Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68594
Southern Charm & European Wild Boar when you consider value-for-dollar, there is a good case to be made that they are the very best buys of all. Over the years I have guided many friends to good Spanish guns. Moreover, it seems that in recent years, the best of them seem to be getting better and better. T Why hunt feral pigs when you could be hunting one of North America's most extensively managed herd of European wild boar at Buck & Boar in South Carolina? Large party accommodations and corporate outings welcomed. Visit Buck & Boar for incredible true European boar hunting & Southern hospitality at its finest. www.boar-hunter.com • info@boar-hunter.com BUCK & BOAR 803-600-8570 he gun that arrived is a new model #2 Deluxe. Its trim 20-gauge barrels measure 28 inches and it weighs just a tad over the magic six pounds. It features a traditional English grip and splinter forend. The buttstock is exceptionally nice, with alternating streaks the color of amber and brown sugar. The wood is actually prettier than my 1950s era Purdey. Wood fit and finish are quite good, and better than that found on some guns that cost much more. The fit and finish of the metal is also excellent, something that I didn't really expect in a gun in the AYA's price range. Mechanically, the little AYA closely mimics the elegantly simple and functional Holland & Holland design. It even features Holland– style, hand-detachable locks. A connoisseur will notice that the engraving on the locks resembles the traditional Holland "house style," but close inspection reveals that it's not hand-cut. Instead, the effect is created by a deeply cut laser process. You will notice from the photograph that it represents a great advancement in the art of laser "engraving," because it's a gorgeous little gun. Balance is quite good as well, and it is very clear that someone at AYA paid a great deal of attention to making this gun balance like the British "best " that it emulates. The gun has a solid, well-made feel to it, and is jointed as precisely as any gun anywhere. Of course, I gave the little AYA a good workout on clays as soon as it arrived, but this is a "bird gun" and clearly needed much more in the way of testing. Fortunately, about that time, I was talking to Marina Lamprect of Hunter's Namibia Safaris about a coming plains game hunt, and it occurred to me there might be an SPOR TIN G CL ASSICS 72