Importing a gun from England

I've got a hankering to pick up a 12 gauge sxs from England and have found several nice guns that are remarkably affordable. However, the cost to import looks to be around $1,000. See clip from an email below - from UK gun business.

In addition to our $460.00 fee for Documentation and processing, including application for the ATF Form 6 Permit to import into the US, you would have shipping by air from the UK – about $350.00 + then transport fee from the airport to the broker’s warehouse, usually several hundred dollars, then payment of the .03% or so Customs Duty then the shipping to us, then to your FFL to do the background check – they usually charge a fee also.

Does anyone know of a less expensive legal route for this process?

I don't know about coming this way. I have a friend in Chile that buys several rifles up here each year, then when he has enough to make it worthwhile, he has them shipped down because it's more cost effective to do multiples.

Thought about doing the same thing but not sure who to trust with storage. I may be headed to England and may be able to transport back on my own, but will still have to pay that hefty processing fee on the UK side.

Depending on what your looking for I would check out Guns International.
Theres several dealers of high end double shotguns.

Not knowing someone is an issue. This guy is on another gun forum, and he comes up here every year for our big get-togethers. Down there, it's a lot harder and more expensive to get guns in general. So a $500 rifle here might end up costing him $800 when all is said and done because he has bought 5 or 6 others, but if he were to buy it in Chile it would be $1,500. He has a guy in Miami that handles everything.