AYA Matador
- Category
- Shotgun
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.17 kg
- Introduced
- 1955
About
What it is, and why it matters
The AYA Matador is a Spanish Anson & Deeley boxlock side-by-side double-barrelled shotgun built by Aguirre y Aranzabal of Eibar. Introduced in the mid-1950s and widely imported into the United States by Firearms International Corporation, it earned a reputation as an affordable working game gun that nonetheless offered automatic ejectors and a single non-selective trigger, features usually reserved for costlier doubles of its era. Built on a forged steel boxlock body with a walnut stock, chrome-lined double barrels and fixed chokes, it was offered most commonly in 12 gauge with 2¾-inch chambers and also in 16, 20 and 28 gauge and .410 bore.
The AYA Matador helped make the Spanish boxlock a fixture of American gun racks in the 1950s and 1960s, giving budget-minded upland hunters ejectors and a single trigger at a fraction of the price of the English doubles it imitated.
The Matador was one of the first inexpensive Spanish side-by-sides to bring automatic ejectors and a single trigger to the American budget market. A later Matador II added a beavertail forearm and, on some guns, a ventilated rib. Barrel lengths typically ran 26-30 inches with fixed improved-cylinder/modified/full choke combinations. Specifications given are for a representative 28-inch 12-gauge gun; exact weight and dimensions vary by gauge and barrel length.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Aguirre y Aranzabal S.A.L.
- Category
- Shotgun
- Country
- Spain
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1955 to 1963
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 711 mm
- Overall length
- 1143 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.17 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Break action
- Firing mechanism
- Internal hammer
- Capacity
- 2
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 400 m/s
- Effective range
- 40 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Anson deeley boxlock
Side by side barrels
Single non selective trigger
Automatic ejectors
Double barrel
Fixed chokes
2 75 inch chamber
Pistol grip stock
Engraved action
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 622 12 Gauge shotguns | 3.17 kg | 3.29 kg | Lighter than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 570 12 Gauge shotguns | 1143 mm | 1150 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 650 12 Gauge shotguns | 711 mm | 711 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 647 12 Gauge shotguns | 2 | 3 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the AYA Matador
How much does the AYA Matador weigh?
The AYA Matador weighs 3.17 kg (7.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the AYA Matador?
The AYA Matador is chambered in 12 Gauge, 16 Gauge, and 20 Gauge.
How many rounds does the AYA Matador hold?
The AYA Matador holds 2 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the AYA Matador?
The AYA Matador is 1143 mm (45.0 in) long overall, with a 711 mm (28.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the AYA Matador?
The AYA Matador is made by Aguirre y Aranzabal S.A.L. (Spain). It was designed by Aguirre y Aranzabal.
When was the AYA Matador introduced?
The AYA Matador was introduced in 1955 and discontinued in 1963.
How does the AYA Matador operate?
The AYA Matador uses a break action, and its firing mechanism is internal hammer.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/aya-matador' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "aya-matador", "name": "AYA Matador", "manufacturer": { "id": "aya", "name": "Aguirre y Aranzabal S.A.L.", "countryCode": "ES", "foundedYear": 1917, "website": "https://www.aya-fineguns.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-07-06 11:00:16", "updatedAt": "2026-07-06 11:00:16", "version": "6a4c05ed1c8fbec52652e5e2741497cb21531be28c5e55bb77458b63a5f11222" }, "category": { "id": "shotgun", "name": "Shotgun", "description": "Smoothbore firearms designed to fire shot or slugs" }, "country_of_origin": "ES", "year_introduced": 1955, "barrel_length_mm": 711, "weight_empty_g": 3175, "action_type": "break_action"}