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AYA No 2. Chokes


Robertt
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Just picked up an AYA No 2 which is circa 1956 ish.

Very tight, mechanically sound, prisitine bores.

Wood looks very tired so am putting it in for wood refurbishment and full proper service.

What I find unuasual is both barrels are stamped ***, which indicates both 1/2 choke. A proper gauge confirmed the chokings.

Most AYA's I have across have Full & 1/2 or 1/2 & 1/4.

Could this be a bespoke order ?

It crossed my mind it could be a No1 but I'm not generally blessed with good luck !

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AyA chokes can be 'to order', which can be what the customer wants, or (by default) what the importer (in the UK, ASI) specifies (usually 1/2 and full  on Yeomans and 1/4 and 1/2 on No 1 and No 2).  I have an AyA with two sets of barrels, 1/4 and 1/4 in 28" and full and full in 30", and my No 1 is about improved and 1/4.

If you send (e mail aya@aya-fineguns.com) the serial number to AyA - they will tell you the model and date.

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If its a mid 50's gun then the current model numbers wont apply . Prior to the No2 there was a model 2 which was similar . Choking can be a mine field and it is my understanding that the Spanish Proof Houses marked the chokes at proof . As with many Continental Proof Houses the barrel weight was also stamped so any choke boring would be noticeable in weighing and may under Spanish rules have rendered the gun out of proof as in other Countries .This is not enforced in the UK .

Bear also in mind that Spanish choking measurement was "between " size system [Dont have the actual dimensions to hand at present ] but 1/4 choke could be between .010" and .015"for example .

You also have to consider who and what the gun was intended for and the fact that back in those days most shooters did not bother themselves to much as to what choke the gun had as long as it suited there shooting . A friend of mine has successfully  shot the same gun for over 40 years at a wide variety of game , with no idea at all as to what it is choked and has no interest in finding out .

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23 minutes ago, Robertt said:

L.O.P needs increase of 3/4" and looking for a tasteful way to do it.

It can be done in wood - relatively costly and hard to get a good match, or a 'silvers' pad in black or orange rubber (http://www.kynochammunition.co.uk/silvers.html in my view orange is ugly, but quite traditional, black loos OK), or a leather covered pad (looks nice, but not sure how long they put up with getting wet for) - or ebonite, but 3/4" is quite thick for ebonite.

There are also (as you indicate), a load of more or less 'tacky' rubber/plastic solutions, plus various ones specifically designed to reduce recoil (which in my view just transfer the recoil from your shoulder to your face!).

I have one gun done in wood (nice job, but was done many years ago by William Powells when they were still a family business in Birmingham), and one done with a leather covered pad, and one with a Silvers pad.  These later two done before I bought the guns.

Edited by JohnfromUK
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A traditional "silvers" pad will look OK ,always have it leather covered  but will cost a lot more than a wooden extension.As most AyA's had fairly plain wood by modern likes, so it should not be to difficult to fine a piece with a similar grain density . In doing work like this I always went for colour match so it was less noticeable .Biggest problem with wood ,  I often found was that the stock toward the heel frequently seemed to slim down so you either ended up with a dip in the wood or a very small butt end .Another consideration is that with wear you may have to take an additional 1/8" 3/16" off the length to get a square end to work on so the 3/4" you want will end up as a 1" extension  .

Edited by Gunman
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10 hours ago, Robertt said:

Apologies, just re checked and it is 1970 - 77. 

L.O.P needs increase of 3/4" and looking for a tasteful way to do it. Seen so many old guns that look so tacky with a recoil pad that doesn't look right. 

 

I would be inclined to go for a leather covered recoil pad which I consider more in keeping with the lovely lines of the gun and when polished look really great. These look best if between 3/4 and 1 inch thick, which I think is your criteria. The leather can be treated with any proprietary leather treatment to make it fully water proof. There is an excellent Youtube video by Midway USA showing exactly how to do this yourself. I have no particular practical skills in such things but followed the video and made quite an acceptable job of it. If attempting this yourself, I would suggest using the thinnest pig or goat skin that you can get to make it easier to stretch over the pad and so avoid any creases. 

Hope that this helps and best of luck with whatever option that you decide upon.

OB

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On 11 March 2018 at 07:56, Robertt said:

Thank you, some really good suggestions

I'm going to take my time and chew on the options and use a slip on in the meantime. 

Will post some snaps of the finished job later this year.

 

If using a slip on recoil pad, either leather or rubber, don't forget to take it off after each session as it can leave a dark stain on the wood.

OB 

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Learnt that one boggy but it's  good that you've flagged it up.

I've accumilated a few of different size over time and find them very useful when switching to summer garb.

Also for establishing correct length of pull on new acquisitions .

Just getting a limbsaver replaced F.O.C. from the company in America.

It was so sticky it was unusable. Apparantly they got the mix wrong with a batch a couple of years ago.

Edited by Robertt
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