help, shotgun made in spain

jeffjoslin · November 9, 2006, 12:56 PM

i need info on a side by side i was given, it's a 12ga. made in spain, marked [stylex new orleans, is there any such gun maker. if so, how do i find out about the co. and this gun. i,ve been all over the net, with no luck.

James K · November 10, 2006, 11:06 PM

I have done some searches and the only thing I can find is your own posts asking the question. I think it is a safe bet that 1) the New Orleans marking is the importer and 2) the gun is not of high quality.

There are Spanish guns that are about as good as any in the world, and the makers put their names on them. But many Spanish shotguns are built on a sort of community system, where a whole village makes guns, with one person making hammers, another sears, another stocks, etc. The guns are fitted and assembled by still others. There is no maker's name because there is no actual maker.

Parts are generally not available, since they were all nearly hand made and hand fitted; few importers carried any stock of parts or had any repair centers. The guns were usually inexpensive (actual cost depending on the period when they were imported) and today are worth nothing except as shooters, which means maybe $150-200 if in working condition. There is no collector interest.

Jim

November 9, 2006, 12:56 PM	#1
jeffjoslin Junior Member Join Date: November 8, 2006 Posts: 2	help, shotgun made in spain i need info on a side by side i was given, it's a 12ga. made in spain, marked [stylex new orleans, is there any such gun maker. if so, how do i find out about the co. and this gun. i,ve been all over the net, with no luck.

November 10, 2006, 11:06 PM	#2
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	I have done some searches and the only thing I can find is your own posts asking the question. I think it is a safe bet that 1) the New Orleans marking is the importer and 2) the gun is not of high quality. There are Spanish guns that are about as good as any in the world, and the makers put their names on them. But many Spanish shotguns are built on a sort of community system, where a whole village makes guns, with one person making hammers, another sears, another stocks, etc. The guns are fitted and assembled by still others. There is no maker's name because there is no actual maker. Parts are generally not available, since they were all nearly hand made and hand fitted; few importers carried any stock of parts or had any repair centers. The guns were usually inexpensive (actual cost depending on the period when they were imported) and today are worth nothing except as shooters, which means maybe $150-200 if in working condition. There is no collector interest. Jim