Gun Dog Forum

Any opinions on this gun?

The SKB action is as solid as those made by the more popular brands (Beretta, Browning, Ruger, etc). SKB has suffered here in the US because of a lack of good marketing and an overcrowded O/U marketplace.

As you may or may not know, until recently all of the Weatherby O/Us were SKBs built for Weatherby, with some cosmetic differences.

I have a SKB 500, which was built for Ithaca but is the same gun (except for choke tubes) as the 505. I've never measured or weighed, but the SKB action & barrels seems to be similar, in weight and balance as the standard Brownings. The wood seems to be a bit slimmer than the Brownings. Neither metal or wood are as light as the Berettas, on average. On the other hand, the SKBs are nowhere as bulky as the Rugers.

They are good guns; just as good as the Berettas or Brownings. Having said that, I'd be careful on what you'd pay for one (especially new) as they won't hold their value as well as the other brands. They are usually overpriced as new guns and underpriced as used guns.

FWIW,
Dave

They are nice guns. I would put them slightly below the "B" guns. If you can find a deal on a new one and it fits you well go for it. That being said for some reason most times they are priced right up there with the "B" guns. If I could get a Browning or Beretta for close to the same price I would go that route. Used ones can be had for great prices if you look around. WDO

i have a ithaca 500 made by skb and i love it as far as i'm concerned it's as good as any other over under

I agree with Dave. I have shot SKB's for years with very few problems. They are, IMO, the best used gun value on the market today. I recently purchased a nice 200E sxs in 20 gauge for $800. Try finding a B sxs for that price.

Charles

One thing about the skb's. The springs do get weak after time. They are considered replacement items. I had the springs on my 70's vintage 28 gauge 500 replaced a few years ago. It really improved the lock time. WDO