Im way too hard on shotguns to spend that kind of dough. I grew up shooting my dads BPS Browning. he was left handed and it loaded and extracted through the bottom of the gun. It was a NIGHTMARE to strip all the way down and clean. I then turned 18, used a bunch of college grant money and bought an SBE2. Dont get me wrong, it served its purpose and I shot countless amount of rounds through it. At on point I killed ~15k pigeons in a summer with it on a dairy that was completely over run. Lasted me 12 years of torture and when it finally blew up on me at the dairy. I pulled the trigger, felt pieces hitting me in the arm and it was locked up worse than two dogs. I took it into my gunsmith and we spent about 2 hours taking it down to every small piece. The trigger assembly came apart and 7 pieces were broke. Just looked like it wore out finally. Benelli was a champ, sent photos and let them know what happened. Told them I didn't expect anything as it had thousands upon thousands of rounds through it and just needed certain parts to put it back together with my gunsmith. Instead they sent me a brand new trigger group. As soon as I got the gun functional again, I had a young lad make me an offer for it, I cut his offer in half and let him take it. I heard from him about 2 years ago and he said it was still operational. It didn't like light light loads and every so often if not super clean, it wouldnt quite cycle all the way. I didnt like that at all.
Then I stumbled on the sportsman versamax. For $600 it is the best beater shotgun I have ever owned. I finally had one getting a bit loose and sloppy (still never jammed on me) but you can tell the tolerances were just not what of a new one has. So I made that one a snow goose gun, has a 13 shot ext tube and rarely comes out of the safe. My current one has 5 seasons under its belt and just now starting to feel broke in. I still have yet to get a jam with either of those guns. Doesnt matter how light the load is. Versamax for the win in my book, and I buy the cheapest version I can get my hands on when I feel like I need a new one. The only thing I hate about a versamax is the huge front grip it has. Tooth and Nail armory makes a narrow version and it slims it down to feel like a benelli style grip in my hand. Much more comfortable.
I bought a cheapo turkish made John Daly O/U. Had the barrel cerakoted in a tan color and receiver and buttstock are black synthetic. I enjoy shooting fowl with my O/U more and more in the last 2 seasons. I rarely pull the semi out now. I think once i wear this one out, I will spend a little more money and get a CZ O/U for waterfowl. I really like the magnetic rim where the shell is inserted in the barrel. So when you crack open the barrel, empties stay in place. When loading in a blind, no need to point barrel down, just crack open, pull empties and insert new shells in and they stay right in place, no need to use gravity when loading and unloading a CZ O/U.
So.... for the price of an SBE3, I have 2 versamax (that still have not jammed on me after 13 seasons with them) and a cheapo O/U and all just keep going bang bang bang. According to your post sir, seems shotguns are getting cheaper with inflation. Just doesnt feel that way.