Side by Side Club

[Dibble]

Do I really have to get my AYA serviced once or twice a year?

And apparently he sells them with no Dealers profit, what a kind man.

He does jump around and wave his (unnaturally large) hands a bit and I don't think that spinning the gun around thing would go down too well where I shoot either.

[AYA117]

Also think that ' the largest stock of AYAs in the country ' is wrong, I think Sportarm of Dorchester for one, would disagree with that. Maybe his poor mounting of the gun is why he favours 24g cartridges, if he tried some of my 36g it would probably put him in hospital.

[Dibble]

Sportarm have a yeoman for £695 a yeoman ejector for 1195 and two No.4s both of which which "retains some of its original colour-hardening" for £895 (each).

Maybe their is a reason why they have so many on the shelf.

Edited December 7, 2018 by Dibble

[wymberley]

2 hours ago, wymberley said:

I think the technical term is, "cack-handed".

Apologies, I now realise that that was a humongous understatement.

[Cheesefiend]

52 minutes ago, Dibble said:

Sportarm have a yeoman for £695 a yeoman ejector for 1195 and two No.4s both of which which "retains some of its original colour-hardening" for £895 (each).

Maybe their is a reason why they have so many on the shelf.

My No.4 which also retains some of it’s original colour-hardening was supplied by the renowned Wabbitbosher for around 10% of that sum.

[Gunman]

2 hours ago, Dibble said:

Do I really have to get my AYA serviced once or twice a year?

And apparently he sells them with no Dealers profit, what a kind man.

He does jump around and wave his (unnaturally large) hands a bit and I don't think that spinning the gun around thing would go down too well where I shoot either.

Speaking as a gun smith you should get your AyA serviced at least twice a year . 4 times would be better [ as I want a very expensive holiday and a new car  ] . Any gun should be properly stripped cleaned and checked for ant potential problems periodically   . If the gun has or dose a lot of shooting in bad weather like on grouse moors it may be sensible to do so at the end of the season . 

In the real world if the owner cleans and maintains his gun as he should  " servicing" which can include minor adjustments /regulating etc needs only be carried out every 3 or 4 years .

[matone]

2 hours ago, Dibble said:

Sportarm have a yeoman for £695 a yeoman ejector for 1195 and two No.4s both of which which "retains some of its original colour-hardening" for £895 (each).

Maybe their is a reason why they have so many on the shelf.

Have a look at Holt`s sealed bids & fixed price stuff...lots of nice No4`s etc for very sensible money,as well as other good s/s.

[Dibble]

For some reason, my head is too low with all the No4s I've tried but my No3 (£150) fits.

[Retsdon]

On 07/12/2018 at 16:56, AYA117 said:

 

What on Earth is this bloke on about?

[moondoggy]

13 hours ago, Retsdon said:

What on Earth is this bloke on about?

With that sales pitch, I will not be rushing down south to buy one from him.

[oldypigeonpopper]

On 29/11/2018 at 14:49, Dibble said:

Just bought this

http://www.threeshiresgunsmiths.co.uk/product/aya-no3/

 

Can I join?

hello, looks a tidy no 3 and better chokes than the original half and full as most foreign side by side shotguns came with back in the 1960s/1970s/1980s  

[Dibble]

I shot 60 sporting clays on Saturday and absolutely loved it, still missed a lot but feel I missed in style.

So much livelier than a 30" O/U multichoke, particularly liked the size of it in my hands, no great fat forend. 

Double discharge on the first clay though as my hand slid back and I pulled the rear trigger and a cut trigger finger later on.

[JohnfromUK]

6 minutes ago, Dibble said:

So much livelier than a 30" O/U multichoke, particularly liked the size of it in my hands, no great fat forend. 

Double discharge on the first clay though as my hand slid back and I pulled the rear trigger and a cut trigger finger later on.

You raise two interesting points;

I also have small hands and on my s/s's my left hand goes virtually fully in front of the fore end (and I'm neither tall or large either).  It does mean either a hand guard of a glove is needed in hot weather for clays.

I grew up with double triggers and have a hatred of single triggers (even one of my o/u's has a double trigger!)   I don't consciously move my hand, only my finger.  For clays I always use 21g cartridges, but even with heavier loads haven't had finger damage.  I wonder if the gun is a bit on the short side for you?

[Dibble]

I'm 6 foot tall and have size 9 hands, the stock is 14 5/8 so it's probably a little short but as it doesn't have a butplate just grooved (what's this called?) I'm loath to add one.

I think part if the problem has been practising my mount at home but not practising moving my finger, I'm out this Sunday so I'll just tape it up.

I briefed my companions to shout either "auto safety" or "double trigger" if my gun didn't go off but actually had no problems.

I was mainly using fiocchi 28g cartridges left over from my O/ U but tried some hull 21g I'd bought for my son to try and used a couple of 36g friend passed me. I could feel a bit of difference but not as much as I was expecting. From memory the recoil should be 1/2 mass x velocity squared so the speed should be more important than shotload.

