Side by Side Club

[JJsDad]

On 05/05/2018 at 18:15, Dave at kelton said:

So I took this John Ross out and had about 75 shots with 24 gm loads. I am not a clay shot so hit a few and missed a few. Surprisingly I hit a few off the high tower at Westlands which is a first for me.

I know there is a commandment about not coveting your neighbors good lady, but I am sure it doesnt apply to me admiring that side lever Ross. Very very nice and a classic case of buy the quality and condition rather than the name.

[AYA117]

Well that's a start !

[Old Boggy]

On 6 May 2018 at 11:17, kevin55 said:

Very nice, I do like side levers and they seem to suit the left-handed shooter like me, using the thumb to open.

 

I too, am a leftie and once handled a Grant side lever which certainly seemed natural to open left handedly. Often wondered, therefore, why the levers are always on the right hand side. Is it as natural for a right hand shooter to open as a leftie ?

Always fancied a side lever, but out of my price range unfortunately.

OB

[farmer7]

Can anyone tell me anything about the AYA 722? Can' find much about it online. It appears to be a single trigger with pistol grip and raised rib. Are the single triggers reliable? Where did it fit in the range? I assume they're no longer made? Thanks for any info.

[Dave at kelton]

1 hour ago, Old Boggy said:

I too, am a leftie and once handled a Grant side lever which certainly seemed natural to open left handedly. Often wondered, therefore, why the levers are always on the right hand side. Is it as natural for a right hand shooter to open as a leftie ?

Always fancied a side lever, but out of my price range unfortunately.

OB

Your quite right most side levers are on the right. I do though have a Charles Lancaster hammergun with the side lever on the left and it is nothing like as natural to use. It does therefore puzzle me why a right handed guns do not have the lever on the left. If you keep an eye out you may be surprised that some prices are reasonable if you go for a provincial maker as I did.

[AYA117]

1 hour ago, farmer7 said:

Can anyone tell me anything about the AYA 722? Can' find much about it online. It appears to be a single trigger with pistol grip and raised rib. Are the single triggers reliable? Where did it fit in the range? I assume they're no longer made? Thanks for any info.

I have not heard of any problems with the single trigger, others may have heard different! I believe the 722 was a model below the No.2, with less engraving on the locks and none on the fences, to me it looks like a Countryman with a single trigger. Prices seem to vary wildly. It is on my list to add to the cabinet at some point.

Edited May 8, 2018 by AYA117

[demonwolf444]

Since people were on the topic of pinfire's... I have always been fascinated by them something about the "design that nearly made it", Just at the cusp of that brief but ecstatic period of gun making, the quality of the workmanship in some of these pin fires is as impressive as some of the best later center fire hammer guns.

When i was a teen all i wanted was to get my hands on one so i grossly overpaid for one in particularly poor shape. - Stock beaten up, shortened, smashed through the wrist and repaired with iron strips, hammer nose missing, pitted throughout, off its face, loose hinge pin, forend chipped damaged and worn, Ribs lifting and later had been filled with putty and all sorts of gunk underlever significantly worn... It really was not much to look at. I probably went at it a little too heavy handedly being young and arrogant.

 

Anyway it was an early experiment in learning a few gunsmiths skills, welded up the hook and refitted the barrels to the action, made a slight improvement to the underlever, relaid the ribs and rebrowned the barrels, smartened up the wood, fitted just about the most ill matching extension that can be conceived I ended up replacing the hammers with new castings as the original broken off one did not seem to want to be welded. The photography is from a blackberry phone camera from years ago.. it really shows how far that technology has come!

The Gun is made my R W Brookes of Swansea, seemed they made a few pinfires around this period has i have seen several others with striking similarities in style.

[farmer7]

41 minutes ago, AYA117 said:

I have not heard of any problems with the single trigger, others may have heard different! I believe the 722 was a model below the No.2, with less engraving on the locks and none on the fences, to me it looks like a Countryman with a single trigger. Prices seem to vary wildly. It is on my list to add to the cabinet at some point.

