[Guest]

Hello again from the Big Sky state,

Marlands has given great information on a few Ithacas that I have added to my collection, I was curious if you could enlighten me about my latest purchase?

It is a AYA "Matador" SxS 10 ga. 3 1/2 mag.
Top of barrels say Firearms International Corp. Washington D.C. along with gauge and "full and full" chokes I am sure.
Side of reciever is nicely engraved and says Matador. It is hammerless with top safety, auto ejectors, double triggers.

Watertable has many stamp marks and says 10-89 magnum, AYA logo and serial # 101274.

Under barrells have simmilar stamps and says "full" 18, 4 and 19,4.

The gun is in great shape and has very fancy engraving, not stamped, I am not sure what I have though. Any Ideas on age, value, company history? Thanks again, Chad

Also do you have any good sites on Ithaca anything? if so could you email me at DAVIS @ sofast.net

 

[MarlandS]

Here's the bluebook info,

26, 28, or 30 in. barrel, various chokes, Anson & Deeley boxlock, auto ejectors, beavertail forearm, SST, checkered pistol grip stock. Mfg. 1955-63.
Grading 100% 98% 95% 90% 80% 70% 60%
$475 $375 $325 $275 $225 $200 $180

Have you seen this site? http://www.ithacagun.com/ Email on the way.....

 

[Jerold Bertrand]

Hello again from the Big Sky state,

Marlands has given great information on a few Ithacas that I have added to my collection, I was curious if you could enlighten me about my latest purchase?

It is a AYA "Matador" SxS 10 ga. 3 1/2 mag.
Top of barrels say Firearms International Corp. Washington D.C. along with gauge and "full and full" chokes I am sure.
Side of reciever is nicely engraved and says Matador. It is hammerless with top safety, auto ejectors, double triggers.

Watertable has many stamp marks and says 10-89 magnum, AYA logo and serial # 101274.

Under barrells have simmilar stamps and says "full" 18, 4 and 19,4.

The gun is in great shape and has very fancy engraving, not stamped, I am not sure what I have though. Any Ideas on age, value, company history? Thanks again, Chad

Also do you have any good sites on Ithaca anything? if so could you email me at DAVIS @ sofast.net

 

[Jerold Bertrand]

Hello again from the Big Sky state,

Marlands has given great information on a few Ithacas that I have added to my collection, I was curious if you could enlighten me about my latest purchase?

It is a AYA "Matador" SxS 10 ga. 3 1/2 mag.
Top of barrels say Firearms International Corp. Washington D.C. along with gauge and "full and full" chokes I am sure.
Side of reciever is nicely engraved and says Matador. It is hammerless with top safety, auto ejectors, double triggers.

Watertable has many stamp marks and says 10-89 magnum, AYA logo and serial # 101274.

Under barrells have simmilar stamps and says "full" 18, 4 and 19,4.

The gun is in great shape and has very fancy engraving, not stamped, I am not sure what I have though. Any Ideas on age, value, company history? Thanks again, Chad

Also do you have any good sites on Ithaca anything? if so could you email me at DAVIS @ sofast.net

 

[MrBen]

I have a 12 ga Matador. It obviously was made as a cheap gun, but it is a great shooter and from all I have read about it, it should be very durable.

However, some of the specs on your gun seem strange. For example, the double triggers - Matadors generally have a single selective trigger. Also, the importer's name on the top of the barrel - mine is labeled with the maker's name, Aguirre y Aranzabel. Also, mine does not have the Matador label on it anywhere, but it does have AyA on both sides of the reciever and a gold-inlayed AyA logo on the top lever.

Questions:
1. Does yours say AyA or Aguirre y Aranzabel anywhere other than on the water table?

2. Does it have a vent rib?

3. Is there a mark on the barrel flats consisting of a capital letter, either alone or with a number 1 or 2 after it? That would be a date code.

4. Do the initials DIARM appear anywhere on the gun?

I expect it is an early Matador (1955-63), in which case the date code would be between A1 and I1 (always with the number 1). However, it could conceivably have been made by DIARM out of AyA spare parts in the 1980's, in which case the date code would be around E2 through I2 (always with the number 2).

BTW, Firearms International Corp is out of business, and is not the same thing as Firearms International Inc.

 

[MrBen]

Maybe Matadors with double triggers are not that unusual after all, even though they are not listed in the Blue Book. There is a 12 ga advertised on GunsAmerica.

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976444676.htm

Don't pay much attention to that asking price. Asking prices on the internet auction sites are often unrealistic. I paid $350 for my 12 Ga Matador in like-new condition about 5 years ago.

 

[OSOK300]

I am curious what you paid for the gun. The one I am looking at sounds almost identical.

 

[37featherlite]

I have another variation of the matador that I have never seen listed, in that it has a nonselective single trigger and selective ejectors. It's the sears roebuck version marketed as the J.C. higgins model 100. no engraving whatsoever,very plain. I would guess it was a spec gun made to meet a certain sears price point. if I have read the date codes correctly, it was made around 1955. It's just a plain jane workhorse, but for the $275 i paid a few years ago, it is a nice alternative to the current crop af bottom tier sxs. seems better made than the new imports in the $300 range. it satisfied my urge to own a sxs 20 ga on the cheap.