aaaaSome months ago I read an article in the British publication Clay Shooting about the Huglu shotgun manufactured in Turkey. I had never heard of the gun before. The article was written by Richard Rawlingson, Clay Shooting's editor, so I read it. Mr. Rawlingson is a no-nonsense, straight-arrow kind of guy. If your product isn't up-to-snuff, he will tell you. If it's good, he'll tell you that, too.
aaaaAs I was reading the article, I realized he was saying some very nice things about the Huglu. Curiosity led me to the internet to find out more about this shotgun I had never heard of before. To my delight, I found the website of Huglu USA and its operator, Mark DeHaan, in Rigby, Idaho.
aaaaI phoned Mark, and we agreed to meet at the S.H.O.T. Show in New Orleans, where I could look over the complete line of side-by-side, over & under and automatic shotguns manufactured by Huglu. We decided it would be a good idea for me to take a gun home to test. I chose one of the less expensive over & unders, a combination field/sporting clays model with single selective trigger and screw-in choke tubes - the U2E.

You're looking at the U2, a less expensive over & under that is a combination field/sporting clays model with single selective trigger and screw-in chokes…lots of bang for your buck!

aaaaI did some research on the manufacturer. To my surprise, I found out Huglu is one of the largest shotgun manufacturers in Europe and the Near East, producing over 45,000 shotguns per year. They range from inexpensive over & unders, side-by-sides and autoloaders to high-grade over & unders and side-by-sides. Huglu produces two distinct lines of shotguns. One is sold in Africa, the Near, Middle and Far East and the Balkans. This is a low-price line of guns that does extremely well in these and other countries. The higher-quality premium line, which Huglu USA is importing, is sold primarily in Europe and the United States.
aaaaThe first things that strike you are the quality look of the guns and the very reasonable prices. The low prices are possible because Huglu is a cooperative. It was established in 1962 with 155 original shareholders. The use of modern CNC machinery and the low cost of labor in the city of Huglu also help keep prices at bargain levels.
aaaaHuglu employs over 1,000 craftsmen in a modern factory of over 35,000 square feet. There is a sizeable cottage industry supporting the main production facility. The plant is also an outsourcing facility for European gun manufacturers, making parts for some of the most respected names in Europe under subcontract.
aaaaAll Huglu receivers are CNC machined out of a solid block of heat-treated C1040 steel, as are the monoblocs. The over & under monoblocs are jeweled - a nice touch. Barrels are grade C1060 carbon steel and are heat-treated to a hardness of 24 HRC. There were no bulges or ripples evident on the barrels of my sample gun. They were smooth and uniform. Barrels are available from 26" to 30" in the hunting and sporting models and up to 32" on the trap model. All Huglu shotguns have 3" chambers and long forcing cones, including the 16 and 28-gauge models. The barrels on the U2E I tested were 27-3/4". The over & unders all have vented top ribs. Side ribs are solid up to the front of the forearm and then vented to the muzzle.
aaaaI was ambivalent about the matte-black chrome finish on the barrels, despite the fact it was well done. Mark DeHaan told me future imports will probably have polished blued barrels. Huglu USA is collecting feedback on American tastes and preferences, and DeHaan is planning a trip to Turkey to talk about the American market with Huglu executives.

The S2E is a single-trigger side-by-side offering that takes a traditional approach with its handsome engraving.

aaaaThe over & under is a boxlock and uses a cross between the Boss bifurcated-lump design and the Browning chopper-lump design. While the lumps are bifurcated, a la Boss, they go through the bottom of the receiver floor like on the Browning. The barrels pivot on stub pins in the receiver wall like on the Boss but are locked by a full-width bolt just below the bottom barrel, as on the Browning. The receiver is shallower than the Browning's by 1/8" but deeper than a true Boss design would be. It looks to be a very sturdy setup.
aaaaThe U2E I ran through tests seemed to place the bottom barrel more in the palm of my hand than my usual gun. This may have been because of the Schnabel forearm (my gun has a beavertail forearm) or that 1/8" depth difference made it feel that way. It just may be a combination of both. No matter, it was very comfortable to shoot and felt right. I liked it.
aaaaThe boxlock side-by-sides use the double-bite chopper-lump system and a crossbolt through the barrel extension. It is one strong-looking setup. I'd say you would have a hard time shooting a Huglu side-by-side loose. They are available in 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauge. Receivers are scaled to the gauge.
aaaaThe over & unders and side-by-sides are available with single or double mechanical triggers. The triggers on my U2E released at almost 4 pounds. Trigger pull was crisp, with no creep or slack. The over & under ejectors are spring-loaded and housed in the barrel monobloc. They are very strong, as I found out. When you shoot a Huglu, watch out for the guy next to you!
aaaaThe action is clean and simple. The sears hang from the top strap, along with the barrel selector and manual safety mechanism. The trigger group is not removable. The hammers are bottom-pivoting and are driven by a pair of substantial-looking coil springs. All visible parts were well-machined and easy to get at for replacement or cleaning. Huglu engineers definitely believe in the "KISS" system.
aaaaWood-to-metal fit was very good on the U2E and even better on the higher-priced models I inspected at the S.H.O.T. Show. As you would expect from a gun made in Turkey, the wood was above average for any comparably priced gun. In fact, the most expensive Huglu I looked at, the U3EL priced at $2,895, had wood equivalent to a very pricey Perazzi I drooled over in New Orleans. The checkering was sharp on the U2E, but there were some overruns into the border. That was not present on the higher-priced models, as you would expect. The over & unders have either a beavertail or Schnabel forend.
aaaaFit and finish was very good. Most of the models were completely covered by very nice hand engraving. The U2E receiver had no spot untouched by the engraver's tool. Many engraving patterns are available, and all are well done; some had a Middle Eastern flare. A few models had black-matte receivers, but most had engraved chrome-white finishes.

