I am looking for feedback on a quality side by side that will not break the bank. Not interested in one made in Japan (not quality issue, just personal). The beretta silver hawk is nice but too expensive; the weatherby sxs looks nice but have not seen one to handle; quality used is fine; the ruger may be nice if they ever hit the shelves but not really what I am looking for; your suggestions would be appreciated;
257Bob: I keep looking at a used AYA Model XXV hand detachable side lock gun that is for sale loaclly for about $2500.00 (Can). The price new is probably double or more now. This is one of the good Spanish doubles made to replicate the Churchill 25" barreled gun. A friend who bought one each of the side lock and the box lock models while he was waiting for Churchill to make him a bespoken gun had nothing but good to say about the AYA's. The Churchill's on the other hand gave him problems with barrels that swelled and had to be returned for rebarreling. The Churchills cost about 4 times what the AYA's did and he regretted selling the AYA's when the Churchill arrived.
In used you can't go wrong by chasing down an Ansley Fox or Fox Sterlingworth in good condition. There is some collector interest in these so prices will reflect that but a good one is worth the coin. There is a site which has a sales listing specifically for Foxes (try www.GunsAmerica.com) .
You didn't quite give enough information on how big a bank you're trying not to break to add much else. Luck.
As friend stocker said most all of the better Spaniards are pretty good guns. You didn't say how deep your pockets are, <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> nor is it any of my business.
For good quality american made sxs shotguns you are going to have to look for used.
Look for the L C Smith and if you find one of the Hunter arms ones it shouldn't set you back too much.
LeFevers are always nice, as are the older Fox Sterlingworths.
An overlooked one may be the Winchester 24 which was Winchester's attempt to build a competitive SxS instead of their top of the line M21.
257Bob: With the budget you specify you should be able to come up with something very decent. A friend just brought me a Sterlingworth 16 ga. for stock refinishing that he picked up for 325.00. Action is still very tight and stock and metal finish just needs a little TLC. He also just picked up an earlier !2 gauge Sterlingworth in better shape than the 16 for a bit less than 650.00. I will probably restock it for him as the butt had been cut quite short. He'll probably end up well below your budget figure at that as we are likely to do some trading of goods for services in the end as he likes to do metal work on rifles.
Boggy also mentioned some other options that will fall into your budget although the Win. Model 24 tends to be a heavy gun and somehow I sense you are perhaps looking for an upland gun but that could be wrong.
thanks for the note. I looked at a number of LCs online at the cabelas gunroom and they are nice. a used beretta silver hawk would do the trick. looking for something that will increase in value over time. will use for quail.
257Bob: I would be surprised if the Beretta you mentioned will appreciate over time. A well maintained Ansley Fox, L.C. Smith, old Ithaca, or Parker should appreciate provided it's not (or hasn't been) abused.
My preference for the Ansley Fox or Sterlingworth model is because I have seen relatively few that have loosened over the years, stocks usually stand up and are much easier to replace than a stock on an L.C. Smith. I have seen a host of Parkers so loose they would rattle, on the other hand, and need expensive reworking to cure. Still, a tight Parker is a sweet gun if you can find one at the right price.
If you examine any Foxes, look for a top lever that is still right of center, examine the hinge and mating areas for any serious galling caused by poor reassembly and lack of grease for lubrication. Firing pin holes in the breech face should be relatively close to still being round holes. Check usual other criteria such as barrel pitting, barrel dents (repairable) barrel bulges from obstructions etc., any sign of looseness of top and bottom ribs usually occuring when someone has tried to hot blue a double gun and the caustic has eaten away the solder. best
thanks to all, today, bought a beretta sbs 470 20 ga, nib for $1999. must say though, I really like the skb sbs also. beretta was a better deal and really wanted a sliverhawk.
interchangable. they had a 12 ga for the same price but it was fixed, ic and mod if I am not mistaken. bought the 20 due to light weight of both models (thinking recoil here) as well as the int. chokes on the 20. I am going to let is stew in the safe for awhile before I shoot it to make sure I really like it better than the 28 ga skb that keeps staring me down. they are both functional. I think I will get used to the english stock but will add a recoil pad for length and shooting comfort. I have a beretta o/u, two japan made model 12s, a beretta 303 20 ga and a beater pump 12 ga. I still think the beretta is the best autoloader ever made. too much focus these days for one gun to shoot all loads. that's what ruined the model 1100, the big, heavy 1187. still, the 303 is simpler and smoother. I can not tell you how many 303s I have seen in gun clubs as rentals, filthy, but still cycle shells like new.
I own a couple of them. Since you are not interested in the Japs, may I suggest you take a hard look at a second hand German, Austrian, Italian, Spanish, and lately some Turkish models. Many of those can compete with some of the British SxS for a lot less money. I can think of Beretta, AYA, Sauer, various guns made in Suhl small gunshops, Merkel, Franz Sodia etc. little jewels for the taking. Here in Alberta they go for 400-900 Canuck bucks. I bought a gorgeous mint Beretta SxS for 450.- because the owner dumped it due to its fixed chokes. The old ones are every bit as nice as the Silver Hawk, for 10% of the price. You can easily separate the better European ones from the klunkers. The Turkish SxS on the market now I believe is marketed by Charles Daly and is worth about $800.- My hunting partner was impressed by the fine finish, also it has interchangeable chokes. There are great bargains to be had. Specially since most of the older ones have fixed chokes. The chokes are easily altered by a good gunsmith if you want to. Attached is my Sauer SxS picked up for a song, with a nice discreet bag of pheasants.
