For our method of instinctive shooting, we’ll use a side-by-side shotgun, straight stocked with splinter forend. While a boxlock is surely the simplest of the side-by-side Best Guns of London, an Anson & Deeley Action (boxlock), a sidelock Best Gun is surely the prettiest. As my father-in-law used to say, “Get the best guy you can afford my boy and learn how to use it.” I went for the Garbi, once I had sufficient income in which to upgrade from Ugartecheas and Parkers. Armas Garbi guns are manufactured in Eibar, in the Basque gun making region in the north of Spain. Garbi is a Basque word, which means, “clean” and is an acronym formed from the initials of the names of the firm’s founders. “G” is for Guerrena Barrena, in charge of scale adjustments. “A” is for Alday, head of the engravers. “R” is for R. Churruca, who is in charge of assembly and final finish. “B” is for Barrenechea, the general manager of the company. “I” is for Irondo, an expert in adjustments and finishing of stocks. William Larkin Moore & Co. has been importing the fine line of Garbi shotguns since 1975 and we have had excellent success with them.
Garbi guilds a traditional English style gun based on the Holland & Holland type sidelock action. These guns feature chopper lump barrels, automatic ejectors, hand detachable locks and articulated front triggers.
Most instinctive shooters will be sporting about ¼ inch of cast-off, 1 ½ inch of drop at the comb and about 4 degrees of pitch. These become the magic wands with which Buz Fawcett creates Master Gunners.
Confidence is the key to Master Gunning. You are a 100% shooter. You should be hitting 24/25 skeet shots within a year. You can hit at 65-80 yards, which we practice at the Tower in the school, although it would not be fair to a bird. I hit 95% during the school.
While it may vary, I am 5’10” and 175 pounds and have a 13 5/8” or 13 3/4” length of pull, with 2 1/8” or 2 1/4” drop at heel, with 3/8” cast off and 1 ½” at 16” down pitch without a pad or 0-1/2” at 26” with a pad. Forcing cones are reduced to 2 ½”, with everything polished to final dimensions.
Pattern any gun by taking 10 shots, averaging the results by overlapping the shot spray) at 16 yards on a single sheet of paper. For each 1” correction on paper, move the stock 1/16 inch in each direction.
12 gauges fits most men’s hands best and with the light loads, it’s effectively a 20 gauge being shot.
20 gauges fits most women best and with the light loads it’s a .28 gauge. Gun weight in a 20 gauge is ideal at 5 pounds 4 ounces, and a 6 pound gun is too heavy.
Garbi makes a lovely boxlock with Cercassi walnut and Kreighoff barrels. Garbi is a better gun than AYA for the money. 
As of 2009, a Garbi 12 gauge 103A goes for $21,300 from William Larkin Moore & Company. I prefer the 103A. The Model 103A is a traditional game gun with Purdey style Rose & Scroll engraving, which is done completely by hand. The action also has the traditional shaping improvements of a higher quality gun with beaded fences and sculpturing. The 103A also has an improved quality of wood and checkering.
For ladies, a less expensive alternative is a used Garbi 51B sidelock 20 gauge is $2895 from Moore and he may go as low as $2000 on that particular gun, at least back in 2009.
Life is to short to hunt an ugly gun. Take care of them and they will last you a lifetime of memories, each time you take them out of the case.
CHOKES:
12 gauge, left barrel .004 (light skeet) and right barrel .008 (improved cylinder).
20 gauge, left barrel .003 and right barrel .007.
FIT:
While it may vary, I am 5’10” and 175 and have a 13 5/8” or 13 3/4” length of pull, with 2 1/8” or 2 1/4” drop at heel, with 3/8” cast off and 1 ½” at 16” down pitch without a pad or 0-1/2” at 26” with a pad. Forcing cones are reduced to 2 ½”, with everything polished to final dimensions.
GUNS AND GUAGES:
Pattern any gun by taking 10 shots, averaging the results by overlapping the shot spray) at 16 yards on a single sheet of paper. For each 1” correction on paper, move the stock 1/16 inch in each direction.
12 gauges fits most men’s hands best and with the light loads, it’s effectively a 20 gauge being shot.
20 gauges fits most women best and with the light loads it’s a .28 gauge. Gun weight in a 20 gauge is ideal at 5 pounds 4 ounces, and a 6 pound gun is too heavy.
Garbi makes a lovely boxlock with Cercasi walnut and Kreighoff barrels. Garbi is a better gun than AYA for the money. Ugartechea boxlock is a good entry level gun, with 28” barrels with my build, double triggers, splinter fore end, straight stock, extractors so as to not spew cartridges over the field and a smooth butt. Ugartechea is French walnut. You can always have the wood stripped and refinish it, but repeated treatments with silicone spray will add luster to any wood. Be cautious of pretty woods with vertical grains near the wrist of the gun, which can break easily.
Buy the gun with M/F or IC/M so that there is enough steel in the barrels for the gunsmith to work with to take do to the above-described chokes.
Tony Fanelli, Blue Arms Gunsmitthing out of Idaho, does the gunsmithing for Buz Fawcett’s Wingshooting Workshop school. 1998 prices were $65 length of pitch, $55 forcing cone, $140 bend stock, $50 adjust each choke=$400-450 per gun to get it properly fitted and detailed for instinctive shooting. His prices haven’t been increased by very much, from 1995 to 2009 at least.
2009 prices for Grade I Ugartechea from Lion Country Supply is $1395 and Grade II goes for $1795. Also in 2009, a Garbi 101 goes for $8500 used and a 103a for $13,300 from William Larkin Moore & Company. Prices have increased dramatically since then as Spain has adapted to the Euro and steel prices skyrocketed.
