Originally Posted By: L. Brown
I thought the topic was Spanish guns, Ted . . . but we're also talking about the W&S 700, which ain't Spanish. Which seems to broaden the topic somewhat. But then you seem to want to limit it to Uggies. Which way would you like to go?

[/color]We were talking boxlocks, Larry. A Darne really isn't a boxlock. I shouldn't have to tell anyone that.[color:#FF0000]


I don't hang around those auction sites much, Ted. Maybe you don't either. But neither of those guns has actually SOLD for the opening bid. And they carry additional costs of $35-40. So depending on what happens, they're quite likely to go for closer to $800 than they are to the $400 you paid for yours.

[/color]One is in MN, Larry. For what it is worth, it has been there a long time. If I was really interested, I'd see if he was willing to come down a few bucks for a face to face, and not have the shipping costs. I thought I said that already.[color:#FF0000]

Good choice to have strikers made by Cole Haugh. Much better than Joe the local lathe man. You recall turn-around time on getting them?

[/color]Cole Haugh did a bunch of work to the gun for me, and I specifically told him I was in no hurry. Might not be fair to mention he had it for a little while, maybe three months or so. I made new strikers for the Tobin, however, and it was simple. So, I guess somedays I'm Joe the lathe man, and it has worked out OK, so far. The two year striker project was on a 700, that has an integral striker/tumbler. It is a bit more complex than two little firing pins. I thought I said that already.[color:#FF0000]

I have no wish to become one of the world's leading Spanish gun experts, Ted. But you seem to be defending Kyrie's depth of knowledge and assessments of Spanish doubles . . . when what he posted in the way of used bargains consisted mostly of a small flock of turkeys. Under a blanket definition of "VG to new". Yikes. And we're still looking for solid evidence on those pre-WWI guns. And on 7-pin Arrieta 578's, from some guys who seem to know those guns pretty well.

[/color]I've got no dog in that fight, Larry. Like I said, the only Spanish stuff I care about is entry level Uggie boxlocks. Kyrie was the one who explained the tax that caused Spanish doubles to end up here, all over the auction sites a few years past. If you guys want to argue about how many pins a lock has, feel free. But, don't expect me to sit here waiting with baited breath like some guys do, waiting for him to make a mistake, when I only follow what are generalities of the gun trade from Spain, that mostly concern Uggies. Kyrie has been spot on on a lot of the things that I was interested in. Now, if I could just get him to find me a 16 gauge Uggie, with 28" barrels, for the same price as I paid for my 12.[color:#FF0000]

But if I wanted a solid beater for not a lot of money, I'd consider an Uggie 30 too. Wouldn't consider a W&S 700. Too much money. However, if I wanted to hunt pheasants or prairie grouse, walking long distances, I'd likely vote for the lighter Brit gun. I've owned a couple 700's in the 6 1/4# range (28" barrels), good triggers, no function problems--other than the fact I did not shoot them all that well. I think most Uggies with the same specifications will likely weigh half a pound more on average.

[/color]Like I said, Larry, my Uggie is 6 lbs, 7ozs or so. It isn't heavy, Keith's is even lighter, but, has 26" barrels. I have a bunch of old ammunition that I inherited, and most is high brass stuff my Dad bought years ago. The only good thing about it, is, it was free, and I will stoke the Uggie with it. I keep the gun to do things I wouldn't regularly do to my better guns, although that Darne has seen some high brass Federal 1 1/4oz pheasant loads in the years I've had it, as has the Silver Snipe. I'd just as soon not feed those loads to the real light 12s, however.[color:#FF0000]


Best,
Ted