I think I might get some 24g then forget about them, one reason for going SxS was to control my tendency to over think equipment. I found myself hand selecting washing and relubing air rifle pellets once.

 

 

[JohnfromUK]

2 minutes ago, Dibble said:

but as it doesn't have a butplate just grooved (what's this called?) I'm loath to add one.

Agree on that, unless really needed.

I don't get too particular on cartridges, but I do find - especially on clays where you fire quite a few in an hour or so, that lighter cartridges are more pleasant.  Having said that some 21g are much more 'sharp' than others.   I usually use 28g on game, but have used up to 32g on rare occasions simply because I had them to hand.

[chris1961]

Count me in I have a Robert roper 1890 sxs hammer gun with Damascus barrels

[Gunman]

21 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

Agree on that, unless really needed.

I don't get too particular on cartridges, but I do find - especially on clays where you fire quite a few in an hour or so, that lighter cartridges are more pleasant.  Having said that some 21g are much more 'sharp' than others.   I usually use 28g on game, but have used up to 32g on rare occasions simply because I had them to hand.

AyA sidelocks did not have butt plates .They came the "checkered ends" as did the boxlocks . If the butt has straight lines then it is not original. As I recall no AyA side by side had a butt plates  , that said they did numerous models , some not common in the UK , so I will stand correcting on this .

Extending an AyA stock , something I have done many times , can have inherent problems as they do tend to taper toward the heel so often in the interest of neatness a good quality solid rubber pad [ Silvers type ] is preferable . 

[Mr.C]

22 hours ago, chris1961 said:

Count me in I have a Robert roper 1890 sxs hammer gun with Damascus barrels

Pictures please

[chris1961]

Pictures will follow as soon as I get time 

[greenshank1]

This my 16 year old sons new sbs . Gifted to him as a local gentleman was retiring and giving up his guns but wanted this sbs to go to a local lad. He is naturally delighted and wondered if anyone on here could give him some detail on it from the marks.

It says Basque on the top of one of the barrels .

 

[Dibble]

On 13/12/2018 at 09:55, oldypigeonpopper said:

hello, looks a tidy no 3 and better chokes than the original half and full as most foreign side by side shotguns came with back in the 1960s/1970s/1980s  

We measured it at the weekend the left barrel is the tighter choked one, so was it a Walked up gun? the wear on it is from carrying closed.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2018 by Dibble

[matone]

1 hour ago, greenshank1 said:

This my 16 year old sons new sbs . Gifted to him as a local gentleman was retiring and giving up his guns but wanted this sbs to go to a local lad. He is naturally delighted and wondered if anyone on here could give him some detail on it from the marks.

It says Basque on the top of one of the barrels .

 

Looks to have had little use and a nice result for all involved.They were a typical product of the Basque trade in the 70`s and 80`s.Can`t make one out but there will be a makers mark on the flats.I think possibly Zabala !

Edited December 17, 2018 by matone

[oldypigeonpopper]

2 hours ago, Dibble said:

We measured it at the weekend the left barrel is the tighter choked one, so was it a Walked up gun? the wear on it is from carrying closed.

 

 

hello, walking up your shooting usually involves having a shotgun with more open chokes so that is why i expect your no 3 has had the barrels open out to imp/half, left barrel would be the half with back trigger, that way if a pheasant go up further out you used more choke, imp/half make very good patterns from 25 yards to 40 yards, check out shotgun patterns improved at 30 yards which was the normal testing range, a good book is called the art of good shooting by major ruffer, that and a pigeon shooting by archie coats were my go to book back many years, i now do most  vermin shooting and my side by side is 1/4  full , my O/U hide gun is 1/4 1/2, both do very good patterns with 7.5 28g , when i did shooting walked up guns were closed and pointing left of hedgerow or ? i am right handed so the barrels rested on left arm then easy to bring to shoulder away from other guns, hope this helps cheers gordon  

[Gunman]

The whole idea of a double gun with different chokes was that you had a choice . One for close one for further away .

With a youngster or novice  a more open choke is better IMHO .they will not be taking very high or long shots so hitting and building confidence is paramount .

Imp cyl.  ans 1/4 are ideal in my book .

Do not be swayed by expressions the Americans use , like highland , walked up . They "hunt " we shoot so a general purpose gun is all most people need unlike our US cousins who think they need a specific gun for each and like shooting things on the rise , so have their guns set up accordingly with high combs .

[Old Boggy]

I`m sure that I read of at least one person on here owning a W.J.Jeffery SxS.

Not wishing to trawl all through 43 pages of this great thread to find someone, I have a copy of a 1904-5 season catalogue issued by Jeffery if anyone is interested. It appears to be a copy of the facsimile copy issued by Cornell Publications in the USA, but still makes interesting reading.

First person who owns a Jeffery to PM me with their name and address and I`ll put it in the post tomorrow. 

OB