Hey John,

You all are more than welcome to use those photos for whatever. Again thanks for running such a great company! I wish I could afford a grade 4 Ugartechea right now… hopefully in the future! Anyway, I hunt birds here in southern Utah which consist of gamble’s quail, chukar partridge, dusky (blue) grouse, and pheasant. The dog in the picture with the grouse is a 4 year old German Shorthair and his name is Hoss. The dog with the quail and chukar is an English Pointer named Reck and she will be two this August and she is already a machine. I recently ordered a swiss bell from LCS to use this Fall for the grouse hunting in the black timber. She wont wear a bell that flops against her neck like the one Hoss is wearing in the picture. All the birds my dogs and I hunt are wild and on public land, and if you put in the miles hiking, there are plenty of opportunities. I decided a couple years ago that lugging around the 12 gauge was getting old, even though I am a “younger” guy. I got online to see what the best gun for me would be and I came across your website and immediately knew I wanted a Ugartechea in the 28 gauge. I purchased a grade 1 and two cases of fiocchi golden pheasant in 7.5 shot from LCS. I then added a recoil pad to increase the length of pull, and used some tru-oil to finish the wood. Boy do I love that gun and I seem to shoot it very well! I have made many shots where I swear I didn’t even think about aiming, it was like the gun knew what I was thinking and made it happen! The golden pheasant loads are wonderful as well! I even harvested four wild roosters last year with the 28 gauge and it was just as effective as the guys hunting with me who were using 12 gauges. I can’t wait to give the ultralight a try this year, but it will be hard to not use my Ugartechea… The reason I bought the ultralight 20 was to have a more versatile gun with choke tubes, that was still super light for all the walking I do. I also hunt turkeys, coyotes, and foxes. I use #4 buckshot for the coyotes and foxes because where I call them in the foliage is thick and the shots are very close. I think the ultralight 20 will work well! Thanks again for all your help!

Tyler McLemore

Hello Brian,

I have just returned from picking up my Grade V. I would like to share my observations of the gun with you and the others at LCS.

To those who suggest that Ugartechea is not capable of producing a ‘high-er’ grade gun I would invite them to examine my Grade V. As Features Editor for both TrapShooting USA and ClayShooting USA, I have the opportunity to examine lots of guns – SxS’s are a passion with me – and after spending an hour measuring and examining just about every nook and cranny of my gun, I will say without reservation that for the dollar, it is one of the finest SLE’s I’ve seen. I’ll start with my initial reaction to opening the package – the wood was excellent in figure, match to the forend and finish (thank you for picking this gun for me). The gun I discussed with you from another maker – and of a higher grade than this – was not even in the same breath of discussion in comparison to the wood and finish of the Grade V. I had suspected that I’d have wood pore filling and additional finishing to do – not the case. I might hand rub a coat of slacum oil – I might – just for the heck of it, but the finish is excellent. I next looked closely at the checkering – very, very well done. Sure there were some flat diamond tops and a run over into a border here and there, but damned few – far fewer than that ‘other’ maker’s gun – and this isn’t a Purdey or a Holland and Holland.

I next examined the barrels – no solder flash on the rib joint and the bores were a perfect .727 each. Right barrel was .010 and left .020 – industry standard for IC/MOD (and those numbers were exact!) Barrel flat was nicely polished as was the hook. I assembled the gun and checked for ejection with both snap caps and empties – vigorous and perfectly timed. Trigger pulls were 4.5 front and just about 5 back – ideal for a field gun. Auto safety worked smoothly.

Next I violated your warranty policy by taking the left lock off but I hope you’ll allow me this faux pas ( I don’t expect it will be returned for warranty within the 2 year limit!) since I had to see inside the lock and especially in comparison to the ‘other’ makers gun. Brian, I was impressed! I could find a few file marks using a glass – everything else was nicely smooth and polished. The inletting was good – again not Purdey or Holland and Holland level but one Hell of a lot better than that ‘other’ gun. Everything fit snug and the trigger plate line really required you to look hard to find the seam. The engraving is very, very nice – if it is rolled on as I suspect, then Ugartechea has the process down pat. On the action around the balls, the fences were nicely done as was the trigger guard. I was leery about the coin finish – with this engraving pattern it really is impressive and a nice compliment to the rest of the gun.

The water table and the knuckle of the gun were polished to a mirror finish, striker bushings aligned as were all the screws on the gun. Balance is right where I like a field gun just in front of the hinge pin. I am looking forward to shooting it this weekend.

Brian, for $3995 I do not know how Ugartechea can present such a fine shotgun – but I am certainly glad they can. And I want to thank you again – you selected a superb gun and I appreciate it.

Best Regards,

Shep

Thanks for taking the time with me over the phone on the purchase of Ugartachea shotgun, I received it on 12/04/12, and couldn’t be more pleased with the purchase, the shot gun is a piece of art in my eyes, a very functional piece of art, I can see many hours in the Grouse woods with this one, also thanks with the help with the purchase of a Bushnell back tracker, you’re suggestions were spot on. Again thanks, I’ll be a customer for life.

I picked up the Grade I .16 gauge a week ago Friday. The wood is much nicer and darker than what appeared in your photos. I rubbed the stock and fore end with a light coat of mineral oil and it really gave the grain a lot of depth. If someone had told me it was a Grade IV stock I would have believed them due to all the figuring of the wood. Also the the pad looks great. I personally think it gives the gun a more refined and finished look over the plain checkered butt stock. Overall I think it is an excellent, light, and well-balanced field gun, especially for the money. I had an opportunity to hunt with the gun this past Saturday, and I killed my first bird with my first shot from my new shotgun. What more can I say?

In closing, thank you for your great service. From your selecting just the right gun for me, to arranging for the installation of the pad, to shipping, I could not have been more pleased with your efforts and service; they were first class. Also, thanks so much for the follow-up phone call. Not too many retailers follow-up after the sale to make sure the customer is satisfied. Again thanks for all your help. I look forward to doing business with you in the future. Please feel free to share this with prospective customers.

David

Thanks for taking the time with me over the phone on the purchase of Ugartachea shotgun, I received it on 12/04/12, and couldn’t be more pleased with the purchase, the shot gun is a piece of art in my eyes, a very functional piece of art, I can see many hours in the Grouse woods with this one, also thanks with the help with the purchase of a Bushnell back tracker, you’re suggestions were spot on. Again thanks, I’ll be a customer for life.