I am holding a nice modern double rifle in 9.3x74, maker marked Gaspariui Aldo, Gardoue Italy

May be off on the region name as it is very stylized script.

Has anyone heard of these rifles, or the maker, and do yuo have any information on them re quality, value...?

Thank you

I think there was an Aldo Uberti (sp?) in Gardone, Italy

Oxon

404, beware. In this day of feverish sales of double rifles, any manufacturer who makes, or has made, a break action firearm..shotgun, rifle, etc... is trying to get into the double-rifle market below the established price-points. See Cabela's hook-up with Sabatti, a long-time maker of bottom-end firearms products. As they say, do it right, or don't do it!!!!

Caveat Emptor!!! (or something like that :-) )

Thanks for the tips.

This one looks to be really nice- wood, metal work etc. and came out of a collection of a collector who passed away with lots of interesting pieces..

Well, still a mystery!

Any further info is appreciated.

I kind of wondered if this wasn't some kind of counterfit trying to look like it came out of Gardone. I guess it's possible that the guy stamping the barrel could have been holding the n upside down but a decent gun maker would'nt let that out of the shop.

I have walked down the street in Gardone and there are a lot of gun shops. There are ones we have'nt heard of but this has me scratchng my head.

Was'nt there a town in Japan called Usa?

The city is Gardone Val Trompia. That's the Italian center of arms manufacturing, like Ferlach in Austria or Liège in Belgium. The Italian proof house is there too.

Many great Italian arms factories are in - or came from - Gardone. Also, many craftsmen and artisans produce parts and components for the big names, and manufacture small quantities of hand-made, high quality arms there.

Of course one can't judge the quality of your rifle without seeing it, but there are no reasons why it should be a piece of junk, as the traditional love for craftsmanship in that part of Europe tends to discourage poor quality.

I could trace only one name close to the one you indicate, it's Aldo Gasperini, one of the 500+ registered gunsmiths/arms makers in Italy. Now, the spelling "Gasparini" is much more frequent than "Gasperini", so the latter could be a typo in the registry.

Aldo Gasparini gun works operated for over 40 years in Gardone

Thanks!

I originally thought the script read Gasparini- sounds funny and you'd think one could just read the name easily, but the script is a little hard to decipher.

Is Gasparini Aldo a decent outfit? I previously googled it and didn't find anything, but this evening googling Aldo Gasparini, I do find 2 references to old for sale listings for 9.3x74 DRS as well as a short thread on nitro express.

Hmmmm......

Obviously one can't tell how good the steel is, but anyone that knows guns can tell a good one from a bad one with just a half way detailed examination. This one sounds like a decent gun. If the price reflects the fact that it has much less market acceptance than say, a Krieghoff, then I wouldn't hesitate to buy it, IF you want one in the caliber. Just for an example, I just bought in here a lower end (but completely hand made) Perugini & Visini 9.3x74R for $4250. An excellent, if not well known, maker. Admittedly this was a very good buy but I'd use that number as guide for what to pay for that one. Much more than that and you can buy a Chapuis UGEX, etc.

Gato, The Perugini Viscini you bought was a HUGE bargain. Unlike many unknown makers, PV rifles and shotguns can go up into the $8K range and beyond. What you probably have is the Victoria, a boxlock design made in the smaller calibers, like 8x57, 7x57, 9.33x74R, etc. They are GREAT DRs....book on them is $7,500-$8,000, so you did quite well. Chopperguy on this AR site has had one for some time, and refuses to get rid of it, even though he goes through guns like changing his socks....maybe even more frequently !!!!

Biebs:

True, it was cheaper than the "book" would indicate, but the "book" doesn't buy or sell guns, it takes a willing buyer and a willing seller. I've seen guns on some sites for two years or more at the "book" price, which simply means the "book" is wrong in that case. A similar and higher example of the same rifle, cased, sat on Gunbroker for months at just over $6000 (well worth the extra 2 grand, probably more) with no takers. When I finally decided I couldn't stand it anymore was just after it had sold off site. Drat! and not too long after that the one I now have showed up.

All that said, the P&V was a good buy and I'll be even happier when I get to shoot it some.

Gato, Good point, especially in this economy, the value of any rifle is what someone is willing to buy it for. When the mortgage is 3 months in arrears, or the kids' college tuition is due, the value is how much you can get for it to get you as far out of trouble as you can get. Bad times for some, but it does bring up some great buys in "disposable and discretionary" items.

quote:

Originally posted by 404WJJeffery:

Is Gasparini Aldo a decent outfit? I previously googled it and didn't find anything, but this evening googling Aldo Gasparini, I do find 2 references to old for sale listings for 9.3x74 DRS as well as a short thread on nitro express.

Hmmmm......

i have seen a few gasparini's in the auctions in London, and they seemed like decent quality guns, please remember that every gun should be looked at as a unique piece, as every maker has high end products and the not so high end stuff.

i have seen stuff coming out of manchester that were best quality gun, and guns coming out from london firms that were D or E class guns or worse.

We all work at a price break, also in the gunindustrie, so look at the metal to wood fit (no gaps) handcut engraving and checkering, things like that indicate the better end of the market, if you need help please post pictures here and im sure that we will all try to help, or PM me and i will give you my email adress.

best

peter