I've been an American made guy,but now I'm starting to branch out. It seems there are a ton of Zabala made guns out there, how do they fair? Are the frames appropriate for the gauge? Better made than the mass produced Turkey guns that seem to be all the rage? Any help on this topic would be great!
This one is a judgement call. For me, a “good value” is a gun that is reliable, durable, and offered at a price that doesn’t make my eyes water. There are a lot of Zabala Hermanos (ZH) made guns out there that meet that description. At the moment there are about a dozen used ZH box lock and side lock shotguns on Gun Broker in gauges from 10 to .410.
Take a look and see what you think.
Are they worth it. Usually yes but that depends on what you pay and what you want in a gun. As mentioned, they usually are fairly reliable. In Canada, you can buy a typical, no frills boxlock for around $300.00. So if you are just looking for an all weather shooter, yes they are worth it.
The main issue with ZH guns (I've owned a few and handled a bunch) is that their quality seems inconsistent. Also reliability. Some guys report lots of shells and no problems. Other guys, more problems. I recall looking at a new one (don't remember the "maker's name" on the gun--they've made guns that carry a bunch of different names) and there was a fair gap between the head of the stock and the receiver.
Were I looking Spanish and didn't want to spend more than a few hundred $, I'd either look at Ugartecheas (quite a few of them also carry some importer's names), or the V. Sarasqueta guns imported by Stoeger, back when that company was bringing in some nice stuff. Or, for that matter, an older and very basic AyA.
I bought a new 28 gauge ZH double in 1982, double trigger 26" barrels, had a coin finish receiver with some roll engraving on it. I probably shot over a hundred pen raised pheasants and chucker with it. Never had a problem and it performed well in any weather. The only thing I did not like about it was that it had a recoil pad, but then again they all did from the 10 ga. to .410.
I've been an American made guy,but now I'm starting to branch out. It seems there are a ton of Zabala made guns out there, how do they fair? Are the frames appropriate for the gauge? Better made than the mass produced Turkey guns that seem to be all the rage? Any help on this topic would be great!
Vast majority I have seen were mass-produces box lock guns. I seem to remember they made couple of SLE guns that may have had some basic hand finishing. I would rate them about the same as CZ-Huglu or DeHaan Huglu guns. Being that manufacturer is kaput I would pass myself. Old Beretta BLNEs like 409 or keeper grade Antonio Zolis would be better choice.