Early Stevens guns (pre-Savage take over) can be very good values too. The only downside to them is generally poor stock dimensions by 'modern' standards.
In the end, if I were limited to but one shotgun it would be an L.C.Smith 12 or 16 gauge, 28-30" barrels choked M/F, with a sack full of spreader loads to provide 'choke versatility' when needed. Late 20'-1930's vintage to take advantage of by then better stock dimensions.
At the end of the day, with the plethora of classic American field grade doubles, and European, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese guns, there are a lot of choices- and all are more-or-less good. Thinking about it, it would be fun to be a newbie with $1000 in my pocket and embarking on a quest for a SxS shotgun. More fun, say, than shopping for a new sofa.
