Ugartechea
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Weapons |
| Predecessor | Casa Ugartechea |
| Founded | 1922 in Eibar, Spain |
| Founder | Ignacio Ugartechea |
| Successor | Armas Ugartechea |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Shotguns |
| Website | http://www.ugartecheashotguns.com/ |
Armas Ugartechea is a Basque shotgun and firearms manufacturer located in Eibar, is a privately held Spanish firearms manufacturing company. Its firearms are used worldwide for a variety of sporting and hunting purposes. It produces several models of double-barreled shotgun. It is devoted to the craft manufacturing of fine hunting shotguns and is the heir of a long craftsman tradition that has cleverly incorporated new technologies in the production of its guns, and, at the same time, keeping its traditional know how. It was the first Spanish company to start making under and over barrel guns. I. Ugartechea is well known for the quality of its work both at home and abroad. Is one of the few gunmakers to produce its own barrels, flawless at best. A present, Armas Ugartechea sells its guns worldwide. Among its customers are heads of state and monarchs from several countries, as well as top hunters and crack shots. The Ugartechea Family is still in charge of the company which is a basic principle, as they are the ones who know better how to optimize the manufacture of these firearms, which combine with craftsman work the best technology.
History
In addition to shotguns, Armas Ugartechea once made rifles and pistols. However, the firm is most famous for its side-by-side double-barreled shotgun, and at some point stopped manufacturing the over/under double-barreled shotgun configuration. The change in the product was due in part to several different factors. After World War II, the international demand for sporting shotguns increased while the demand for pistols and rifles decreased. More importantly, Ignacio Ugartechea made the double rifle an 8x65R Brenneke, for the Caudillo himself in 1943, Generalissimo Francisco Franco and then Armas Ugartechea was passed on to the first Ignacio's son. In 1933 Casa Ugartechea became the first Spanish company to be licensed to produce express rifles in Spain as large as .400, .450, .500, and .577 Nitro Express. The company made the .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol and patented the pistol of two bullets percussion. [1]
The second Ignacio Ugartechea was trained in the tradition of gun making at the prestigious Escuela de Armeria in Eibar. At one point, he was known as one of the most prominent hunter in Spain and Europe, developing a relationship and participating in social hunts with the likes of the king of Spain, Juan Carlos I.[2]
Armas Ugartechea builds guns based on designs and patents originating from London and Birmingham firms such as Holland & Holland and Westley Richards. When shotgun-making was in its heyday in the late nineteenth century, patents were only granted for fourteen years. After that period, advancements like the Anson & Deeley boxlock action were reproduced all over the world. When a patent that seemed efficient and easy to reproduce became available, it was not uncommon for Basque shotgun-makers to reproduce it with local components, and market it as a less-expensive alternative to the English offerings.[3]
Further Changes
Armas Ugartechea originally made matched pairs of sidelocks guns for export to England. In a sidelock action, the mechanism that makes the gun function can be removed and reinserted fairly easily. At that time, the shooting of driven pheasant and partridge at large English country houses; and pigeons in Spanish pigeon rings; was very popular. These shooting sports required shotguns that could be repaired in the field. Ugartechea was the first to manufacture superimposed shotguns. He makes his own shotgun overlaid in caliber 410, a caprice that many would have wanted for themselves. Many people are still interested in this shotgun This made the sidelock very desirable (and expensive), and selling the sidelock action became a clear priority.[4][5]
Eventually, the sidelock fad passed and the simpler and less expensive boxlock action gained popularity. Driven shooting and pigeon rings became less and less accessible, and sidelocks came to be considered more of a luxury. This was especially true for the rapidly growing American market after World War II. In the United States, consumers were generally looking for a gun with the features of the traditional English shotgun, but not the corresponding steep price tag. Up until this point, Armas Ugartechea traditionally spent less time on its boxlock guns, producing mainly lower-end offerings. However, perceiving a change in the market, the company switched its focus to the boxlock, and now exports them to the United States.[6]
References
- ^ Calvo, Juan. "La Industria Armera Nacional 1830 to 1940", page 406. edition 2000
- ^ ibid., p. 261.
- ^ "Shotguns | GLS Shooting".
- ^ Wieland, T. "Ugartechea Reborn", page 27. Gray's Sporting Journal, August 1997
- ^ Wieland, Terry. "Spanish Best, The Fine Shotguns of Spain", page 259. Revised second edition, Paperback (Dec 2014)
- ^ Venters, V. "Boxlocks by Ugartechea", page 110. Shooting Sportsman, Sept./Oct. 2001