AYA Guns. Any collectors out there?

[Pippin pup]

After a nice AYA 20 bore side by side came into my possession many years ago I’ve always an interest in AYA guns. When ever I see one for sale it always catches my eye.

They always seem well made and usually ultra reliable.

When I first started shooting my first gun was a Yeoman 12 bore. Built like a tank and did many years of service until it got damaged behind the tractor seat!!

I now possess a couple and am looking for a third. Just love them in the smaller gauges.

Any other collectors or AYA fans out there?

ATB PP

 

[enfieldspares]

I used to turn my nose up at them in younger and foolish days. But then the Webley 700 was considered "a cut above" as it was an "English" gun and Spanish guns were looked down upon. Daft as the AYA has a replaceable cross pin, chopper lump barrels, removable striker discs and arguably better spindle work on the top lever. The Webley 700 has none of these.

Nowadays I presently have in my cabinet in 12 bore these 1) a factory long stock No 4 with 28" barrels in 12 bore, 2) a standard length stock No 4 with factory made 27" barrels, 3) A (later) extended stock 28" barrel Yeoman Ejector that personally I consider a better gun than a No4 as it is simpler.

In 16 bore I have a standard length but with semi-pistol grip No4 in 16 bore (listed here for sale on P/W and was ditto on Guntrader) and a (later) extended stock 28" barrel No4 in .410". The only AYA that I still don't like is the No2. I think that the Arrietta Viscount is a more elegant looking gun and my "best" Spanish gun is an Armas Parkremy using a Holland and Holland easy-opening system sidelock ejector in 12 bore sold under the Somerton Guns name.

I do very much like a Yeoman Ejector! And that 16 bore No4 is up for sale still...

Edited Sunday at 18:28 by enfieldspares

[ditchman]

Always had AYA's apart from a couple of english sidelocks i had.....

found the older AYA's were better quality ....they were finished off nicely and the internals as well.......i had a "best quality) aya sidelock and it was in spanking condition and it was decades old.....beautifully made and finished...and the ejectors were awesome (used to chuck the cases 15'......just right for paper cases

myfirst aya was a Cosmos.....bloody long barrell and obsenely tight choke.....(the ejector was poor)...proberly because i used paper cased cartridges......i was young and as long as the gun was longer ...tighter...and bigger......i was happy....i soon learnt the opposite was the correct way

the only fault i have ever had was the brittleness of the firing pins....so any aya i bought ..it was straight down to Frank (ex Darlow) who spun up and tempered a decent set.....

[enfieldspares]

1 minute ago, ditchman said:

Cosmos

Oh and yes I've presently a 16 bore Cosmos too!

[ditchman]

Just now, enfieldspares said:

Oh and yes I've presently a 16 bore Cosmos too!

interesting...didnt know they made them in 16......

[enfieldspares]

8 minutes ago, ditchman said:

interesting...didnt know they made them in 16......

12, 16, 20 and .410" in fact, alas not however in 28 bore.

[BobbyH]

I have a Yeoman, and I love it! I have so many spares for it just incase it breaks.

And I’m tempted to buy another, because why not 

[Miserableolgit]

I am now regretting trading in the early 20b AYA sidelock that originally belonged to Lady Fisher at Kilverstone that I bought for my son when he was getting more into shooting. The stock had been shortened so was ideal for him when he was still a squit. After a bit he wanted to get a Browning O/U so I had the AYA off him and kept it for some years. I got the itch for a steel proof O/U last year so traded the AYA for a Beretta but wish I'd not traded and bought the ting outright now.
I had a No2 Sidelock that I bought fro Elderkins over 30 years ago but it didn't really do it for me, unlike the XXV sidelock which I really liked. Wouldn't mind  another if I could find one locally.

[Scully]

There was two on our rough shoot yesterday. 

[JohnfromUK]

I have (and have posted on another thread (S/S club on page 5) here pictures of my AyA Senior. 

This was the model made in very small numbers from around 1979 to 1986 that was above the No 1.  Around 40 were made in total, all except one (16 bore) in 12 bore, and some in 'sets', the largest numbered set being of 6 guns.  Unlike the other AyA sidelocks which are Holland and Holland 'clones', the Senior (also sometimes known as the Premier) was a clone of the Purdey (Beesley) action.

Edited Sunday at 19:22 by JohnfromUK

[marsh man]

I think just about every older members and quite a few younger ones as well have had a A Y A at some time in there shooting lives , I had one for a while and my brother had one when he was at the peak of his Pigeon shooting time , he had a Yeoman and as they were fairly simple to work on he done any of the minor repairs himself , at a rough estimate he would get through 5/6 k cartridges a year , he bored both chokes out , replaced the firing bins now and again and put a top lever spring in , apart from that they were virtually bullet proof .  MM

[enfieldspares]

I used my Yeoman Ejector just this last Thursday go on the layout at Normanton Shooting Ground. I used (as it has a 28 gram limit rule) Fiocchi TT1 fibre wad #7 1/2. 

