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.
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.
