AYA
No. 4
An Anson & Deeley boxlock ejector for game shooting
No. 4 · UKNº4/53 · UKNo. 4 Deluxe · US
Overview
The AYA No. 4 is an Anson & Deeley boxlock ejector for game shooting.1, 2 The Nº4/53 has a straight-hand walnut stock, light scroll engraving and a concave rib.2
The No. 4 has a replaceable hinge pin, disc-set firing pins and double triggers.2 Its ejectors use Southgate over-centre cam work.3 The De Luxe adds rose and scroll engraving, grade 1 walnut and a gold initial oval, while the RA has rounded action contours.4, 5
Specifications
20-bore
| Hinge | Replaceable hinge pin6, 7 |
|---|---|
| Locking | Double locking mechanism6, 7 |
| Lockwork | Anson & Deeley boxlock6, 7 |
| Trigger | Double triggers; De Luxe has an articulated front trigger6, 7 |
| Ejectors | Southgate over-centre cam ejectors6, 7 |
| Made in | Eibar, Spain8 |
| Introduced | by 19859, 10 |
| Bore | 20-bore |
| Chambers | 70 mm (2¾ in) |
| Barrels | 28 in |
| Chokes | ¼ and ½; fixed |
Specifications
| Configuration | Bore | Chambers | Barrels, in | Fore-end | Grade | Choke system | Years | Weight | Markets | Stock | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Deluxe; test gun11 | 20-bore | 70 mm (2¾ in) | 28 | Anson button release | No. 4 Deluxe; test gun | ¼ and ½; fixed | 2016 | Straight grip; Anson button release fore-end; 381 mm pull | Colour case hardened; scalloped action; Scroll engraving | ||
| Nº4/5313, 10 | 12-bore | Nº4/53 | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 2 | ||||||
| Nº4/5313, 10 | 16-bore | Nº4/53 | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 2 | ||||||
| Nº4/5313, 10 | 20-bore | Nº4/53 | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 2 | ||||||
| Nº4/5313, 10 | 28-bore | Nº4/53 | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 2 | ||||||
| Nº4/5313, 10 | .410 | Nº4/53 | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 2 | ||||||
| Nº4 De Luxe14, 10 | 12-bore | 28 | Nº4 De Luxe | 2015 | 3.062 kg (6 lb 12 oz; catalogue, 28 in) | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Rose and scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | ||||
| Nº4 De Luxe14, 10 | 16-bore | 28 | Nº4 De Luxe | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Rose and scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | |||||
| Nº4 De Luxe14, 10 | 20-bore | 28 | Nº4 De Luxe | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Rose and scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | |||||
| Nº4 De Luxe14, 10 | 28-bore | 28 | Nº4 De Luxe | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Rose and scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | |||||
| Nº4 De Luxe14, 10 | .410 | 28 | Nº4 De Luxe | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Rose and scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | |||||
| Nº4 RA15, 10 | 12-bore | Nº4 RA | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | ||||||
| Nº4 RA15, 10 | 16-bore | Nº4 RA | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | ||||||
| Nº4 RA15, 10 | 20-bore | Nº4 RA | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | ||||||
| Nº4 RA15, 10 | 28-bore | Nº4 RA | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | ||||||
| Nº4 RA15, 10 | .410 | Nº4 RA | 2015 | Straight grip | Colour hardened, old silver or white action; Light scroll engraving; wood grade 1 | ||||||
| Nº4 L16, 10 | 12-bore | 28 | Nº4 L | 2015 | Straight grip | Old silver action; Floral and scroll engraving | |||||
| Nº4 L16, 10 | 16-bore | 28 | Nº4 L | 2015 | Straight grip | Old silver action; Floral and scroll engraving | |||||
| Nº4 L16, 10 | 20-bore | 28 | Nº4 L | 2015 | Straight grip | Old silver action; Floral and scroll engraving | |||||
| Nº4 L16, 10 | 28-bore | 28 | Nº4 L | 2015 | Straight grip | Old silver action; Floral and scroll engraving | |||||
| No. 4 Deluxe17, 10 | 12-bore | 26, 27, 28 | Classic | No. 4 Deluxe | Improved cylinder / modified or modified / full | 1985 | US | Straight grip; Classic fore-end | Colour case hardened action | ||
| No. 4 Deluxe17, 10 | 20-bore | 26, 27, 28 | Classic | No. 4 Deluxe | Improved cylinder / modified or modified / full | 1985 | US | Straight grip; Classic fore-end | Colour case hardened action | ||
| No. 4 Deluxe17, 10 | 28-bore | 26, 27, 28 | Classic | No. 4 Deluxe | Improved cylinder / modified or modified / full | 1985 | US | Straight grip; Classic fore-end | Colour case hardened action | ||
| No. 4 Deluxe17, 10 | .410 | 26, 27, 28 | Classic | No. 4 Deluxe | Improved cylinder / modified or modified / full | 1985 | US | Straight grip; Classic fore-end | Colour case hardened action | ||
| Game | |||||||||||
| Game18, 10 | .410 | 76 mm (3 in) | 28 | Splinter | No. 4; test gun | ¼ and ½; fixed | 2022 | 2.381 kg (5 lb 4 oz; measured, 28 in) | UK | Splinter fore-end; 381 mm pull | Colour case hardened action; Border scroll and floral motifs engraving |
Scroll for more columns.
