Home
Posted By: HawkCreek Zabala 10 gauge gunsmith? - 03/04/20

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Not the best picture, sorry.

I've got this American Arms (Zabala) 10 gauge SxS and it needs a little work. Can anyone recommend a good gunsmith that might be up to the task? Parts aren't common for these so depending on what she needs parts might have to be made from scratch.
It locks up great but sometimes has a hiccup opening all the way. Theres a pin not seated properly. And one of the firing pin retainers is not sitting flush or plumb. Not sure what else might need attention.
I've also got a second set of barrels that fit but not quite perfect. I'd like those to fit up better and then probably chopped down to 19 inches.
Best of luck!! This will be a tough one and probably not worth the cost..
You could try Pat Laib in Spicer, MN. He works on a number of different brands. Unfortunately, your gun isn't very well supported so it could be relatively expensive to fix.

Ahlman's is a possibility but I tried to get them to repair an Italian made shotgun imported by American Arms and they would not even look at it. Seemed they have had too many problems with guns imported by that company and no longer wanted to be bothered. This is a Zabala made gun which is probably of better quality than mine so you might be lucky. In any event, Ahlman's is kind of expensive with longish wait times- at least when I've used them.
Posted By: Mesa Re: Zabala 10 gauge gunsmith? - 03/10/20
Ask over on the website www.doublegunshop.com/BBS (or maybe bbs). There are some Spanish gun fanciers over there that will know if anyone does. Zabalas run all the way from crummy to first-class, but I've never seen a 10 that was better than OK.

Parts might be difficult to find, but keep in mind that they were about the only 10 an ordinary citizen could afford for many decades of the 20th, so there must be some that have been parted out (maybe the ones that fell overboard or lost their barrels overboard when cold fingers failed to grip....).

Good luck; I'd love to hear that your old cannon came back to life!
© 24hourcampfire