Yildiz Wildfowler Extreme reviewed by Sporting Gun

I have to say I’ve been looking forward to reviewing the Yildiz Wildfower Extreme for quite a while.

I first met Mike Mogilnicki and the Entwistle gun team at the British Shooting Show in 2015, where they were promoting the side-by-side Wildfowler from Yildiz.

I was impressed by the build of the gun but not being keen on the two-barrel sight picture, I asked if there was ever going to be an over-and-under released. Mike told me there was something in the pipeline and I’m glad to see it’s arrived, just in time for me to look at it before the season ends.

Yildiz has stood the test of time

Yildiz was, I think, one of the first of the Turkish makers to hit our shores well over a decade ago. I admit to being a little sceptical about the quality back then. However, as a manufacturer Yildiz has stood the test of time and its guns are up there on price point in terms of quality.

Tech spec

Weight:8lb
Overall length:47¼in or 48in with extended chokes fitted
Barrel:30in
Drop to comb:40mm to 60mm
Rib:7mm
Heel to toe:130mm

Looks

The Yildiz Wildfowler Extreme comes in two options: either 28in or 30in barrel set. I might have thought about making a 32in option to keep in line with the older wildfowling guns, but the 30in set I was sent felt really nice and was very well balanced.

There was a lovely piece of high-grade walnut (which comes as standard) in the stock. As I have said before, having the best walnut in the world in your back garden really does help the Turkish manufacturers – although I’m starting to wonder how much is left out there.

• All the wood-to-metal fit was well finished with no sharp edges or burrs in sight. There were a few machine marks inside the fore-end but nothing to cause any adverse comments. The high-grade fore-end was matched nicely to the stock, too.
• The action and external metalwork 
were colour case hardened to provide 
added protection in the harsh, marsh atmosphere and it was good to see that Yildiz has chromed a lot of the internal metalwork, again to add protection.
• The gun comes in ejector or non-ejector. Who would buy a non-ejector, I hear 
you ask? A wildfowler would! The amount of time I have spent on the marsh looking for empty cases fired sideways out of the semi is quite impressive. Especially the 10g, which can travel up to 10 feet at times.
• The gun also comes with a set of seven chokes – a standard set of five flush fitting with the added bonus of two extended ½ chokes to put the heaviest steel through.
• The vented barrels were well struck from 4140 steel, bored out and chrome-lined. They were nicely finished in satin, as opposed to a blued and polished finish. You can put some hefty loads through the 3½in magnum chambers when needed down on the marsh. However, the added bonus of this over-and-under is that if you want to go for a round of clays you can put the 21g light loads through it without worrying about cycling issues, which you may expect from the heavier semi-automatic magnum guns that need at least 30g loads to work.
• The 7mm rib lined out nicely to a fibre-optic sight.

Driven day

It was a mixed day, starting on the pond with the chance of a few duck. I duly loaded up the non-lead only to watch the duck slide out to the side before the guns were in place. However, a hen pheasant lifted and duly came towards me where I missed spectacularly. This was followed shortly by another that was missed by the next Gun so I gladly took the shot, which connected. Throughout the day the gun worked well and I shot relatively accurately – for me, anyway – with some good shots followed by easy misses.

At lunch, I passed it around and all in all there was a lot of praise.

Conclusion – Yildiz Wildfower Extreme

A great gun for the money. If you’re looking for something that’ll do everything and you’re on a budget then I would look no further. This versatility is a great selling point. You can shoot a round of clays, go for a wander round the fields with the dog and take it on the marsh without worrying.

Scores on the doors

Build quality: 24/25
Handling: 24/25
Styling: 24/25
Value for money: 25/25

Price: RRP £1,075 ejector version and £925 for the non-ejector

Contact Entwistle Guns