Long time Lurker curious about Hawes Matador II double rifles. I have never heard of them. I have made an offer on a 500 Nitro and want to research before the purchase goes through..

thanks for any input..

Jason

I searched and saw one on Guns America. Yeuch! It looks like what I think it actually is. An Aya Matador 10 bore shot gun re-lined with rifled tubes to 500 Nitro calibre. So the action will be made and designed for pressures of ten gauge 3 1/2" shells. I would assume that 500 Nitro is somewhat more!

The breech picture gives it away I think:



See the original shot gun ejectors and about half way up some sort of concocted ejector that goes into the rifled tubes. For $ 4,500 I'd have thought at least some sort of effort could have been made to make new ejectors rather than bastardise the original shot gun ones.

Or the muzzle:



$ 4,500? You could get a decent old English double for that from someone like Holt's or Gavin Gardiner auctions here in UK.

AYA are a reputable Spanish firm that make good shot guns. They don't make double rifles. This "thing" is a piece of sh1t IMHO. Heck it's not even a decent re-line in that the gaps appear enormous between liner and original barrel with possible rust at 1 to 2 o'clock on right hand barrel?

I'd be curious to as to just how the thing has then been regulated given that the barrels are jointed in typical shot gun style with no "square" section between them.

Hope that helps!

I wouldn't touch it with a f*cking barge pole!

Here are some pictures of an original AYA Matador (in 12 gauge 3") as AYA made it...as a good decent strong wildfowl shot gun:






I think that I may have stated that the one in the picture is made on a 10 Bore in error. They is also an AYA Matador 12 Bore. In which case they are designed for the 3" Magnum 12 Gauge. So it might be built on a 10 or a 12.

Check the original Spanish Proof Marks under the barrel flats. Will say either 12-76 or 10-88 I think. Anyway first number will be the gauge. Second the lenth in millimetres of the cartridge.

If you search on the web AYA Matador with the words shot gun you'll find enough of them I think.

Thanks for the input! Yes the gun store told me it was a converted 10 guage.. I will pass and keep looking..

Thanks again !!!

Jason