazine in the buttstock. Famous -- or perhaps infamous -- Cosmi owners include Leonid Brezhnev and Benito Mussolini.
Price: $8,250
Gauge: 20

10. Connecticut Shotgun Manuf. Co. Model 21
Of all the American classic doubles that disappeared following the end of World War II, the Winchester Model 21 lasted the longest, limping along on life-support until the early 80s. The 21 is one of the classics revived by Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company, which owns that Winchester model's name and patent. Made right here in the U.S. the guns are probably built better now than they ever were.
Price: $19,500
Gauge: 16