Good post,
Fabs brought up some good points to consider. I'll be honest 6.5, I was unaware that Mossberg even offered an O/U model but it does look like a nice shotgun for the money.
There are alot of entry level imported O/U's and SXS's entering the US market now as firearm distributors have wisely done their research and recognized that most of the regular working joe-slobs of this country would love to own a nice double gun but don't want to have to take out a second mortgage to do it!
Buyer beware though-there is alot of garbage out there so you must do your homework and be somewhat discriminating as well as honest with yourselves. How will you be using the shotgun? Will this be a dedicated clays/trap gun that you will be using to shoot several hundred rounds out of each weekend or will this be a gun that use occasionally? What type of repair center is in place to perform warranty work? How about their return policy.
There are fair deals to be had but you must be realistic. I personally own a couple of shotguns from Dehaan-(manufactured by Huglu of Turkey) One is a 20 ga. SXS and the other more recent acquisition is a 12 ga. O/U. I admit that I was very apprehensive initially -especially hearing about varying quality issues with broken firing pins, poor barrel regulation, etc.
If you visit most any shotgun shooting website though, there will always be some posts on components that fail. We're talking machined parts here-there's gonna be some failures at some point based upon heavy usage. The question is, How are these companies handling their customers? How is their service. I can say that I have heard both good and bad stories (as is usually the case) from all the "B" manufacturers and own a little from each. I also have spent the better portion of my twenty year career in manufacturing so I know a little somewhat as to how metal is manufactured typically from looking at it.
The more expensive shotguns have alot more detailed handwork done to remove tool marks and fixturing. Some of the less expensive offerings do not offer this (and typically won't) for the cost associated with the process. Bluing, plating, and polishing are also something that someone will pay more for in a finer shotgun. Overseas manufactured guns can still be a value because much of this handwork is facilitated at a much cheaper labor rate (not too unlike much of what is imported into this country) It will be interesting to see what if any outcome the declining US dollar will have on this market. Will they work? Most of the time they will, albeit they may not be as ornate but functional nonetheless.
I have been insofar, very satisfied with my own purchases from Dehaan. Both shotguns shoot very well to point of aim and serve their purposes very well. One is an early season pheasant gun that sees action only a few times annually and is a pure joy to carry afield, the other is an occassional club trap gun.
Neither gun will ever hold their value well compared to more established manufacturers but they are indeed worth far more to me for their value and service. Good luck to you sir!