doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Jack O'Connor's 20g. Arizaga for sale

http://sportingclassicsdaily.com/shotgun-of-a-legend/

Not to my taste: Beavertail forend, single trigger, and it's nearly a 6 1/2 lb. 20 gauge! My 16 g. Greener weighs 5 3/4 lbs. They don't list the price, but it will undoubtedly be high.

I kinda like it...

Kind of unfair comparing it to a W.W. Greener but I always thought he disliked Spanish guns. Might be mixing him up with someone else.

Over 15 years ago I passed on a beautiful Eusebio Arizaga 20ga Sidelock. I still regret it to this day.

Regards
Ken

Back before the GCA 68, based on Jack's writing about his 28-gauge Eusebio Arizaga (mentioned a lot more in his writings then this 20-gauge) my buddy and I pooled our money and ordered five H&H style sidelock 20-gauges through their exporter Laureano Villar. Each with a different finish to the actions and lockplates. We got double triggers because of Jack's mentioning his problems with the Spanish single triggers and that he'd had them replaced with Millers. I kept the one with the blued finish and Wayne kept the one with the coin finish and we sold the other three. Wayne got rid of his after one season. I kept mine through two broken right tumblers. Bill English the good Seattle gunsmith of those days told me the best thing to do with mine, after he installed the third, was to get rid of it because of the poor metal in the locks. So, it flowed down the river of commerce.

It appears to be a reinforced frame sidelock 20 with 3" chambers, and, no doubt, proofs, in both barrels. 6 1/2lbs would be about right if a steady diet of that ammunition was intended. Maybe a little light, actually. The stock configuration would likely help you hold on to the thing if using that ammunition, as well.

It isn't really a game gun, more like an old guy's fowler/prairie bird compromise gun.

Documenting Jack's guns (did he even own a .270?) might make them more valuable to a particular collection, but, no more useful for the task at hand.

Best,
Ted

I don't know if he owned a .270 but he wrote about them and the .375 a lot. Being young and tending to follow all the gun writers expert advise I took a .270 to Alaska and almost became bear scat. Now I understand gun writers write in part to generate interest in new gun sales or new calibers. Back then I though they were passing on sage wisdom. Yeah (I) we were very trusting back then.

One of his often printed points was the value of short barrel shotguns. He help sell a lot of 26" guns which are dead wood in today's used gun market.

If I were shooting driven grouse in Scotland, I'd want 28" or even 30" barrels, but for Ruffed Grouse in thick cover, speed is of the essence and 26" barrels on a 16 gauge is just what the doctor ordered.

Seems hardly anyone likes 26 inch barrels but where are the higher grade ones listed for sale at a cheap price? Bobby

The description questions the identity of the installer of the trigger. That would be the Miller Single Trigger company. I don't know of any gun builder that installed Miller triggers other than Ithaca. I have never been impressed by the Arizaga guns. O'Connor was more of a gun guy than his writings would lead you to believe. Read the book written about his collection and you will be impressed. Not so much shotguns, but his rifles are interesting.