Top 10 Most Expensive Shotguns

Key Takeaways:

• Luxury shotguns aren’t just about shooting — they’re about legacy: These aren’t your run-of-the-mill firearms. They’re hand-built heirlooms, crafted over months (sometimes years), often by brands older than most countries. You’re not just buying a gun — you’re buying into a story, a tradition, maybe even a little piece of history.
• The price tag isn’t just for show — it’s earned: From titanium internals to gold-inlaid engravings, everything about these shotguns screams meticulous care. But it’s not just materials — it’s the hands behind them. Generations of craftspeople, working quietly in tiny London workshops or tucked-away Italian towns, turning raw steel and walnut into something extraordinary.
• Every high-end shotgun has a backstory — and that’s half the magic: Whether it once belonged to royalty, vanished during a revolution, or was engraved with a symphony for an opera singer, these guns carry more than just shells — they carry memories. And weirdly enough, that’s what makes collectors fall in love. Not the flash. The soul.

(with some wild history along the way)

Let’s be real — there’s just something magnetic about high-end shotguns. Maybe it’s the gleaming barrels or the kind of checkering you’re almost afraid to touch. Or maybe it’s that weird, irrational thrill of holding something that once lived in the gunroom of a British duke or Italian count. Whatever it is, luxury shotguns are different beasts.

This list isn’t just a brag reel for expensive stuff. It’s about history, craftsmanship, and yeah — a little bit of ridiculousness. These aren’t guns you toss in the back of your truck. These are the ones you polish with a soft cloth and talk about like an old friend.

Let’s get into it.

Why Some Shotguns Cost As Much As a House

Before we dive into the list, it’s worth asking: why do some of these shotguns cost more than a small ranch in Montana?

The short answer: obsession.

These guns are handmade, often by individuals whose families have been crafting them for generations. They’re not just assembled. They’re composed. From the grain of the walnut to the relief of the engraving, every inch is touched by human hands.

A few things that push the price tag into the stratosphere:

• Craftsmanship – Nothing’s rushed. Parts are hand-fit to each other. Actions lock up like a bank vault.
• Materials – Turkish walnut that looks like rippled honey. Blued steel polished until it sings. Gold inlays, anyone?
• Brand legacy – When a company’s been around for 200 years, people notice.
• Historical provenance – Was it built for a king? Was it hunted with Hemingway? That matters.
• Rarity – One-offs, special commissions, limited editions.
• Innovation – Not just pretty. These things shoot like dreams.

But here’s the kicker: the stories tied to them? That’s where the real value lives.

The Great Shotgun Houses (and a Few Tall Tales)

Behind every legendary brand is a rich backstory. Some wild, some regal, some both.

• Holland & Holland got its royal warrant in 1904. But the real flex? Edward VII once ordered a 20-bore for a close friend… and it’s still in service. Their guns were used on Maharaja hunting safaris in India and in Scottish moors with Churchill.
• Purdey has been crafting London guns since 1814. Queen Victoria gave one to Prince Albert. And legend has it, during WWII, Purdey was asked to make sniping rifles. Instead, they kept making shotguns — because even during wartime, elegance mattered.
• Fabbri, on the other hand, didn’t show up until 1965 — but when they did, they changed everything. Industrial precision met fine art. Rumor has it one U.S. client bought a pair, flew to Italy for the fitting… then never fired them. Just wanted to look.
• Boss & Co. is famously tight-lipped. They’ve been quietly making over-and-unders since 1909. Prince Philip owned one. More curiously, there are whispered stories of a “lost pair” made for a Russian czar that vanished during the revolution.

These brands don’t just sell guns. They sell legacy. And you can feel it when you hold one.

Most Expensive Shotguns

(And the weird, wonderful reasons they matter)

1. Fabbri Over-and-Under Custom

Price: If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

This Italian masterpiece is the shotgun equivalent of a Ferrari 250 GTO — mechanically flawless, terrifyingly beautiful, and unapologetically rare. Fabbri’s factory looks more like a watchmaker’s workshop than a gun shop.

Anecdote: A billionaire once had a pair made with meteorite metal in the receiver and barrels laser-etched with his family crest. Supposedly, they’ve never left the vault.

2. Holland & Holland Royal Deluxe

Price: Around $250,000+, depending on engraving and options

A symbol of upper-crust Britain, the Royal Deluxe is a gun that’s probably seen more pheasants than most people see pigeons. The craftsmanship is borderline obsessive, but the real charm? It still feels like something your great-grandfather might have used.

Anecdote: King George V reportedly had a matched pair of 12-bores gifted to a visiting Russian diplomat. The guns disappeared during the 1917 revolution. One turned up at Sotheby’s in 2008.

3. Purdey Side-by-Side

Price: $200,000–$300,000 (more if you go wild with the options)

If you want a gun that looks like it belongs in a Bond film and a Downton Abbey episode, here you go. Purdey’s shotguns are like finely tailored suits — not flashy, just impossibly elegant.

