doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com New England Arms Corp

Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone has a catalog from the defunct NEAC? I have an Arrieta 871 with Boss engraving that was imported by them and was wondering what the original price was on my gun.

Also, what ever happened to them? From what I've seen they had some darn nice guns for sale.

Thanks so much!

Greg

The Fat Man, as he was called by many, Jim Austin I believe was his real name, was pretty big time in fine guns in the late 70's through the early nineties. Imported abunch of F. Rizzinis under his house name and some Spanish guns also.

I bought a gun or two from him way back; you kind of felt like you were doing business with a con man. But the tax people caught up with him and things came undone for New England Arms in Kittery Point, ME. Don't know if he is still living.
JR

Are you contemplating selling your Arrieta, Greg? I do have a NEA catalog dated 1997. I know your gun is a 16-ga. but, they had listed an as new pair of previously owned 12-ga. 871's with Boss-style scroll engraving, coin finished, hand-detachable locks and deluxe Circassian walnut at $9950 for the pair. They also had listed new 20 and 28-ga. 871's w/871-style engraving at $5225 each.

Thanks for the info! No, this ones a keeper, ain't going no where.

Thanks again, sure appreciate it!

Greg

I don't blame you one bit for wanting to hang on to that little beauty of your's Greg, even though one must be a half a bubble out of plumb to shoot a 16.

even though one must be a half a bubble out of plumb to shoot a 16.

Good One!!!!

Be Good!

Greg

Greg,
NEA was one hack of a place to visit,a guy named Steve was running it for a while when Austin was not around-think it was tax issues, and the place was jam packed with any kind of double you could imagine.I was there one day when Forbes-the magazine was doing an article and taking pictures of all the guns.

NEA's assets and a lot of the guns(there where tables stacked high with boxes of new Rizzini's' Arrieta's and others), where sold off by Juila's back when they were doing them in Portsmouth,you gun might have been in there.I picked a nice Ferlib at that auction imported by NEA.I think it was 1999 or around that time.

Way back in the sixties i went to Atlanta Gun Show and Jim had a table.He had a Parker 12 ga A1 special and he allowed me to handle it.Probaly only one i will ever handle! Bobby

Anyone know what the NEA special Bulino engraved guns like my 578 sold for originally and what they are worth today? If I remember correctly, they were made around 1999 or 2000 and offered in a 578 drop point version like mine or a rounded action 871.

These are stunningly beautiful guns and I would imagine worth substantially more today.

How about posting some pics of your gun and macro pics of its engraving kimbo?

Yes, please!

I'm having a hard time locating my photo file on my computer for this gun- just saw it a couple of weeks ago!

Here's a similar one that sold several years back...

http://www.ospreyarms.com/category_details.php?i=2&id=112

I've posted photos before on the SW Spanish forum and Upland journal-let me try to locate those threads.

Kim
AKA Strato-caster

here we go (from Upland Journal, Sept 2009)-

www.uplandjournal.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard312a/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=1;t=51603;hl=hey++partridge+cartridge

My gun can be seen on page 2 in the link to Gunsamerica under "Strato-caster". You can click on the photo for the entire photo gallery, open a picture and click on it to enlarge it. The story of how the gun came to be farther down the page is interesting in and of itself.

I paid 4750.00 on Oct. 10' 1994. Not sure of engraving; probably standard. Steve was the salesman. I was completely satisfied with the transaction. Stock was shortened and butt recheckered by NEA. Was subpoenaed by US District Court for records of sale in Oct. of '95. Still have the gun . Will be shooting preserve quail tomorrow. Highly recommend RST 16 ga 3/4 oz loads.

Thanks for providing the links kimbo. You have a very attractive gun there -- despite it being a 16.

Jimmy Austin is still alive and well as of about 7 months ago. I generally call him about once a year. He has been staying in Florida where he has a house, and was doing realestate deals with his wife.

He did tell me that he had either sold his house or was going to and moving back to Maine.

John Boyd
Quality Arms
Houston, TX

Why ask what you know about showoff, Lol.

Because I like to showoff as you said. Just another stupid question as you jolly well know.