[TOPGUN749]

I can remember the Yeoman being £38 in a catalogue,(1972) about the same time as a Webley box lock was £270.  Yeoman 3 weeks wages for many people,and the Webley 5 months wages! Equivalent to £10,000 now!!

Edited Sunday at 21:15 by TOPGUN749

[BobbyH]

1 hour ago, enfieldspares said:

I used my Yeoman Ejector just this last Thursday go on the layout at Normanton Shooting Ground. I used (as it has a 28 gram limit rule) Fiocchi TT1 fibre wad #7 1/2. 

I used some 28’s in my Yeoman non ejector, and it rattled me teeth about….

Max I can do comfertable are Fiocchi Litespeed 26gram #8.

How did the TT1’s fare up?

[enfieldspares]

I like the TT1 and think them a better cartridge than they Eley fibre wad equivalent the Eley Select or Eley First (as was). I tried the Hull Cartridge Superfast 27 gram "fast" cartridge (plastic wad) and found it "punchy" and not pleasant. On my guns the stocks all fit me. It may be you need to add length to your stock? Or that the TT1 you were using were plastic wadded?

[Houseplant]

My dad had a No. 4 and I had Yeoman O&U, both 12G. Looking back, nice guns, especially the No. 4. Unfortunately, the recoil of the 12G was too much for me as a young teenager, so I think it got traded for a Gunmark Kestrel in 20G. 

Edited Monday at 03:33 by Houseplant

[JohnfromUK]

7 hours ago, BobbyH said:

How did the TT1’s fare up?

My personal preference for a clays (friendly fun rather than serious competition) in my light s/s guns is Hull CompX.

I have tried the Fiocchi TTi and had persistent misfires in 3 different guns.  My guns are all fine with other brands.

[oldypigeonpopper]

10 hours ago, TOPGUN749 said:

I can remember the Yeoman being £38 in a catalogue,(1972) about the same time as a Webley box lock was £270.  Yeoman 3 weeks wages for many people,and the Webley 5 months wages! Equivalent to £10,000 now!!

Hello, That is what i paid for my Yeoman, £38 

[royden]

My first ever double was an AYA no 4 that i bought sometime  in the early seventies from Coleys of Cheltenham i think. It cost me £284 and was delivered to my grandads house as there was no one at home during the day. After about a week he called to tell me that a package with my name on it had been chucked into the passage way at the side of his house and he only realized it was there when he went to the loo. A lovely gun that i had for many years. My girlfriend ( now wife ) used to collect my Eley Impax cartridges from the local ironmongers during her dinner break from the Coal Board Offices. Neither possessed the plain white card that was a shotgun certificate...How times have changed.

[London Best]

1 hour ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, That is what i paid for my Yeoman, £38 

The Yeoman was introduced as a cheaper model when AyA’s cheapest entry level gun, the No.3, was beginning to get a bit pricy at £43 in the U.K. due to inflation!

I have no idea when the Yeoman OU was introduced. My son in law has one of those.

Edited Monday at 08:57 by London Best

[Huntly]

I have had a couple of AyA shotguns and couldn't fault them at all, I still have a 16 bore no.4 but also had a no.4 12 bore which I regrettably gave away on here when I needed cabinet space. The other AyA which I possessed too briefly was a Yeomon sxs ejecter, which some people keep telling me doesn't exist, however it did and still does as I gifted it to a good friend. 

[Penelope]

My first gun was a brand new AYA No.4 20bore, my second was a 12 bore No.4 that was my dads. I now have a 10 bore Matador.

[dessyb]

i still have a 410 aya cosmos in cabinet its got a stunning walnut stock on it others would be proud of

[Old Boggy]

On 02/02/2025 at 18:28, ditchman said:

interesting...didnt know they made them in 16......

I`ve had a 16 bore AYA cosmos. Gave it to a lad just starting out in shooting. I think that he`s still got it but went onto buy something better once he was convinced that shooting was for him.

I also had a 16 bore Coral de-luxe (photo attached) but at around 7 lbs, found it a tad too heavy for me. Based on a Merkel I think, but very nice gun nevertheless.

Had and sold to a PW member a 16 bore AYA model 400 (photo attached). These I understand were made for the home market as a pre-cursor to the models 3 & 4. They were only different from the 3 & 4 with shoulders to the action as can be seen. The 400 was a non-ejector, similar to the model 3 whilst the 400E was an ejector as the model 4. My 400 had disc set strikers. Not sure whether the No.3 has these. Perhaps someone could enlighten me.

Often you a see 400/400E advertised on Guntrader as a model 4, but me being a complete pedant like to correct the seller as I think that the 400 range are slightly better/different and should sell more easily. They have on occasion corrected their adverts but whether it made any difference to the sale, I`m not sure. They must have been a bit more expensive to make I would have thought.

OB

Edited yesterday at 03:42 by Old Boggy

[db135]

I managed to buy a virtually mint AYA yoaman ejector around 4 years ago from a local gun shop sure it was £300! And for its condition I thought it was worth every penny. My go to gun on beaters day and roost shooting.