theshootist

It had (I think) 26" and 31" barrels. One set had some rust at the muzzle. A really excellent stock. Felt great and had me researching the make as I was unfamiliar.

A friend of mine sent him the stock and forend of his Browning for the full treatment - the results really are excellent.

The lovely Gamba Daytona with two sets of barrels very narrowly escaped. I managed a Remington 1100 Skeet gun though which has some amazing wood - if covered in that heavy varnish found on cheaper guns.

I'm a recent convert after a buddy sent me some. Works a treat.

I'll take one please if possible

Its a fantastic shop with only superb guns. I still regret not buying a really high quality 16 bore hammer gun he had that had no name. He thought it had been made by the workers of a quality maker "after hours"!

I have both a 26" 700 with a Churchill rib and a 30". I love them both. There's never been a better time to buy one as demand for boxlocks has really dropped off. Have a look at the September 2021 Gavin Gardiner auction results. Some amazing bargains there on Webley 700s with near full colour hardening, almost upsetting seeing how little they make now. If you're buying from a dealer then don't be afraid to drive a hard bargain!

No problem Roland! It's a lovely honest gun but sadly for me I need the space. I like that Ithaca went to the trouble to make a smaller receiver, rather than just sticking a smaller barrel on a 12 bore receiver, which happens with so many modern over and unders. I love that there is a 'slug' setting on the poly choke! No plastic in sight on these guns, just milled and forged steel and wood!

Christ on a crutch. 🤦‍♂️

If its going to be my allround gun then it needs to be able to shoot large charges of large steel shot for wildfowling. So absolutely necessary for me if it's going to do everything.

I've had a 325 since 1992 and I've only once had to take it apart to de-gum the bottom striker. It's had a lot of shells though it and done it all. I got a friend into them and he's since bought two grade 5s and a grade 6!

I love the B325, but it would fall down today for its inability to take high pressure steel. A perfect all round gun for me would need a 3" chamber and superior steel proof.

Yes. Val Browning designed them to handle like a lightweight side by side for game shooting. They have no magazine tube and hold the second cartridge in that recess in the side of the action.

Indeed! Is that a cutts compensator or some sort of polychoke?

I have a double auto too. I have thought about adding a twelvette or even the rare "twenty weight". Is the Twelvette unpleasant to shoot? I find the double auto pretty snappy with 28 gram shells.

According to the book "Spanish Best" they are (or were, as they are no longer in business) fantastic. As for the OP's question, I would much rather have a good condition AYA than a suspect English sidelock.

I'm fascinated to read this view of Arazabagalaga, I had always considered them the very best of Spanish gunmakers and would have bought one over an AYA. This is mainly from my reading rather than direct experience though as I've only ever looked at one in an auction room.

I'll take if possible. Message sent.

I would like to take it please.

An interesting summary from my favourite Canadian collector.

A handful? Having examined them, the damascus barrels are very thin. Some have been bodged to restrict them to two shots and all the ones that I have seen have been shot very loose. I have seen some fully made by Spencer too and imported from the states. The action is very different to a conventional pump with a sliding breach. Its more like a rotating block. Why do you hate the over and under so much? Surely you would appreciate a Browning B25, straight hand, roach belly stock, narrow game rib on 27" barrels, exquisite engraving and all hand made on a bench in Belgium?

Yes that is correct. The act says you cannot use a gun which holds more than 2 shells in the magazine to shoot any wild bird. Its the terms of the general license that provide an exemption from the primary legislation for listed pest species. So if a species is not on the general license then you can't use a "high capacity" shotgun to shoot them. The conditions on your certificate are just the terms of use dictated by your issuing police force - they cannot overturn primary legislation. So if I managed to get "shooting of game birds" as one of the uses on my FAC it would be no defence should I use a 10 shot pump on a driven day! All completely hypothetical of course! The Spencer pump was produced from 1882 to 1889. Charles Lancaster purchased 80 actions in the white and fitted straight walnut stocks, damascus barrels and magazine tubes. I have seen 3 or 4 over the last 15+ years and purchased one, which sadly didn't work out. Most were lost or shot to bits when nitro cartridges arrived. The first really successful pump was the Winchester 1897, but that was designed by a genius!

https://www.gov.uk/hunting/Birds The legislation is Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69 So its relatively recent and the Charles Lancaster Spencer pump action that is show in my profile procure was marketed over here for game shooting. They hold 5 12 bore black powder cartridges in the magazine. In one of my books (maybe Gough I can't recall) it is described as an ideal gun for a "hot corner". Although I am careful only to load 2 cartridges in my vintage pump gun if I ever use it on my shoot (which nobody bats an eyelid at), I would think a well practiced team with a pair, or trio of ejector guns would have a much greater rate of fire than I could achieve! People often take an interest in an old pump or auto when I'm clay shooting. Although I put the majority of shells through the over and under, I always have a few stands with a pump or old auto at the end - they are just fun to use.

I have shot lots with small patches of corrosion without problems. Dampness can cause hang fires though and that could be dangerous. I was given some very old cartridges two years ago that started to hang fire or just be blown out of the barrel by the primer. Once dried fully in the airing cupboard those problems disappeared. I would only do that with lead though. I think as we are forced to steel we will need to be extremely careful of shot charges rusting together.

Yes. I shot some 32g lead shells the same day and they felt positively mild in comparison! £13.50 a box too.