16ga.com ~ View topic - Just picked up my Ugartechea 16 gauge Grade IV/75EX

Gentlemen,

I have wanted a 16 gauge Ugartechea Grade IV/75EX side lock hand made/hand engraved double gun for quite some time, however I was a little dubious of the high cost for a Spanish made double gun. I was seriously looking for one when Uggie closed up shop.
So I started looking around for a used one on GI, and found a 16 gauge gun in pristine condition. I contacted the seller and made a great deal on the 16 gauge side lock double gun. After getting the gun home I realized that this Uggie 16 gauge Grade IV/75EX gun is a Spanish made Best gun, or as close to it as any Spanish made gun can possibly be. The workmanship on this gun is simply outstanding, from the real side lock Damascened finish work to the perfectly timed ejectors and fine Walnut stocks with A&D Fore-end, with DT 3.4 - 4.0 trigger pull and 28" beautiful dark Blued Barrels choked IC/M, the gun is one serious piece of SXS Best double gun. In fact a lot more gun than I thought any Spanish builder could produce. I only hope the new Uggie company is providing these kind of double guns for the American sportsman today.
My gun was actually built in 2007, just a few years before the original Ugartechea company closed up shop, mostly due to the high terrifs imposed by the Spanish government on all fire arms.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dve
L.C. Smith/Westley Richards Man

It is to bad the 16 guage forum does not allow these photos to be enlarged, the gun is quite beautiful.
[url=https://ibb.co/VcXtYxsn]

[/url]

[url=https://ibb.co/27sMf9tN]

[/url]

[url=https://ibb.co/0RyY95cx]

[/url]

[url=https://ibb.co/K8NxWm1]

[/url]

[url=https://ibb.co/BHj0bjfn]

[/url]

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1709 Location: Denver, Colorado

Dave:

Spanish doubles suffered from a bad reputation for years because of cheaply made guns imported into the USA during the 1950s and 60s. The primary complaint was the quality of the steel used in them then (they were built to a price-point after all). Fast forward to the 1980s and 90s, and makers like Arrizabalaga, Arrieta, Gruilla, & AyA came onto the scene with truly spectacular and mostly-handmade copies of primarily British designs (generally H&H sidelocks) and with far-better steels (Bellota steel which translates to "nut-hard" steel).

I'm not sure when Ugartechea got started (I first saw them down at Lion Country Supply near to State College) but they were made on the same model as the rest of the better Spanish guns. I owned a Grade 4 Uggie boxlock for a while and was really pleased with the build quality. For the money they were (and are) still hard to beat. I still own a New England Arms Arrieta 557 that is my primary pheasant gun.

Changing economic and political conditions in Spain seem to have ended all of that, sadly, but the guns that were built during that period are fully-modern copies of British best guns (and are even a better value these days it seems).

If you're interested, Terry Wieland's "Spanish Best" is the most in-depth book on the subject that I know about.

Lloyd3,

I will look for Terrys book and pick up a copy for my Sports Library if it comes in hard back, thanks for the recommendation. The side lock Ugartechea guns are very well built, the grade IV side lock I have is definitely a Spanish made modern Best gun. My gun is a 2007 made gun
and is one sweet side lock double gun for sure. I was very lucky to have found a gun that had not been used very much at all, the gun is in pristine condition for sure. I realized that the early Spanish made guns were all pretty cheaply made for the US market place. Lion County completely changed my mind on Spanish made guns when I visited their gun room and had a chance to inspect a grade IV & V Side Lock guns. I was able to carry another sportsman grade IV Side lock gun while Grouse hunting in Somerset County one time, from that point on I wanted one.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith/Westley Richards Man

Joined: 28 Oct 2015 Posts: 185 Location: SWMO

Testing

Joined: 28 Oct 2015 Posts: 185 Location: SWMO

Be sure you’re grabbing the “full image” link and not the “thumbnail” link. Then your pic will be full size like I posted above.

Congratulations on another nice gun Dave , Spanish doubles are some sweet handling guns ,modeled after best British sxs you won't go wrong with that one , best wishes WJ.

WJ,

Always nice to hear from you, thanks for the nice comment on my Ugartechea grade IV/75EX gun.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith/Westley Richards Man

Lloyd3,

I know a little about the Ugartechea gun company from a nice article in the Shooting Sportsman Magazine from 2024. Ugartechea went into business in 1922-1924, was a good solid company doing 99% of thier business selling guns in the USA. When the Spanish Government changed their excise tax law, it basically put Ugartechea and several other Spanish gun companies out of business. Ugartechea has been purchased recently and is now back in business, although not many of the new guns have hit the market yet.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith/Westley Richards Man
[url=https://ibb.co/fV1LjQDQ]

[/url]

Cheesy,

Thanks for the advise and I now post the bigger pictures

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith/Westley Richards Man

I found a Uggy 16 at the LGS about 2000(?) for less than $600 if I remember right. I was told it was one of a batch that the workers had received to assemble and sell as the result of a labor dispute. Anybody know anything about that?

I really liked the gun, unfortunately I started having troubles with misfires. A trip to Simmons did not cure the malady, so it went in a trade for a CZ Bobwhite 20 ga. (Which I still have.)

I found a Uggy 16 at the LGS about 2000(?) for less than $600 if I remember right. I was told it was one of a batch that the workers had received to assemble and sell as the result of a labor dispute. Anybody know anything about that?

I really liked the gun, unfortunately I started having troubles with misfires. A trip to Simmons did not cure the malady, so it went in a trade for a CZ Bobwhite 20 ga. (Which I still have.)

Jagdhund,

Sounds like you had one of the Box Lock guns that had been put together with parts during the labor dispute, definitely not the same gun I purchased

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith/WR Man