Gun

Huglu

TURKISH DELIGHT

Richard Rawlingson suspends disbelief and tests the first ever Turkish gun to arrive in the Clay Shooting offices.

It's a Huglu. A who-lu I hear you say? Yup that's how you pronounce it; the 'g' is silent. So I suspect is my audience as they grapple with the concept of a competition gun made in Turkey. I mean it's not right is it? A bit like the Dutch playing cricket, it somehow doesn't quite fit with our preconceptions.

But preconceptions can be wrong. I remember the days when Australian wine was no more than fodder for a Monty Python sketch (with a bouquet like an aborigine's armpit) and the idea that we might rave about plonk from Chile or Bulgaria was absurd. The gun trade can be even more conservative. Once only London or Birmingham produced 'fine' guns, Liege maybe - at a pinch - while it took years for guns from Spain and Japan to become accepted. So be careful before you dismiss the Huglu out of hand - we may just be looking at the next Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon here.

The Huglu Story

It is worth looking a bit closer at the firm behind the guns, for there is an interesting story here. The name comes from the town where the guns are made, in southwest Turkey. The company was established in 1962 as a workers' co-operative, with 155 original 'shareholders'. Today it employs over 1,000 people from the town and is the largest gunmaker in Turkey, producing more than 45,000 guns each year. The output covers a broad spectrum of products, from basic single shot models through to side-by-sides, semi-automatics and a wide range of over-and-unders for field and competition use. The factory is modern and well equipped, with the latest CNC technology much in evidence. The structure of the business and the relatively low labour rates mean that they are able to produce guns at very attractive prices.

Technical Overview

Although there is a bewildering range of styles and cosmetic options available they are all based on essentially the same gun. Therefore most of the technical and construction details of the gun shown in our pictures - called the 103DE - will also apply to the rest of the range, from the basic grade costing around £750 up to the most expensive. Our test gun falls somewhere in the middle of the line up with its full coverage engraving and superior wood taking the price up to £1480.

The design has much in common with the guns built by many of the volume makers of Brescia, with the barrels pivoting on stub pins in the receiver walls and locking being effected by a full-width bolt engaging a bit below the bottom barrel, Browning style. The through lumps, which lock into slots in the receiver floor, also have a look of Browning/Miroku about them. Operating rods for the ejectors run along the floor. The ejectors themselves are spring-loaded and are neatly housed in the barrel monobloc.

Remove the stock and a very clean and simple action is revealed. The sears hang from the top strap along with the barrel selector and safety mechanism, while the hammers pivot from the bottom. They are powered by substantial looking coil springs. All the visible parts are nicely finished and there is evidence of a certain amount of hand fitting. Partly responsible for the simple appearance is the fact that the trigger is a mechanical system, so there is no inertia block taking up space. Huglu clearly have confidence both in their design and their quality control because each gun carries a ten-year warranty. Among its terms is a pledge to replace the gun with a brand new one should the same fault occur twice or a gun require attention under warranty four or more times. You can't say fairer than that.

The barrels are up to scratch for a gun in this price range, free of undue bulges and ripples. The bores are bright chrome finished while the outside surfaces are finished in matt black chrome and should therefore be hard wearing. The bores measured .730 and .731 on my barrel gauge, as near to 'standard' 12-bore as makes no difference. The factory has also gone for longish forcing cones of around 3 inches.

The top rib is raised and ventilated, 9mm parallel on our gun and given a plain cross-cut finish. The mid rib is solid in the section covered by the fore end and ventilated from there to the muzzles. The chambers are 70mm as standard on competition guns, although 76mm (3") can be specified if required. The test gun has 32" tubes, with 28" and 30" as alternative options.

Cosmetics

As all of you who saw the guns on display at the Classic Festival will attest, the guns are quite striking, especially the higher grades. One of the main selling points is the factory's ability to mix and match from its extensive list of options to give you the look you require. Six different basic stock shapes for example are offered on the over-and-under and you can pick your required fore end shape.

