Oh golly. Price range---Fausti I'll take the lady in the middle. The top one looks older and the bottom a little skanky. Go with the class.
The Fausti Style looks like a good place to get started if you can still find a straight stock splinter fore end model. Cabela', who alledgedly had an exclusive on these guns had them as low as $1,499 last spring--now $1,600 to $1,800. I went thru their gun libraries today and note far less inventory than a month ago, yet they had a lot more on the rack in Mitchell and Owatanna the last two months when I visited do not know whats going on there.
The Fausti Dea is in the $3,000 area. Saw a couple at Owatanna and Mitchell.
They have sideplates to give them a sidelock look, but are boxlocks, not sidelocks. Nice guns tho. They have choke tubes. I am not sure tubes could really slow a gun down as suggested by the small amout of additional weight, but have not shot one with tubes so will not dispute. (Choke tubes do not weigh much and they replace removed metal?)
The AYA 4/53 at Mitchell looks like a decent deal for the $. I beleive I looked at this gun and found it decent. If you want to get in a little deep, that 16 Grulla is a honey and I have had it in my hands. They have dropped it a grand from what it started at. It has some of my drool on it. (Doesn't really make it worth anymore.)
If you want to see what was a nice gun ruined by some stock mods, take a look at the UGARTECHA at Mitchell. Still a nice shooter if some one was interested.
You will see a lot of BSA Royals at Cabelas and they have gotten cheaper. I would guess they are made by Zabala which make reasonably servicible firearms, but I really do not like the checkering Fleur De Lais style tho reminiscent of American style Winchester, Fox etc. As an investment I would look higher.
My guess is the Galazan/Conneticutt Arms guns are based on Fausti actions dressed up in the US. Seems these guys have increased from original prices, but I am not up to speed yet on the variations. I think Dakota Arms are built from imported Italian boxlock actions also.
Theoretically, sidelocks are more expensive and desirable than box locks. The Italians have blown that concept apart by largely sticking to boxlocks with elaborate engraving and fancy wood not previously seen on boxlocks. Boxlocks are simpler, probably stronger and cheaper than sidelocks to build and repair. Sidelocks provide more suface area to engrave, are hand made requiring many more manhours of work and therefore have more snob appeal, tho once again the Italians have crashed the party with their $20,000 to $40,000 guns. Previously only British Sidelocks acheived such heights.
Sidelocks are lighter and have a slimer profile where the action meets the stock.
AYA makes most models in two action variations, Round Body and standard. The styles are deferentiated where the action meets the stock. The std will generally have a "tear drop" at this point tho the round body has a slimmer grip at this point. Will tend to find more sidelocks with this feature, tho some boxlocks are going that route also. It is a fairly new development in terms of the history of doubles. Round bodys are slightly lighter.
Do not overlook Merkel, Kimber Valier and the S&W Elite Gold. The later two are made in Turkey, but are of better quality than CZ/Huglu, tho I am not
knocking CZ for the money There was an Elite Gold at Gander in Lino Lakes for $1,600 some time ago and I wish I had felt in condition to buy it. Shortly there after I found the Franchi attached for $200 more.
Next missive---chomper lump, sideclips, case hardining or coinfinish!!!
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St. Catharines Components Plant
