Thread: English & Spanish side by sides

Whilst i hear you that doesnt make them the best and it appears there are others out there with hugely respected names .Another David McKay Brown(Gunmakers) Ltd ex purdey out of Scotland
David McKay Brown (Gunmakers) Ltd Est. 1967

No-one said they were the best, although plenty of customers believe they are....the list of provincial gunmakers who are every bit as good as the best London gunmakers is almost endless. And yes, there are plenty in the north also as John Dickson originated in Edinburgh.

Been to both Holland and Holland and Purdy in London, gotta buy the name ! William Evans are nice as well but runner up! Rigby and Boss are equivalents of the first two

very beautiful guns some of these craftsman build on a smaller scale .David McKay Browns staff All four members of staff have been with the company since leaving school and have served a five year apprenticeship.impressive


Douglas Proctor - Lockmaker - 37 years service

Jim McDonald - Barrel maker - 32 years service

Robin Moir - Actioner - 27 years service

Brian Sinclair - Stocker - 22 years service

the gunmakers i always thought the best were Purdey , holland and holland and Boss , i truly didn't know these others until i started reading the opinions of others who have seen these other makers

Agree like the AYA I owned very nice and well built but an AYA! I'll post some nice photos I have!

yes,if money was no object,then mckay brown u/o 20 ga. with celtic engraving would be gun of choice. for a side by side it would be piotti in a 12 ga. however i do have a round action rizzini which was designed by Piotti,and that is a gun i can afford.these round action rizzini's are the cheapest here than anywhere else in the world.check them out.i like my beretta's but these are way more bang for buck.

Yep and that's why I don't own a gun like that, but if I had spare $100k I'd buy a H&H, Rigby,Boss, Purdy ................ double gun

best gunmakers?thats a moot point.of the old established maker's using auction prices as a guide Boss would take it out.they are the rarer gun, and the 20ga u/o commands top resale.there are a number of makers with limited production that also get great prices.the italians are generally regarded as the top nation for design of u/o, and in the side by sides Piotti is second place to no one.conneticut shotgun manufacturing co. in the usa is rated in the top 5 manufacturers worldwide,and tony galazan's sidelock u/o are fantastic value for money.with cad and cnc machines the world is a different place. even in good old england,high pheasant shooting's gun of choice is now the 30-32 inch u/0 sporter.

Yep but I'm not into modern CNC means sterile to me, I'm hand made old school, enjoy the works of art!

yes i think that has to be recognized hand made and CNC made , is AYA still hand made or are they CNC ? I cant understand a high price point of a gun heavily made by machines just because of a name . to me if you knew for example Purdey did this you would soon loose some respect for their gun making art

i don't want to disillusion you brian,but purdey do in fact have cnc machines. for a start you can get tolerances far more accurately and consistently with a machine.also they take away a lot of the tedious work.but the finishing is all by hand. it is 2014.

Yep, I look at the craftsmanship work, forget the name its not important, enjoy the hand work of a hacksaw, file and scraper, some of that work is straight art, I collected old guns as one would collect art!

they say a top shotgun u/o or s/s requires 1000 manhours to hand build it.now you do the maths. engraving? that is extra.a job by a renowned name, at least us$50,000.it's big boys only league.

i had heard they were CNCNING some of the bits , what a shame considering the hit you up for 100-200k , I wonder how many they put out the door a year .
There are those that still do it the traditional way and make best guns PEDRO ARRIZABALAGA.300 guns a year
The main parts of a shotgun are: barrels, action, locks and stock. The Chromium nickel steel barrels are of the highest quality. They are a perfect balance of elasticity and hardness.

The forged steel action, specially designed to obtain a fine material in its handcrafted process and versatile for the thermal treatment, offers a high performance.

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The walnut stock, which is selected by our expert stocker, undergoes a long and careful natural drying process.

All of the steps are carried out in the traditional ways and are entirely handcrafted. The maker is responsible for the barrels and the action. He takes care of the action forms and initial working, which calls for a long apprenticeship period and plenty of experience.

The stocker´s job is the next essential step in manufacturing a hand-made shotgun. His task is to join the stock to the action and locks. He is also responsible for all customer needs, making the hunter feel at ease with the shotgun. He works and shapes a fine piece of walnut until the beauty within its timber shows.

The engravings are entirely handmade. Although they are not significant to the performance of the shotgun, they provide beautiful embellishment. The engraver needs practice and experience to enable him to cater for all our customers’ likes and requirements.

The final ensemble should really be carried out by an expert who knows all of the intricacies and details of a luxury shotgun and is capable of assembling all of its parts to provide a perfect overall performance. In short, to be able to create a luxury handcrafted shotgun it is necessary to find a perfect harmony between all components carried out by PEDRO ARRIZABALAGA.