The catalogue shows four distinct styling groups for the receiver: standard, fancy back, with a bevelled side panel (as in the photographs) and sideplate. On to this can be put your choice of engraving. Sixteen patterns are shown and there are further variations. There is no doubting the Middle Eastern influence in many of the styles, with bold scrollwork predominant and some dramatic gold inlay designs also figuring on higher grade work.

The dramatic designs of the engraving are highlighted by the choice of a bright brushed ground to the receiver, some would say too bright. Certainly for average British taste I would say that something a little more subdued might do better. There are no quibbles however with the quality of the execution. The detailing - so often a weak spot on lesser Italian guns for example - cannot be criticised, with the engraving carried over onto all the minor metalwork and a very high standard of wood to metal fit maintained throughout. I found a slight overrun of the barrel black chrome onto the monobloc as the only blemish of any significance. The bloc itself is given a handsome engine-turned finish, which is typical of the standards set.

With much of the gun trade's walnut now being sourced from Turkey, you would expect an indigenous maker to have access to some decent timber and the stock on our test gun is potentially a very handsome piece of wood. I say potentially because it will require some input from the new owner to reveal it in its full glory. The factory has left it rather dry and open-grained, as we see so often these days on less expensive guns. The time and effort required to produce a top quality oil finish does not fit in with tight margins and fast turn around. Put the effort in though with some proprietary finishing oil and a thing of beauty should emerge. The chequering is reasonably fine at about 26 lines per inch but showed a few overruns under the glass if you want to be really picky.

On Test

Importer Ian Huggins had obviously decided to test my shooting skills to the full by providing a test gun in fixed choke form, with chokes marked ¾ and full. Needless to say that multi-choke versions are available. As a result all I can tell you about pattern quality is that if I hit it, it disappeared!

My first reaction on picking up the gun was how well balanced it felt, despite its overall weight of around 3.9 kg (8½lbs) and those long barrels. On the scales they weighed a fairly hefty 1700 grams, but with the fixed chokes and ventilated front section it would appear that the bulk of that weight is contained back between the hands. Even with those 32" tubes you would still describe the balance as only slightly muzzle heavy.

That carried forward into the actual shooting, with handling that was controlled and steady but never ponderous. I found the gun flowed very sweetly once on the move, making short work of some tricky flat quartering targets that are always a good test of a gun's handling characteristics.

I also loved the grip, one of the best I have encountered on a sporting model for some time. I know that grip shape is a very personal thing so you will just have to bear with me on this one, but I thought it was near perfect. The radius was not too tight and there is generous clearance ahead of the nose of the comb. I find the nose on many current guns digs into the base of my thumb and indeed have had the grip totally reshaped on my own gun, so this is rare praise.

On the downside the stock has too much meat through the comb area for my taste - although the actual dimensions are excellent - and I suspect this was the major cause of a slightly bruised cheek. I also did not think much of the aggressive trap-style recoil pad, although this is easily remedied and can be supplied however you want it. I liked however the fluting on the fore end which is placed so that your thumb drops neatly into it. Making stocks to order is also all part of the service from Huglu, so you can have pretty much what you want.

Mechanically the gun worked well with no obvious faults to report. The trigger is excellent, with just a slight amount of free play followed by a very crisp pull. It measured a very nice 3¾ lbs for both barrels on my gauge, confirming the positive feelings out on the shooting ground.

Summary

This is not the ending that I anticipated writing when I first heard about these guns. I feared that my diplomatic skills might be taxed to the limit by a gun not up to Western standards. Far from it; indeed I believe the Huglu will stand comparison with any gun in the sub-£1500 market and more than hold its own. Equipped with sensible choking and a decent recoil pad I could quite happily envisage shooting our test gun in a competition next Sunday and that has to be seen as a real success for this company that nobody had heard of until a few months ago.

Now if you'll excuse me I have a nice bottle of Argentinian Merlot that requires my undivided attention!

For more information contact Huglu Sportique 01372 451040