I'm a big AYA fan, and Spanish guns in general so was delighted after looking for a long time managed to pick up a 722 in mint condition

32 minutes ago, button said:

I'm a big AYA fan, and Spanish guns in general so was delighted after looking for a long time managed to pick up a 722 in mint condition

Like the wood and Silvers pad

6 minutes ago, Penelope said:

Like the wood and Silvers pad

?it looks even better in the flesh

On 02/02/2025 at 18:24, ditchman said:

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.....

My first shotgun too was a cosmos bought it secondhand of a shooting friend whi had just bought an AYA number 2.The cosmos taught me well but it didn't half kick with baikal and record cartridges.

43 minutes ago, wisdom said:

My first shotgun too was a cosmos bought it secondhand of a shooting friend whi had just bought an AYA number 2.The cosmos taught me well but it didn't half kick with baikal and record cartridges.

it did kick....i always used heavy load Eley cartrides....luckerly (if i remember rightly) it had a recoil pad on it....

i shot a cock pheasant in our paddock that lifted off at my feet....and pulled the trigger on it at about 5yds.............when i came to gut it 3 days later i found no guts...all the breastmeat and other meat was untouched....the shot had gone straight up the bottom and pushed everything out the crop in a liquidised mist 

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

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

Just for you!

Edited February 5Feb 5 by enfieldspares

Just now, enfieldspares said:

Just for you!

 

the thing that i didnt like with my 12 was every time you fired it the hand grip under the barrell would lift away from the barrel andthen snap back into postion...as it was only held in position with a snap on spring not a catch

5 minutes ago, ditchman said:

the thing that i didnt like with my 12 was every time you fired it the hand grip under the barrell would lift away from the barrel andthen snap back into postion...as it was only held in position with a snap on spring not a catch

I resemble that remark! Not with my Cosmos 16 but with similar systems on American single barrel guns. I've a queer bee in my bonnet that I've never liked side by side guns with anything other than an Anson rod to keep the forend in place be they Deeley & Edge or Hackett snap systems. Hate 'em! So much that when I inherited my father's Henry Clarke I had the forend altered in the trade in Birmingham from Deeley & Edge to an Anson rod.

Edited February 6Feb 6 by enfieldspares

1 minute ago, enfieldspares said:

I resemble that remark! Not with my Cosmos but with similar systems on American single barrel guns. I've a queer bee in my bonnet that I've never liked side by side guns with anything other than an Anson rod to keep the forend in place be they Deeley & Edge or Hackett snap systems. Hate 'em! So much that when I inherited my father's Henry Clarke I had the forend altered in the trade in Birmingham from Deeley & Edge to an Anson rod.

i ended wrapping duck tape around mine......

3 hours ago, enfieldspares said:

I resemble that remark! Not with my Cosmos 16 but with similar systems on American single barrel guns. I've a queer bee in my bonnet that I've never liked side by side guns with anything other than an Anson rod to keep the forend in place be they Deeley & Edge or Hackett snap systems. Hate 'em! So much that when I inherited my father's Henry Clarke I had the forend altered in the trade in Birmingham from Deeley & Edge to an Anson rod.

I think that my Cooey .410 had a spring clip to hold the fore-end on and after a while became a bit loose.

OB

4 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

I think that my Cooey .410 had a spring clip to hold the fore-end on and after a while became a bit loose.

OB

My Cooey, (my Dad's) was a proper poachers gun. It completely disassembled itself and ejected the spent cartridge after every shot, if it managed to go off at all.