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Oxford Gun Company: An AYA No.2 12 bore with 28" barrels
Call Doug in the gun room to enquire (01844 238308) about this fabulous value-for-money side-by-side.

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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From what I have read and going by a mate who owns one of their SXS, AYA make an excellent gun for the price.

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I think $800 for the Azhur was an excellent price. An AYA if one could be found was two or three times that. I'm guessing a lot more now. I remember in Brit magazines in Pounds Stirling, several thousand. A small percentage of a Holland & Holland.

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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From what I have read and going by a mate who owns one of their SXS, AYA make an excellent gun for the price.

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I think $800 for the Azhur was an excellent price. An AYA if one could be found was two or three times that. I'm guessing a lot more now. I remember in Brit magazines in Pounds Stirling, several thousand. A small percentage of a Holland & Holland.

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He bought his for several hundred $ back in the mid 70's. Certainly no more than $500. Brand new and most likely bottom of the range. It was a Box Lock action, the type I prefer.

I'll have to keep my eyes open for a Azhur.

Edited by Rule303 (09/01/23 06:32 PM)

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Here's a few pics of My AYA #1


win M22 top, AYA bottom

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Lovely piece of kit there Mick!
Much prefer the fine filigree engraving like yours presents, not overdone at all, just to highlight the action & give a plain action some real character.

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My own AYA is much more humble than the sidelocks. I bought it used about 40 years ago from an unknowing dealer as a “cheap Spanish shotgun” at DMark 350.-, about US$ 175.- then. It’s an AYA XXV, a model they once built to Robert Churchill’s recipe. It’s a humble 12 g boxlock ejector with Purdey underbolting. Proofed in 1973. But the chopper lump barrels with a narrow Churchill rib are 27” long, instead of 25” usual of that model. They are choked ¼ and ¾. Weight is 2.95 kg = 6.45 lbs with perfect balance. It’s my “go to” shotgun as I tend to hit with it.

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Do you have some form of hand protector on the barrels for this old girl of yours kuduae?

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My own AYA is much more humble than the sidelocks. I bought it used about 40 years ago from an unknowing dealer as a “cheap Spanish shotgun” at DMark 350.-, about US$ 175.- then. It’s an AYA XXV, a model they once built to Robert Churchill’s recipe. It’s a humble 12 g boxlock ejector with Purdey underbolting. Proofed in 1973. But the chopper lump barrels with a narrow Churchill rib are 27” long, instead of 25” usual of that model. They are choked ¼ and ¾. Weight is 2.95 kg = 6.45 lbs with perfect balance. It’s my “go to” shotgun as I tend to hit with it.

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Do you have some form of hand protector on the barrels for this old girl of yours kuduae?

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Yes, it's a traditional English "Barrel Hand Protector", made in England. Made of spring steel, leather covered inside and out. I forgot where and when I bought it, probably in some English gunshop many years ago. It slides on the barrels, leaving the top open. I found these first mentioned in the 1912 Westley Richards catalog. Quite practical as I shoot the gun Robert Churchill style, left hand well before the splinter foreend.
When I was a teen, I read a German translation of Robert Churchill's book on shotgun shooting and learned a lot. Since then I wanted to have a real Churchill, but they were far beyond my price range. This AYA was the closest thing I could afford and it served me well all those years.

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Well you can get them!
I suppose if you had a double rifle they might be okay fit wise for the smaller calibres, but once up in bore size I'd say it would be best in using a glove
https://www.jeffsoutfitters.com/product/leather-hand-guards-12-20-16-28ga-410/
&
https://www.ant-supplies.uk/shotgun-accessories/shotgun-barrel-handguards.html

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I suppose if you had a double rifle they might be okay fit wise for the smaller calibres,

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Had that idea years ago. Such a handguard insulates not only from heat in Africa or Australia, but from cold in wintertime Germany too. Here you see a 28 ga handguard on my .500-450 Nr.1 BPE

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Do you have some form of hand protector on the barrels for this old girl of yours kuduae?

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Yes, it's a traditional English "Barrel Hand Protector", made in England. Made of spring steel, leather covered inside and out. I forgot where and when I bought it, probably in some English gunshop many years ago. It slides on the barrels, leaving the top open. I found these first mentioned in the 1912 Westley Richards catalog. Quite practical as I shoot the gun Robert Churchill style, left hand well before the splinter foreend.
When I was a teen, I read a German translation of Robert Churchill's book on shotgun shooting and learned a lot. Since then I wanted to have a real Churchill, but they were far beyond my price range. This AYA was the closest thing I could afford and it served me well all those years.

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I'll have to give that shooting hold method a try.

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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It’s my “go to” shotgun as I tend to hit with it.

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My Azhur used to be my go to shotgun for non rough country shooting. By rough I mean swamps etc where the lovely shotgun is more likely to get damaged. Another is fox drives, both where the old Greener Empire might go instead.

My Azhur used to be the go to gun. But all of sudden I couldn't hit anything with it. Years of using a side by side where everyone else used an under and over, with reasonable shooting results. All if a sudden wasn't hitting anything ... So eventually succumbed to cockeyedness and used an under and over. My Tikka/Valmet 512 shotgun, rifle system.

I find the stock on my Azhur a Little short now? It used to be fine? It has no recoil pad, just wood. So maybe a slip on pad might work? Or learn to use it again like I used to. I should be using my own clay thrower weekly instead of rarely.

Azhur, or azure fits me in a different way. Azure and Argenta are the family coat of arms colours. A blue and silver.

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

Edited by NitroX (19/08/23 03:37 AM)

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I find the stock on my Azhur a Little short now? It used to be fine?

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I'll have to give that shooting hold method a try.

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I find the stock on my Azhur a Little short now? It used to be fine?

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I'll have to give that shooting hold method a try.

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You certainly should! According to Churchill, the length of the stock is not very critical. Within limits, a short stock may be compensated for by simply gripping the barrels a bit farther forward.

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Something unexpected arrived in the post today.

A book on the Churchill method. I haven't looked at it yet.

Many thanks to Kuduae for the gift! What do I owe you for it? Something you would like? Please tell.

Many thanks. It will be interesting to read and try out itscrecommendations.

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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