H&H back in the day did most work by hand and as labor cost rose so did their guns. If you read DGJ or such magazines you will learn that today they use CNC machines and get actions in some cases from other places. They still hand fit the actions . It might be hard to sell 700 actions for such prices when you have a marketing tradition that included 98 actions for so long. If you believe that H&H is the only company that can produce a quality gun with wood and metal finish to the highest degree it might do you good to visit the Remington custom shop . While there I saw some beautiful guns one for the wife of a famous country music singer and I would doubt he would bat an eye at paying H&H prices if he saw one he liked.
I have not been to H&H but can't count the articles and books I have read about them. I have visited the Remington custom shop . What I saw was alot of skill and top of the line machine tools. They had a machine that could cut a stock fitted to you . 10 years later you want another no problem they had your records just like H&H . They lapped the bbl by hand just like H&H , what wood do you want ? what pattern checkering hand cut of course just like H&H and the list goes on just like H&H well until they add up the cost maybe but it can be close. I would dare say Bretta , Browning and others can match H&H quality today . I would add that a CNC machine and match the metal work also ( H&H use them ) .
I would think H&H makes some of the best double guns made . And that might be the cause of high priced bolt guns . If your staff can produce expensive DGs and they get paid accordingly then the pay would be high for the bolt gun assy.
The market in America has always been geared to arm the masses where in England it was for less but a more willing to pay crowd .
As for me it would be hard to toss a $30,000.00 gun in the PU and run down back roads to hunting spots
looks bad when your gun cost more than your truck