Anecdote: There’s a Purdey stored at the Royal Armouries that was made for Maharaja Bhupinder Singh — a 20-bore with gold game birds inlaid across the action and the barrels sleeved with Damascus. It was never fired.

4. Beretta SO10 EELL

Price: Around $115,000–$150,000+

Think of the SO10 as Beretta’s “supermodel.” Streamlined, sexy, and shockingly accurate. Beretta’s been making guns since 1526, and this is their way of showing off.

Anecdote: In 2020, Beretta presented a special SO10 EELL to the President of Italy with the national crest engraved on the action. That one’s never hitting the market.

5. Boss & Co. Over-and-Under

Price: $150,000 and climbing

Minimalist but masterful. Boss invented the modern over-and-under, and they’re still refining it. If you ever see one in the wild, count yourself lucky.

Anecdote: There’s a persistent (unconfirmed) rumor that one Boss shotgun was smuggled out of pre-WWII Germany by a fleeing noble family. It resurfaced in a New England estate sale — complete with its original crocodile case.

6. Westley Richards “The Ovundo”

Price: $100,000–$175,000 depending on configuration

The name sounds like something out of a steampunk novel, and honestly, it kind of looks like it, too. “The Ovundo” is Westley Richards flexing — strange mechanics, wild engraving, and heritage up to the rafters.

Anecdote: A version of “The Ovundo” was reportedly ordered by Ernest Hemingway himself. It vanished after his death and hasn’t been seen since. Gun show whisperers still talk about it.

7. William & Son Bespoke

Price: Around $100,000+

The quiet disruptor. William & Son makes what you want, how you want it — quietly, in Mayfair. Their guns don’t scream wealth. They purr it.

Anecdote: One particularly eccentric client once had a bespoke shotgun made with a handle carved from a piece of driftwood taken from his private island. True story.

8. Piotti King Eagle

Price: $80,000–$120,000

A little flashier than its peers, but don’t mistake it for style over substance. This thing shoots as good as it looks, which is saying a lot. Italians just do elegance better.

Anecdote: The very first King Eagle prototype was gifted to an Italian opera singer, complete with engraved musical scores along the action. He kept it displayed in his dressing room.

9. Greener Sidelock

Price: Around $70,000–$100,000

Classic British brawn. W.W. Greener made a name for themselves in the late 1800s by building guns that could survive just about anything — but still look great doing it.

Anecdote: One Greener shotgun accompanied explorer Frederick Selous through Africa in the early 1900s. It was recovered decades later and still functions. The leather sling didn’t fare as well.

10. Browning B25 Custom

Price: $60,000–$90,000+

The B25 is the only gun on this list with an American designer and Belgian soul. John Moses Browning’s last invention is still made by hand in Belgium. The B25 is a workhorse — with style.

Anecdote: Browning himself never lived to see the production model. He died at the FN factory, finishing the design. His son took over and brought it to life. Poetic, really.

Rare Shotguns: When History and Money Collide

Sometimes, it’s not about who made the gun. It’s about who owned it, or what it commemorates. These one-off and limited-run pieces are like the unicorns of the shotgun world.

Examples:

• Purdey Bicentenary – Only 20 made. Engraved with the company’s entire 200-year history. Worth every penny.
• Browning Diana Grade Superposed – Master Lodewijk Mortier was responsible for the engraving. He later went blind, making early examples skyrocket in value.
• Winchester Model 21 Grand American – Fewer than 30 made. Elvis Presley famously owned one, though most think it was stolen from Graceland.

Why People Actually Buy These

Here’s the thing — nobody needs a $200,000 shotgun.

But people don’t buy these just to shoot clays. They buy them for the story. For the lineage. For the experience of possessing something that goes beyond the initial thrill.

Some people, it’s simply a hunting gun that happens to be beautifully designed. For others, it serves as an investment—something to keep in a safe and showcase to guests. And for a fortunate few, it’s love at first sight.

Tips for Owning a Piece of Firearm Royalty

• Do your homework. The difference between a bespoke Purdey and a very good knockoff? Subtle, but very expensive.
• Ask for provenance. Letters, photos, receipts, even original factory build sheets.
• Maintenance matters. Regular oiling, proper storage, and no shortcuts.
• Insure it. Seriously. One scratch can cost thousands.
• Don’t be afraid to shoot it. Just… maybe not in the rain.

Final Thoughts: A Love Letter to Luxury

High-end shotguns are one of those rare intersections where art, engineering, and history collide. They don’t just represent wealth. They represent patience. Passion. Legacy.

They’re the kind of objects that get handed down. Talked about. Even written into wills.

And sure, you don’t need one.

But holding a gun that took someone a year to build, by hand, with tools their grandfather used?

You can’t fake that.

Frequently Asked Questions