Identify and date
The No. 3 shares the Anson & Deeley boxlock pattern but lacks ejectors.1 The No. 2 has sidelock plates and gold-lined cocking indicators.19 The No. 4's replaceable hinge pin distinguishes it from the fixed-pin Webley & Scott 700.3
Spanish proof marks appear on essential parts, including the barrels and breech closure.20 The tested Deluxe 20-bore carries 70 mm and 1370 BAR proof information, with 15.8 marked as the bore diameter in both barrels.21 A symbol on smoothbore barrels records the year of proof.22 In Eibar's official table, A1 stands for 1955, A2 for 1981 and A*3 for 2007.23
| Where | Markings |
|---|---|
| Barrels and breech closure | Spanish proof marks24 |
| Smoothbore barrels | Symbol for the year of proof25 |
Proof date
The 1979 regulation requires smoothbore barrels to carry a symbol for the year of proof. Later codes in the official table carry an asterisk, as in A*1, and the first series includes CH, LL and Ñ.22, 23
Before you buy
- Measure the chokes and match them to your shooting; a used-gun review describes No. 4s as fairly tightly choked.26
- Have both ejectors demonstrated.
- Ask a specialist to assess barrel straightness, bore dimensions and wall thickness.
- Check that the stock fits you; the Deluxe 20-bore tested had a 15-inch pull and 2½-inch drop at heel.27
- Read the gun's own chamber length: the Deluxe 20-bore tested has 70 mm chambers, while the .410 tested has three-inch chambers.21, 28
- Inspect the stock for cracks, the action for looseness and the gun for fundamental alterations.29

History
The King brothers brought a Westley Richards Anson & Deeley boxlock to AYA as a pattern for its British range.30 Their work helped establish the No. 4 and No. 4 De Luxe alongside the firm's sidelocks.30 In the US, Gun Digest's 1985 annual lists the No. 4 Deluxe.31, 32
AYA's 2015 centenary catalogue lists the Nº4/53, De Luxe, RA and L.33, 2, 4, 5, 34 The RA has a round action, while the L carries floral and scroll engraving.5, 34 Shooting Times reported in 2022 that the No. 4 remained in production.1
Sources
- Shooting Times: AYA's British history and numbered models, no3-no4-and-yeoman. Shooting Times / ShootingUK, 2022-10-31. magazine · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, no4-53. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- Sporting Gun: AYA No. 4 .410 test, design-origins. Sporting Gun / ShootingUK, 2022-06-15. magazine · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, no4-de-luxe. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, no4-ra. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, pp. 12–13, No4-53; No4 De Luxe. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- Sporting Gun: AYA No. 4 .410 test, Design origins. Sporting Gun / ShootingUK, 2022-06-15. magazine · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, Revival and Otaola; British models. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- Gun Digest 1985: AYA XXV BL/SL and No. 4 Deluxe US listings, page 385, p. 385, Edition citation; No4 Deluxe listing. Gun Digest; court compendium hosted by Michel & Associates, 1984. book · Archive
- Shooting Times: AYA's British history and numbered models, No3 No4 and Yeoman. Shooting Times / ShootingUK, 2022-10-31. magazine · Archive
- Gun Mart: AYA No 4 Deluxe in 20 bore, Test configuration; Barrels and proof; Stock and fore-end; Specification table. Gun Mart, 2016-12-13. magazine · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, p. 12, No4-53. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, No4-53. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, No4 De Luxe. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, No4 RA. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, p. 15, No4 L. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- Gun Digest 1985: AYA XXV BL/SL and No. 4 Deluxe US listings, page 385, p. 385, No4 Deluxe listing; Edition citation. Gun Digest; court compendium hosted by Michel & Associates, 1984. book · Archive
- Sporting Gun: AYA No.4 .410 barrel and stock specifications, Test weight and action; Barrels; Stock. Sporting Gun / ShootingUK, 2022-06-15. magazine · Archive
- AYA No. 2: introduction, relationship to No. 1 and specifications, standard-features. Aguirre y Aranzabal. maker website · Archive
- Spain: portable firearms proof regulation, 19 February 1979, mark-locations. Boletín Oficial del Estado / Ministerio de Defensa, 1979-02-19. proof house · Archive
- Gun Mart: AYA No 4 Deluxe in 20 bore, barrels-and-proof. Gun Mart, 2016-12-13. magazine · Archive
- Spain: portable firearms proof regulation, 19 February 1979, date-symbol-on-barrels. Boletín Oficial del Estado / Ministerio de Defensa, 1979-02-19. proof house · Archive
- BOPE: official letter and year table, code-table. Banco Oficial de Pruebas de Eibar. proof house · Archive
- Spain: portable firearms proof regulation, 19 February 1979, Mark locations. Boletín Oficial del Estado / Ministerio de Defensa, 1979-02-19. proof house · Archive
- Spain: portable firearms proof regulation, 19 February 1979, Date symbol on barrels. Boletín Oficial del Estado / Ministerio de Defensa, 1979-02-19. proof house · Archive
- ShootingUK: AYA No.4 and used all-round rivals, webley-and-no4. ShootingUK, 2012-10-24. magazine · Archive
- Gun Mart: AYA No 4 Deluxe in 20 bore, stock-and-fore-end. Gun Mart, 2016-12-13. magazine · Archive
- Sporting Gun: AYA No.4 .410 barrel and stock specifications, barrels. Sporting Gun / ShootingUK, 2022-06-15. magazine · Archive
- ShootingUK: AYA No.4 and used all-round rivals, inspection. ShootingUK, 2012-10-24. magazine · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, british-models. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- Gun Digest 1985: AYA XXV BL/SL and No. 4 Deluxe US listings, page 385, no4-deluxe-listing. Gun Digest; court compendium hosted by Michel & Associates, 1984. book · Archive
- Gun Digest 1985: AYA XXV BL/SL and No. 4 Deluxe US listings, page 385, edition-citation. Gun Digest; court compendium hosted by Michel & Associates, 1984. book · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, centenary. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, no4-l. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive
- AYA centenary catalogue: history and model specifications, p. 14, No4 RA. Aguirre y Aranzabal, 2015. maker catalogue · Archive