. Cat.logo_AYA(1-15).fh8 - AYA, Aguirre y Aranzabal

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A fondness for AYA by Michael McIntosh W hen I was a young man I lusted, among other things, for a Matador model gun by Aguirre y Aranzabal. It was a handsome piece, perhaps not quite as lissome as a London-style sidelock (or as some of the other things I was lusting after at the time), but it was well-made and well-finished—and it was a sideby-side, a form that fascinated me beyond words. I eventually owned one and liked it immensely. But that was in the days when I was determined to own at least one specimen of every gun ever built, operating on a budget that demanded the frequent exchange of hardware and minimal amounts of cash, so it finally went away in trade for something else. Even so, the memory of a good Spanish gun remained. In the early 1990s, after Terry Wieland let the rest of us know how good Spanish guns really were, I had Aguirre y Aranzabal build a gun to my specifications, a Nº 2 sidelock ejector made in the image of an English gun I owned at the time. As my reasoning went, the AYA would serve as a traveling version of the London gun that I could in no way afford to replace. Now, almost fifteen years later, there aren’t many London guns you could offer to trade even-up that would tempt me to part with my AYA Nº 2. – 5 – Spanish Treasure It has accompanied me on at least 14 shooting trips to Europe, five or six to South America, traveled with me from Alaska to Mexico, and from Minnesota to the pinewoods of the South, and has digested about 80,000 cartridges. All with a single hiccup: A striker broke while I was shooting doves in Argentina. A striker can break in any gun. I had a new one made along with a set of spares, just in case. Now I don’t have a clue where the spare ones are, because I see no indication that I’ll ever need them. What I do see, and feel, each time I pick up my AYA is the most faithful, reliable, and by now familiar gun I’ve ever owned. I’d know it blindfolded or in the dark. It is an extension of my hands and my will to shoot—not to mention that sweet old yearning to own an AYA, which in the end proved to be one of the few young lusts that could truly stand the test of time. ✦ Michael McIntosh
The Land of AYA
Page 2 and 3: “ From beginning to end …” A
Page 4 and 5: Spanish Treasure by Terry Wieland S
Page 8 and 9: The Basque Country And the Ancient
Page 10 and 11: The first half of the 20th century
Page 12 and 13: were the trade’s major customers.
Page 14 and 15: As the rest of the Basque firearms
Page 16: This partnership with its importers
Page 19 and 20: Model Nº 4/53 T he Nº 4 has been
Page 21 and 22: Model Nº 4 “de Luxe” T he Nº
Page 23 and 24: Model XXV / BL O ne of the most fam
Page 25 and 26: Model Nº 2 & Nº 2 Round Action T
Page 27 and 28: Model XXV / SL O ne of the most fam
Page 29 and 30: Model Nº 53 T he Nº 53 (also know
Page 31 and 32: Model Nº 1 & Nº 1 Round Action T
Page 33 and 34: Model Nº 1 - “de Luxe” T he N
Page 35 and 36: Model Nº 56 T he Model Nº 56 was
Page 37 and 38: Model “Imperial” T he “Imperi
Page 39 and 40: Model Nº 37 T he Model Nº 37 is t
Page 41 and 42: Model Augusta T he Augusta is a “
Page 43 and 44: Special Shotguns The following page
Page 45 and 46: - 44 -
Page 47 and 48: Picture courtesy of The Shooting Ga
Page 49 and 50: Making an AYA E very AYA is made by
Page 51 and 52: Why an AYA? S ixty years ago, in th
Page 53 and 54: Wood T he quality of a gun stock ma
Page 55 and 56: Optional extras A ll AYA shotguns c
Page 57 and 58:
Serial numbers and historical data
Page 59 and 60:
Gun Cases S uch special shotguns de
Page 61 and 62:
Accessories T hese are a few of the
Page 63 and 64:
Gun and rifle slings - 62 - Belt Kn
Page 65:
AYA, Aguirre y Aranzabal Gun Makers
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. Cat.logo_AYA(1-15).fh8 - AYA, Aguirre y Aranzabal

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