Ugartechea has made and continues to make fine guns. I had a conversation several years ago with Mr. Terry Weiland concerning a very nice pair of Ugartechea clones of the excellent Merkel 303 series gun that I own, one each in 20 and 12 gauges. He stated he had seen and handled only a few of that model, all in the personal collection of Mr. Ignacio Ugartechea himself, who used them to good advantage in the area's pigeon rings and for high driven birds. Ugartechea is not unlike other Spanish makers, in that they have offered both high end and low end guns. My personal experiences have been excellent with both ends of the spectrum. The low end guns certainly have their limitations as far as bells and whistles go, but are generally well respected. I agree with Mr. Schefelbein completely. The gentleman who initially posted stated plainly his gun had been abused before he got it. That does not make it "Basque BS." You might read Mr. Weiland's fine book "Spanish Best" for a better introduction to the fine guns from Spain.