Be Good!

Greg

Steve McCartney was the fellow running the show in Mr. Austin's absence.

Thats his name,thanks, could not think of his last name.Quite a character and lots of funny stories. I saw him several years ago at a auction in Manchester,think he said he was doing real estate in Boston.

Yeah - I think he's Paul's bigger brother.

Hahaha

It's McCarthy. Stephen McCarthy.

OWD

Jim Austin and I go back to the mid-70's, when we were both grad students at Northern Iowa, me in French, Jim in English. Believe he was teaching English at Coe College in Cedar Rapids at the time. Hunted grouse and quail with him one day. Started in NE Iowa, moved a few grouse, didn't kill any. Jim was using a Remington 12ga of some sort, me my first classic sxs, a pre-war Sauer 16. We then chased some quail down around Cedar Rapids, and for that occasion, Jim dug out a Diana Grade Superposed 28ga. I was suitably impressed. Back then, he was living in the 2nd floor apartment of a big, old house in Cedar Rapids with an arthritic shorthair and a serious collection of Lugers.

Fast forward 20+ years, I visited NE Arms while on vacation with the wife in New England. That was when Jim was a guest of Uncle Sam and McCarthy was running the place. I mentioned to McCarthy that I knew Jim from long ago in Iowa. "Would you like to talk to him?" he asked me. Trying to be very diplomatic, I said: "I understood that Jim isn't . . . here, just now." "Oh no," says McCarthy, "but he calls in every day about this time." And a few minutes later, sure enough, he did--and we talked.

They were importing FAIR OU's when they went out of business. Cabela's bought up most of those, as well as several SIACE hammerguns. Quite a bit of the really high dollar stuff ended up at a place called Dewing's in FL, which eventually went out of business as well.

NE Arms was quite a place. Just the property, on the water in Kittery Point, had to be worth a bundle.

That Kittery Point property was stunning. Steve was a bit reserved with me at first, but after we started talking about guns a bit he warmed up quickly. I was still in the big learning curve you start out at in fine guns and he was most helpful. I learned a lot on that day. It's a darn shame that store isn't still around, but I do have a Arrieta because of him.

I first met Jim in 72 or 73 when he was substitute teaching at the high school in my town. We hit it off real well and I even lived in his one room apartment for awhile when I was separated from my wife.He offered me a job working for him at the same time I was hired at Deere's. He said that I knew a lot about doubles and he could teach me the rest. Given his knowledge I took that as a compliment.In retrospect I'm glad I went to Deere's but it would have been fun working for Jim.I'll never forget doing the Rochester,Minnesota gunshow with him and he had a CHE 24" 28 guage in the original A&F case that he sold to Bill Sisney and a bunch of other high end stuff. Some guy came over to Jim and said that he needed money to pay on his Lincoln and would Jim please buy his Midas grade Broadway trap gun. Jim did just that,for 1500,and put it on his table.I have a lot of Jim stories and I was sorry to hear he screwed up. My wife absolutely hated him as he was pulling me over to the "dark" side.

The first time I went out to that beautiful cherry paneled old barn on Kittery Point was when my Wife and I were touring New England in May 1985. Jim liberated some of my money, and I liberated a great little Ithaca NID No. 2, 28-gauge. I remember stopping by there another time we were in the area, and the only person there was David Trevellion. All I bought that ime was some 2 1/2 inch English shells. Last time I was there was September 1991, and I got a No. 30 Expert Grade Tobin 16-gauge, and have always wished I'd have had enough money to get the heavy 32-inch barrel straight gripped Tobin Pigeon Gun that was also there. Have never seen another Tobin like it. Dangerous place for me to visit!!

I think Jim had a real gift for telling stories about his life and family.I still laugh when I remember of him telling me of his arrest for assault and his grandmother's reaction.

Anyone want to venture a guess as to how much a gun like mine might be presently worth?

A standard Arrieta 578 currently lists for around $7200-$7400 last time I checked and word has it that the prices of Basque doubles are expected to jump substantially once again...

I wonder what the addition of bulino engraving would cost in the current market. Any idea?