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?
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.
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?
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.
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.
