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AYA Coral Deluxe


Old Boggy
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I have been asked by a pal whether I know anything about the above guns as he is thinking of buying one in 16 bore. This particular one has double triggers and a straight hand stock. My knowledge and experience of AYAs has only been side by sides so I am unable to help.

Perhaps the PW massive may be able to offer some advice. Someone may even own and shoot one. They are obviously based on a Merkel, but whether made by them, I’m unsure.

Many thanks for any information or advice offered.

OB

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They are based on the " Merkel "/German design . There were always rumours that the AyA was built by Merkel , that AyA bought barrelled actions from Merkel or that AyA were making them for Merkel .

Gun makers over the years have copied , modified or adapted others designs as do most other industries . Good examples are the Kemman / Perazzi ,  Browning/Miroku, Berretta /Galazan AR ,SKB/Webley and just about any sidelock and Holland and Holland . 

The Coral is not a Merkel or vice-versa ,the parts are not interchangeable as I have been told on numerous occasions .They were mostly well made but suffered for over complex single triggers and out dated design .  The gun mentioned , a double trigger should be OK .

They were always expensive new but I dont think their second hand values held up in comparison .

 I dont know for certain but I always suspected it was a gun  made with the idea that a more traditional  design would appeal the the northern and central European market. 

Edited by Gunman
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2 hours ago, Gunman said:

They are based on the " Merkel "/German design . There were always rumours that the AyA was built by Merkel , that AyA bought barrelled actions from Merkel or that AyA were making them for Merkel .

Gun makers over the years have copied , modified or adapted others designs as do most other industries . Good examples are the Kemman / Perazzi ,  Browning/Miroku, Berretta /Galazan AR ,SKB/Webley and just about any sidelock and Holland and Holland . 

The Coral is not a Merkel or vice-versa ,the parts are not interchangeable as I have been told on numerous occasions .They were mostly well made but suffered for over complex single triggers and out dated design .  The gun mentioned , a double trigger should be OK .

They were always expensive new but I dont think their second hand values held up in comparison .

 I dont know for certain but I always suspected it was a gun  made with the idea that a more traditional  design would appeal the the northern and central European market. 

Many thanks for that Gunman. It would be interesting if any PW members own one and whether they have had any problems with them.

I think that I read somewhere that the Coral was the best handling gun made by AyA, but I`m sure that was purely a marketing ploy.

OB

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21 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

Many thanks for that Gunman. It would be interesting if any PW members own one and whether they have had any problems with them.

I think that I read somewhere that the Coral was the best handling gun made by AyA, but I`m sure that was purely a marketing ploy.

OB

Having held one I think thats very much a matter of opinion . They did feel/handle like their German/Austrian counter parts which I guess comes down to dimensions and weight distribution .

 

 

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1 hour ago, Gunman said:

Having held one I think thats very much a matter of opinion . They did feel/handle like their German/Austrian counter parts which I guess comes down to dimensions and weight distribution .

 

 

That is a polite way of saying it handled like a plank!

I, too, have held one.

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2 hours ago, Gunman said:

Plank is a little harsh .Thats the description of a Perazzi .

Oh please! As far as idiotic comments go on this forum, that’s up there with the best of them! 
One of the most popular, best performing and successful shotguns of all the competitive shotguns out there, and you’re comparing it to a plank! Don’t be silly! 

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14 hours ago, Scully said:

Oh please! As far as idiotic comments go on this forum, that’s up there with the best of them! 
One of the most popular, best performing and successful shotguns of all the competitive shotguns out there, and you’re comparing it to a plank! Don’t be silly! 

I think it's the vaccine kicking in LOL

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14 minutes ago, Gunman said:

All a mater of opinion . Every Perazzi I have handled felt numb and clubby to me .I'm sure  the stock could be altered to suit but to compared to other off the self guns they do not suit me .

Virtually every o/u gun I ever handle feels that way to me, not all, but 95%. 
It’s one of the main reasons I only have SxS. Exceptions tend to be Beretta 20 bores and McNab Highlander 28 bores from the mass produced guns and  the few Mackay Browns and Boss I have handled felt alright.

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3 hours ago, London Best said:

Virtually every o/u gun I ever handle feels that way to me, not all, but 95%. 
It’s one of the main reasons I only have SxS. Exceptions tend to be Beretta 20 bores and McNab Highlander 28 bores from the mass produced guns and  the few Mackay Browns and Boss I have handled felt alright.

I do have SxSs in 16 bore which I`ve shot with for many years, but can say that I also have a McNab Highlander in 20 bore which handles really well. 

OB

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6 hours ago, Gunman said:

All a mater of opinion

I tend to prefer and shoot a medium to light s/s (28" - such as an AyA No 1) - and in consequence most o/u guns feel by comparison rather heavy, dead and lifeless (to me). 

I have only occasionally shot a Perazzi (belongs to a friend and doesn't fit me well) and it is undoubtedly heavy - the scales confirm that!  Similarly - an SO Beretta - whilst not quite as heavy on the scales - still feels (and indeed is) comparatively heavy.  Neither suit me very well, but I can understand others liking them.

By contrast, a Merkel (and therefore by inference I assume others on a similar design such as the AyA Coral) suits me better than most o/us, I think because the weight is lower than many o/u designs and is very centrally concentrated.  It therefore feels to me rather 'nimbler' - certainly more nimble that the Perazzi or Beretta SO above.

By way of contrast, my Perazzi owning friend finds my s/s guns too light and unsteady - as well as sharp in recoil (even with light loads), but my guns are significantly short for him.  He does though shoot quite reasonably with them.

As said above - all a matter of opinion - to which I would add "what you are used to and familiar with".

Very much on the plus side for me in the original post would be the double triggers and straight hand stock (both of which my Merkel has) - but again - I wopuld be in a minority (and quite a small minority) in liking those features on an o/u.

Edited by JohnfromUK
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7 hours ago, Gunman said:

All a mater of opinion . Every Perazzi I have handled felt numb and clubby to me .I'm sure  the stock could be altered to suit but to compared to other off the self guns they do not suit me .

Of course it is, and every side by side I’ve handled feels far too light, and having two triggers is simply outdated and far more awkward than it needs to be. But none of them by any stretch of the imagination can be compared to a ‘plank’, and certainly not a Perazzi, that’s just utter nonsense. It’s all down to what we’re used to and personal preference. 

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I own a Coral Deluxe, the "posh" one (cocking indicators, pistol grip, single trigger) we had bought it as a first light 12 bore for my wife, had it shortened a bit, and a comb raiser installed. Turns out she doesn't like the single trigger (she has a bit of a fat finger and sometimes double-trigger it). However I think it's a great gun, the action is bulletproof, with double top cross-braces. I shoot it very well, even in the shorter stock version. The engraving is awesome too, very pretty gun.

On thing my wife didn't like is the cocking mechanism, it's quite stiff -- not a real problem for a bloke I suppose but definitely noticeable for a shorter person.

Overall I like the gun, I think I will sell it at some point as we don't use it, but only because of that. My wife now shoots a Churchill XXV SxS for game, and a Guerinni for clays, so it no longer really has a use...

 

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