doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Spanish Proof Document - AyA proofed 1974

No, upon reflection I think it was something else. There was an AyA sxs sold by Sears, (JC Higgins 100) touted to be a lower price competitor to the Model 21. Someone else mentioned it up thread. Clearly, it was not a Model 21 clone, but it was a very fine SxS given the price point. It preceded the Matador and was an altogether better gun...Geo

You've got me stumped there, George. But by the 60's, the Model 21 was no longer a production model. Strictly a custom shop gun, and pretty big bucks. Not hard at all to beat those guns on price, but I'm thinking not many 21 fans would have accepted anything Spanish as a competitor back then. Maybe a competitor to the poor man's 21, the Model 24.

I have a Laurona O/U 12 and 20 gauge combo set that came with the same paperwork in the same little brown plastic pouch.

I don't think many folks did accept it as any kind of competition to the Winchester 21. But I was just into sxs guns back in the 60's and I remembered the promotion. I have handled the model 100 AYAs and while no Winchester they were a pretty good gun...Geo

Pretty limited pool of folks for new 21's back then. I got into sxs a bit later, in the early 70's, after reading George Bird Evans. My answer to his Purdey was a brand new Ithaca SKB Model 150. Certainly no Purdey, but a pretty good gun. Looking back, I don't think we realized how good we had it, with more inexpensive guns from Spain in addition to those Japanese sxs. And, for that matter, vintage American doubles at real bargain prices too.

Same pouch?

Did it say 'AyA' on it? Your pics also cut off the corner where this one says 'aya'.

If one bought a Laurona that came with an AyA proof certificate, I'm thinking that'd be a pretty rare gun.

Larry, honest question. I think I remember Kyrie or wildcattle or one of the Spanish gun experts post that Laurona didn't actually make guns at all and that all their many exports were products of the basque trade. If so it might be likely that a Laurona might have AYA proof papers, wouldn't it?...Geo

It's marked "J C Higgins, Model 100". He asked me for info about it. I've handled it, but never seen it shot. I suspect the doubling issue is related to heavier loads, but that's only speculation on my part.

It's not unusual for "makers" to have various parts--sometimes entire guns--made for them "in the trade" and then put their names on the gun. But it seems to me that if a gun says Laurona, then the proof certificate would also say Laurona.

The only Laurona I ever owned (briefly) was an OU. It had the "twin single" trigger arrangement, like early Browning Superposeds. I don't believe AyA ever built any OU's with twin single triggers, which would seem to make a direct relationship between AyA and Laurona--as in AyA making their guns for them--unlikely.

On the other hand, I also owned a gun marked AyA-Sauer: A high grade AyA boxlock with all the features of your standard German gun. (Sideclips, cocking indicators, sling swivels, cheekpiece.) But in that case, both names were on the gun.

Also, look at the maker's stamp (AyA spelled out) in Utah's photos. Then compare to the maker's stamp (only a bit more than the right hand half visible) on the Laurona proof certificates. If they had AyA makers' stamps, you'd be able to read at least part of "Aranzabal" on the Laurona proof certificate photos.