Thanks very much for the info. 

[Dave at kelton]

2 hours ago, demonwolf444 said:

Since people were on the topic of pinfire's... I have always been fascinated by them something about the "design that nearly made it", Just at the cusp of that brief but ecstatic period of gun making, the quality of the workmanship in some of these pin fires is as impressive as some of the best later center fire hammer guns.

When i was a teen all i wanted was to get my hands on one so i grossly overpaid for one in particularly poor shape. - Stock beaten up, shortened, smashed through the wrist and repaired with iron strips, hammer nose missing, pitted throughout, off its face, loose hinge pin, forend chipped damaged and worn, Ribs lifting and later had been filled with putty and all sorts of gunk underlever significantly worn... It really was not much to look at. I probably went at it a little too heavy handedly being young and arrogant.

 

Anyway it was an early experiment in learning a few gunsmiths skills, welded up the hook and refitted the barrels to the action, made a slight improvement to the underlever, relaid the ribs and rebrowned the barrels, smartened up the wood, fitted just about the most ill matching extension that can be conceived I ended up replacing the hammers with new castings as the original broken off one did not seem to want to be welded. The photography is from a blackberry phone camera from years ago.. it really shows how far that technology has come!

The Gun is made my R W Brookes of Swansea, seemed they made a few pinfires around this period has i have seen several others with striking similarities in style.

That really was a project well done!

[Feltwad]

4 hours ago, demonwolf444 said:

Since people were on the topic of pinfire's... I have always been fascinated by them something about the "design that nearly made it", Just at the cusp of that brief but ecstatic period of gun making, the quality of the workmanship in some of these pin fires is as impressive as some of the best later center fire hammer guns.

When i was a teen all i wanted was to get my hands on one so i grossly overpaid for one in particularly poor shape. - Stock beaten up, shortened, smashed through the wrist and repaired with iron strips, hammer nose missing, pitted throughout, off its face, loose hinge pin, forend chipped damaged and worn, Ribs lifting and later had been filled with putty and all sorts of gunk underlever significantly worn... It really was not much to look at. I probably went at it a little too heavy handedly being young and arrogant.

 

Anyway it was an early experiment in learning a few gunsmiths skills, welded up the hook and refitted the barrels to the action, made a slight improvement to the underlever, relaid the ribs and rebrowned the barrels, smartened up the wood, fitted just about the most ill matching extension that can be conceived I ended up replacing the hammers with new castings as the original broken off one did not seem to want to be welded. The photography is from a blackberry phone camera from years ago.. it really shows how far that technology has come!

The Gun is made my R W Brookes of Swansea, seemed they made a few pinfires around this period has i have seen several others with striking similarities in style.

Has usual a good job   well done . you always know where I am at if you get stuck or need something 

Feltwad

[arjimlad]

Coming late to the party...

I have an OU, a semi-auto and this SBS.

I do a lot of walking about a farm looking for pigeon, or just sitting about in likely spots. I find the SBS responsive & light to carry. It's far easier to reload in a hide than the OU.

I am less confident with it than with my Browning OU even though I have always had a SBS.  I've had the use of an AYA #3 16 bore as a lad, and owned a San Marco hammergun, an old English SBS ejector with badly pitted barrels, an AYA #4 and now this Gunmark Merlin by Bernadelli. 

 

 

The bluing is a bit tired in places, the stock was once varnished but has had a half-hearted refinish by a previous owner, and I have put a leather-faced pad on the butt to take it to 15".  I think it is a 1974 model whereas I am from 1972. There's some scratches in the bore just up from the chambers which might be from steel shot defacing the chrome plating. I had to have a pin on which the right cocking dog pivots refitted in the action where it slipped loose. The 27" barrels are well made & well struck-off, and I like its light weight. Double triggers appeal as they allow instant choice of the quarter or half-choke barrels. It suits its role as a gun around the farm very well.