If blued receivers hit your hot button, the U1E over & under with its classic looks and engraving is the Huglu for you.

aaaaThe top lever and safety switch on my test gun were castings and left a little to be desired. I hope this will be corrected on future models. The gun was so well done in every other respect, it was a surprise to have these two, very visible parts not machined. I showed the Huglu to a shooting companion, Doug Costello, and he was impressed by it, especially the price. Doug owns some very nice high-grade guns, including a pretty little 28-gauge Perugini-Visini, so it takes a lot to impress him.
aaaaMost models are available with either fixed or screw-in choke tubes. The choke-tube guns come with five chokes: cylinder, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified and full. Additional chokes are available from Huglu USA.
aaaaI decided to shoot some skeet doubles at Waukesha Gun Club on Saturday, then meet Doug and my favorite gunsmith, Dennis Potter, for a round of sporting clays on Sunday. Not having a skeet choke, I screwed the true cylinder bore choke tube on the lower barrel and improved cylinder for the second shot in the top barrel. After I remembered how to hit the high-house birds, I did pretty well. The improved cylinder choke really crushed the second bird, and the true cylinder choke did good work on the first bird. The U2E had excellent balance. I think it would be even better with 30" barrels.
aaaaI let Doug shoot it on Sunday at sporting clays where, unlike skeet, the gun is not premounted. The stock was a little too long for me to shoot low-gun. Doug was high gun on the squad and said he enjoyed shooting the Huglu. What's not to like if you are top gun on the squad?!
aaaaBetween rounds, the Huglu attracted a lot of attention just sitting in the clubhouse gun rack, mostly because of its brightly engraved finish. Once the shooters got past that, they were impressed by the quality look of the gun. When they heard the price, they were very impressed with the dollar value.

A purpose-dedicated stackbarrel, the U4E is available in two versions - Sporting or Trap - and yes, the adjustable comb is standard!

aaaaHuglu USA has been selling guns on the internet direct to buyers through licensed dealers and gunsmiths. DeHaan went to the S.H.O.T. Show to start a dealer network and was very successful in signing up quite a few. He lists the dealer names and locations on his website www.DHshotguns.com . You can view the entire line of Huglu USA products at that site.
aaaaHuglu over & unders are priced from $345 for the UO field model with double triggers, extractors, light engraving and five chokes to $2,895 for the top-of-the-line U3EL. Some over & under models are available in 12 gauge to .410 bore. Others are available in 12 and 20 gauge only. All receivers are scaled to the gauge. The top-of-the-line U3EL has a single selective trigger, autoejectors, elaborate engraving, engraved skeleton butt plate, five choke tubes and all the other bells and whistles you would expect on a top-of-the-line shotgun. The competition guns are very reasonably priced at $995 for the U4E Trap and $1,335 for the U4E Sporting Clays model. The U4E Sporting Clays comes with an adjustable comb as standard equipment. The Sporting Clays and Trap models are built in 12 gauge only. The side-by-sides are priced from $580 for the SO model with straight English stock, double triggers, extractors, light engraving and five choke tubes to $2,995 for the S3EL model with sideplates and elaborate engraving. Huglu manufactures two gas-operated autoloaders. The AU1 is matte-black chromed and is priced at $299. The AU1 Mariner has a silvered rust-resistant finish and is priced at $315.click here for current price list
aaaaWhen you test a gun for only a few weeks, it's hard to tackle the question of durability. No one can knock the semi-Boss design of the Huglu; it's sturdy. The materials are up to par, and the workmanship is good. I have heard nothing but complimentary things about the Huglus out of Europe, where they have been shooting them for quite some time. As far as I can tell, a Huglu should stand up for years. This is one gun you may never have heard of before that you should definitely find out about!