I just purchased a Ugartechea 116 made in the early 70's. Well, they money order is on its way to the guy
. I've been considering adding screw in chokes- either Briley or Carlson's for the flexibility of shooting skeet, sporting clays, or hunting. While a 116 is not an antique nor super collectable, would screw ins negatively effect it's value? I plan to keep this double for many years, but who knows what will happen if an even nicer one comes along in a few years.
And if I go that route, would one brand be better than the other?
I avoid messing with the barrels, always!! unless it would be a Stevens 311 that I paid $141.00 for. Most guns I buy, like many owners I think, won't own the gun until "death do you part", so try different shells (Spred-R & such) or buy another cheap gun to cover your shooting needs and don't touch the barrels. So many times I've seen people say this is my gun, so I'm opening the chokes or adding Brileys, only to sell at a loss a short time later. You yourself said you would be tempted by a better gun in the future.
Model2128Ga
Hey, I know! Just have Briley (or, whoever) do only ONE barrel! Then, the loss of value should only be, what 50%, or so?
It ain't the Mona Lisa, dude. How rare is a 116? How desirable are early 70s production Spanish sidelocks? Every big dealer out there is swimming in used Spanish sidelocks that are priced at 1/2 of what they cost to buy, new, and they aren't going to sell until they are at about 1/2 of that. Think. Who is buying this stuff?
Just a few old grey haired guys with some extra coin in their pockets. It is a sliver of a sliver of the total shotgun market, and that dynamic isn't likely to improve anytime soon.
There is something to be said for sitting down, figuring out what chokes you want, and then going shopping for those chokes, but, a lot of guns don't get purchased that way.
It doesn't sound like this one did, either. Shoot it, find out if it works, and choke it how you want if you like the rest of the gun, and it fits.
Easy.
Best,
Ted
