The barrels are substantially made with thick original wall thicknesses again contributing to the longevity of these guns. You still get only a thin black plastic recoil pad that you do feel with this magnum version! Quality tubes Length of pull here is 14.75-inches to the first trigger and 13.75-inches to the rear trigger. The chequering is not bad either to the forend and pistol grip, with good coverage and does provide grip and is not just decorative, as so many new guns are. The butt stock has the fuller pistol grip arrangement that is more user-friendly but does take away from the original Yeoman lines with straight grip. This Yeoman has a full beavertail type forend, so your grip does not mean your fingers are wrapped around the barrels, as in the standard version. That’s on your normal Yeoman this magnum version has a slightly more robust stock design, which I actually like and suits the magnum nature of this gun. The stock configuration is your typical English side-by-side format, with very slender forend wood and straight hand grip configuration. This Yeoman seemed very well cosseted, with nearly all its original colour case hardening remaining. You own a Yeoman because you want to shoot it and so are not worried about scratching it or getting a few dents and dings in the woodwork or even a bit of wear to the blued surfaces. This, over the years, has deepened and become, with the oil finish, a solid, rich patina that is not only nice to look at but also really quite weather resistant too. The standard wood is plain walnut and usually has a really nice, dark stained colour to it. 4, being an ejector the No 1 and No 2 were sidelocks, whilst the No. The Yeoman is a non-ejector S/S gun with its bigger brother, the No. to Britain in the late fifties so, a long-standing favourite with shooters here, hence the number and popularity. I picked up this AYA Yeoman from Norman Clarks gunsmiths, from a retired gentleman who had this, a Webley Mod 700 and Webley 410 bolt action, all of them classics in their own right. It is a testament to the build quality today that so many Yeomans are still going strong, but you have to check on the overall integrity of each gun, as some were just a workhorse and have had a hard life administered to their insides and out.

This meant that, like myself, you could buy a real AYA and pretend it was a No 2 grade for only £38! Why? It’s because AYA were a very well-respected company, producing side by side shotguns from Spain and the Yeoman was their entry level gun.

Its one of those shotguns that was the workhorse of practically all shooting families or some one knew someone who had one. Mention the name AYA Yeoman to shooters of my generation and watch their eyes widen and then chuckle.

Aya shotguns history