[BigJimP]

I agree no you don't ....

BUT !!! ....
a. the gun needs to "Fit" so it hits where you look !
b. it needs to be durable / reliable enough to perform 100% ...or it will cost you targets ...

now whether that is a Rem 1100 ...or a Beretta 391 ..or a relatively inexpensive O/U at $ 1,000 - $ 2,000 ..../ and you replace it after 100,000 shells or every 5 yrs or whatever ...

or you buy a gun that will go 500,000 shells or 2 Million shells ... before it may have to be rebuilt ...is up to you.

but what's "expensive" ...over $ 10,000 ...over $ 3,000 ...over $ 1,000 is relative as well ...to probably your age, your personal finances, what gun you want to shoot, etc....

My $ 3,000 Browning Citori XS Skeet models ...are all the gun I'll ever need at this point in my shooting career / and my competition days are over. They aren't expensive guns to me ...or to many of us at least...they're just good strong production guns - and I like them a lot.

But if I were in my early 30's and taking competition very seriously ...I'd invest in a Krieghoff K-80 ...with a carrier barrel -and a full set of tubes in 20ga, 28ga, and .410 ...and of course a stand alone 12ga set of barrels - all in 30" barrels, with a Trap stock ...and I'd shoot it for Sporting Clays and Skeet ...and some upland bird hunting. But I'd also look at a Kolar, and maybe a Blaser - and the K-80.

For Trap I would still go to a dedicated gun with 32" barrels in an O/U or maybe a single barrel break open gun like the Krieghoff KX-6.

But for shooters that aren't that serious about competition...there are a lot of "field" comb guns ...that will work very well - for a very long time (if they Fit ) / but remember, the cost of the gun ....vs targets, entry fees, gas, hotels, etc ..is by far the least expensive part of these games - even if all you do is compete on a local level.

But do you need to have a $3,000 gun to have fun ...no, you don't. You just need to have a good attitude ...and go out and have some fun ...and enjoy your buddies or whatever ...and try your best ! The toughest shooting days ...are the ones you remember anyway ...when its 110 degrees and you were whipped, when it snowed for 3 days straight - but you stuck it out, when the rain was running down your neck - and it was miserable..../ you always enjoyed but quickly forgot the 60 degree days - with no wind because they were common ......its the tough ones that stand out ...that you tell lies about over dinner, or whatever...20 yrs later !!