doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Spanish Best? Eusebio Arizaga from Placencia?

I sat here and read all this and thought exactly the same thing eightbore has posted above, even started to post my thoughts and decided to wait. I even read again the comments O'Conner wrote. I think eightbore has nailed this!! All the Arizaga guns I have handled, and there have been several, were decent little guns, but a loooong way from being a Spanish Best. The similarity in the two names MUST be confusing you guys, the two quality levels are North and South poles apart.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/conten...erarchyId=11653

This one doesn't look too bad. But I looked at one (Arizzabalaga)
that was down right scary. Not all were "best".

Ken, your experience matches mine. Point one, the Arizaga is never a best gun or even acceptable. Point two, (Ken's point) not all Arizabalaga guns are Best Guns, regardless of the advertising and hype to the contrary.

Hey all, very good discussion here, to be honest I have not held an E. Arazaga, just did some research on them. I have handled a few Gasper Arazga's and find some of them lacking in the quality department, but not all were a terrible piece of junk. From what I learned about E. Arazaga they were a good maker.

As we all know, spanish guns run from terrible to great. Even top makers do put out clinkers. The great english gunmaker W.W. Greener made some bad guns - he is even quoted as saying of one of his export guns "I will only guarantee that it will fire once."

The spanish have had a reputation for bad guns in the past (as the Turks do now), and I think that this reputation will influence some people for years to come. The spanish guns I have, have given excellent service with zero problems. I always get a chuckle out of how some folks extoll the virtues of a Stoger Uplander as if it were a Purdey best gun, yet these same folks turn up their nose if you mention Zabala or any other spanish maker and declare them junk.

For me I like spanish guns and will continue to use and buy them. This is just my opinion, take it or leave it - to each his own.

As I said good discussion.

Take care!

Greg

I did not confuse the two names. I admit that I have no experience with either maker's guns but have read about them.
Aragaza commenced business in the early 1900s. I cannot think that any maker would have made it as long as he did if he built junk.
It is my understanding that he was a bespoke maker.
Could it be that the bad ones were produced by his successor at DIARM?
Best,
John

"I cannot think that any maker would have made it as long as he did if he built junk". Quote from John Mann.

I agree 100%!!

All the best!

Greg

I don't see that anyone said they were "junk." You all must remember that such major Spanish names as AyA and Victor Sarasqueta also made some VERY low end guns. They were heavy, call them sturdy if you will, and put together quickly for a price market, but they worked (if they had two triggers) and they held up for a long time. You see them around still for sale today in the $300 to $600 range, depending on condition. I would say the E. Arizaga guns were a cut above the Gaspar Arizaga guns, and a cut above the very low end AyA and VS guns, not junk, just a long way from being Best. No doubt a sidelock version of the E. Arizaga line would be better than their really low end boxlocks, but not currently in the $2,800 range, IMO.

Hi Chief, your right, no here called them junk, that was just a general statement how some people (none on this discussion) have called spanish guns in general. I don't have to tell you about how some folks feel about spanish guns - you know.

Sorry for any confusion!!

All the best!

Greg

There is a book of European makers, rendered in English, which was remaindered off in this country. It has a good many citations of makers never rendered to print on this BBS. I sold my copy in one of my periodic purges of goods. However, I can prolly locate the present owner.

In that volume an "Arizaga" -- not mistaking the name for the rolling Basque lisps of pronouncing Arrizabalaga, was cited as a very high maker of bespoke custom shotguns. I'll see if I can locate the citation for further edification of the assembled, but no promise on that.

I do not know if that Arizaga is either one of the two currently under discussion. I do know that I have handled some fairly low-end, crude-ish, apprentice level Arizagas, hence that book's information surprised me back then. I do remember a Sarasqueta boxlock or two that in no way resembled even the mid-line Stoeger grade six sidelocks, as an illustration of possible quality disparities within a maker. At the time I did not really comprehend the difference in initials that signified a totally different maker, and so did not remember the initials.

The old Ohio Gun Collectors shows had a plenitude of little known Spaniards on the tables, prior to the knowledge boom of the past decade. Would that the eyes of current knowledge could survey those rows, now. While we may believe that we know 'bout iv'rytink, komraden, it should not be a surprise if the European gunmaking community holds surprises as yet unknown.

As for 'buy or not buy', it's possible that a detailed set of very clear closeups and general photos would be useful to someone pontificating from behind a keyboard, but in general there's no way i could comment without handling the gun, and doing some discrete internal peeking. ;~`)

I would trust that you find a happy relationship with SxS that flutters y'r heart, and I'd personally have few qualms about a Basque gal from a proper family.

The is no such thing as a Best Gun from Spain. Arizabalagas are guns that are built to a high standard indeed to resemble Best Guns. They are fine guns only, and I would be proud to own one but I would not delude myself.