 

 

 

 

[browning123]

5 hours ago, AYA117 said:

I have not heard of any problems with the single trigger, others may have heard different! I believe the 722 was a model below the No.2, with less engraving on the locks and none on the fences, to me it looks like a Countryman with a single trigger. Prices seem to vary wildly. It is on my list to add to the cabinet at some point.

In the early 70's I owned two single trigger AYA Matadors, and they had a problem with both barrels going off at the same time.

Edited May 8, 2018 by browning123

[demonwolf444]

9 hours ago, Feltwad said:

Has usual a good job   well done . you always know where I am at if you get stuck or need something 

Feltwad

Cheers Feltwad 

must have been three or more years ago at least when I was doing this one!  If u remember correctly you have me some excellent advice at the time regarding browning barrels. As you know I harboured an ambition to become a gunsmith which I am now and work full time at it, the paid work takes priority but I have a few projects I'm tinkering with ! 

[Robertt]

Have never seen a No2 single trigger in the flesh.

The tablet I'm using doesn't do links very well but Sportarm of Dorchester are selling one at £4k.

[Robertt]

Here's a snap of it.

[AYA117]

I have just got off the phone from ASI ( AYA importer ) I do not think I have ever had such friendly and knowledgeable help and service from any other company. Well done ASI (AYA) and thank you!

Edited May 10, 2018 by AYA117

[JJsDad]

On 09/05/2018 at 09:25, Robertt said:

Sportarm of Dorchester are selling one at £4k.

At that price & with a single trigger, I should think its going to be there for some time !

[Robertt]

Totally agree.

Must be a Sportarm trait.

They've several others on G.T for ridiculous prices.

[AYA117]

Not wishing to be expelled from Side by Side Club or indeed reported for AYA abuse, I have made a start on the stock of my No.2 while waiting for some parts to arrive.

[JJsDad]

32 minutes ago, AYA117 said:

I have made a start on the stock of my No.2

Well, thats looking better already ! Is that the long chambered one that you mentioned in an earlier post. Whoever did the inletting for the locks did a nice job; I have seen a recent gun where all they did was clear out all the wood to accept the complete lock, not like the individual inletting for the safety sear spring as shown on yours.

[AYA117]

2 hours ago, JJsDad said:

Well, thats looking better already ! Is that the long chambered one that you mentioned in an earlier post. Whoever did the inletting for the locks did a nice job; I have seen a recent gun where all they did was clear out all the wood to accept the complete lock, not like the individual inletting for the safety sear spring as shown on yours.

This is the standard 2 3/4" one that I have had for over 20 years, the stock is original AYA from around 1964. Just shows how things change with time, as a dearly departed gunsmith said to me many years ago when we were working on a William Evans SLE, " Look at the care and time that was spent on these locks, for something that cannot be seen "

[clumber]

Don't forget the little guys.

Thomas C Martin. Manchester, with "Sir J Whitworth's Patent Fluid Pressed Steel Tubes". BLE, 2.5", 28"brls.

The case label is a reproduction of a business card as described in G Boothroyds, Shotguns and Gunsmiths the vintage years. 

I have found another trade label of the time to go alongside this one but unfortunately the Connecticut gun co in the US won't post to the UK. 

A couplemore of the T.C.Martin.

[JJsDad]

2 hours ago, clumber said:

Don't forget the little guys.

Nothing wrong with the little guys, when they can turn out guns like that. Stunning engraving, particularly when you consider that was all done by hand. No electric graving tools when that was built.

[DUNKS]

Another of my small collection of side by sides. A Belgian F. DUMOULIN  very plain side plate 12g ejector. A strong gun with perfect barrels and a lovely plain straight grained stock. This gun was custom made in the 20s for a Mr. Kowak of Kalisz " this is inscribed on the barrels"  28 inch barrels, two and a half chambers, and side clips. Barrels do show some wear to the bluing.

Dumoulin are more famous for their custom built  game rifles.

 

 

[AYA117]

I have never used Birchwood Casey blue before, but have to say it worked very well on my trigger guard.