doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Toledo marked Spanish Shotgun

Can anyone help me with the source and dating of what seems to be a well made Spanish shotgun marked Toledo. No other names are on this gun. It has chopper lump barrels and M.U. marked on the flats.

Martin Ugarteburu Daryl
https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/m-ugarteburu-shotgun.560867/

Cornell Pubs has a 1947 catalog repro
https://cornellpubs.com/product/3817/

H*1 is 1962

Can't tell if the engraving and gold on the top lever is the same as this 110
https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...2-bore-ejector.cfm?gun_id=102145022#lg-2

Mlo 124 may be Modelo (model)

Not often seen but very nice quality, I have had two of them through the shop which I sold. Yes, that is the model 124.

Drew, thank you. I do think the mark you question is H 1 . Here are a couple more pics of the engraving. I had a fine Arrizabalaga that had a Model marked on the trigger guard tang in a similar manner. It seems interesting that the gun you picture from above has the removable sideplate lever on the right side, as does the one I pictured.

Removeable side plate levers that run right to left rather than left to right were common on Martin Ugarteburu's sidelock shotguns. As an aside Ugarteburu is one of my favorites among the Spanish gun makers. I'm of the opinion he had a sense and level of style that was rare among all shotgun makers.

Thank you Drew, Kyrie, and SKB. I know more than I did early this a.m. Nice to know that the maker seems to be considered a good one.

Can anyone tell me what the term “Toledo” stands for on the top lever. A google search came up with that term on an AyA over under shotgun, but I now see that a search of Ugarteburu guns yields several with Toledo.

Toledo is the name of a city in Spain, and Ohio :-)

Seriously, it's possible only the fellow who ordered the shotgun knows what he intended by having the top lever marked with "Toledo".

Let me share a few observations:

1) What we find on the top of the barrels and action of artisanal Spanish shotguns is usually advertising, decoration, or both.

2) The manufacturing data of artisanal Spanish shotguns is found on the shotgun's water table, barrel flats, and the bottom of the barrels.

3) With a very few exceptions, model names of artisanal Spanish shotguns are advertising, have little or no physical meaning, and are seldom physically applied to the shotguns by the makers.

4) Spanish artisanal shotguns come from a (at present) dying business model that is not generally well understood by anyone who doesn't speak with a Basque or Catalan accent, and many who do so speak. It's a cultural thing.

Kyrie, those are interesting thoughts. Thank you

In addition, Toledo, Spain was the traditional sword-making center since the Roman period. El Cid used Toledo swords; Tizona and Colada.
The steel acero toledano was pattern welded low carbon (for flexibility) steel for the interior and high carbon (for strength and sharpness) steel for the exterior.
https://www.battlemerchant.com/en/b...res-and-swords-damascus-and-toledo-steel