I'm planning a trip to Europe and I would like to spend some time looking at real nice guns.

Can anyone give me some leads to the best gunshops in Spain & France?

Thanks - and I hope the Euro keeps crashing!

OWD

Hello OWD,

A friend's friend (Jacky BRUSSON) owns this gunshop: http://www.armureriejeannot.com/

He is a Liege trained gunsmith and the French agent for Holland & Holland, amongst
other things. Says he has over 400 guns in stock. Should be worth a visit.

JC

P.S.: Euro supposed to go down to 1.25 soon.jc

In Spain , Madrid, Diana Viaji ( google them)
In the basque region, you have the gun makers, always worth considering if you're in that region.

France, Paris
http://www.armurerie-elysees.com/
Marc.

Thanks for the info. Those places are now on the list.

My fiance will be shocked when our travels magically take us right by those shops.

Are there any shops in Spain or France that are highly regarded for having a wide selection of high-quality used stuff?

I would love to check out guns from old Euro makers that we rarely see over here.

Thanks again,

OWD

These are the one I know in Spain:
http://armeriataradell.com/
http://www.club-caza.com/servicios/armas/argalicat.asp?cz=EscopetasParalelas&m=Escopetas
Marc.

Gregg:

I know you will enjoy your trip. I do not think you see any great bargins. Generally you will see lots of 12 ga guns, but very few small bores gun.

Also, generally you need to buy several guns to off set the import costs. I never ship less that 4-5 guns minium


John Boyd

I was wandering through the old city part of Strasburg and came upon a very nice high end gun store. Lots of big money guns but the lady spoke no english and I no french so it was a visual experience only.
bill

My information is a little dated but if you are in Paris here is where I used to go:
Laurent Gilbert of Centrale du Fusil d'Occasion
Alex, bld de Courcelles. (www.armuriealex.com)
H&H Avenue Victor Hugo,
Armurerie Jeannot à Levallois (next to Paris and Neuilly) has already been mentioned
Armes Bastille: in particular if you like German/Austrian guns
Armurerie de la Tour Eiffel, Avenue de la Bourdonnais

If you go to Rennes, visit Armurerie & Coutellerie de Bretagne, not the biggest shop and not a great deal of old doubles, but the owner is a good friend of mine. www.armes-et-couteaux.com

while in Paris, visit the French National Hunting museum
http://www.chassenature.org/site_musee/musee-home.html

If you go through Munich, the German National Hunting Museum is also a great visit.

I would second the Hunting Museum, its well worth a visit!

Cool. Thanks for the tips.

I doubt I'll be buying anything. Importing, etc, is too much of a pain, and I doubt I'll find any real bargains (unless the Euro goes to parity).

I'm mainly interested in seeing the Continental makers whose stuff rarely makes it over here.

OWD

Hi OWD,

Don't know if Switzerland is included in your itinerary, but this "gunshop" in Geneva is really worth visiting!

JC

P.S.:If you were to visit Paul Bocuse's restaurant in Lyon you would be less that two hours away from Geneva, ;-)

Alo recommended is the bookstore Librarie Montbel, its the nicest hunting bookstore in Paris. Has a good selection of English language used hunting books, many beautiful coffee table style books related to hunting and weapons, and also many DVDs, etc.

http://www.montbel.com/boutique/liste_rayons.cfm

I was just in Paris briefly on business, and it looked like Centrale De Fusil D'occasion. (69 Rue Grenelle 75007 Paris) was going out of business—from the window, it appeared that there was exceptionally low inventory. Unfortunately, they were not open. I hope that there is nothing wrong—I very much enjoy stopping in.

Bonne Année

Berrien

Just back from Madrid and Diana had the usual Spanish makers on display. Also, lots of attractive finery for the sportsperson. Do check on shop hours in Europe; Diana was closed from 2-5pm. There is a great pub right across the street and they serve a very nice lunch.

If you have any interest in leather gun cases, boots, shell bags, etc., Spain is fantastic. I can highly reccommend Ruiz Ripiero in the village of Las Ventas, about an hour out of Madrid near Toledo.

Best,

C.

Ah that's too bad. I always stop there when I'm in Paris. There are many other good places but it's sad to see one go. I still haven't recovered from the closing of Gastinne Rennet.
nial

Best in Paris is Club Interchasse. I was just there a few months ago. Highly recommmened.

Gastinne Renette is a magic name in French guns, but they speak absolutely no English there, so bone up on the conversational French beforehand

OWD,

You're absolutely right about some the guns that were never offered/sold to the US.




Like this pair of AYA "Senior" #1s (available as self-openers or standard). These were built on a Beesley type action with tight Purdey-style scroll (normal #1 models are built on H&H actions). Ugartechea also offered a Beesley sidelock.








This a copy of a Purdey hammer gun from Ugartechea (Model 1021).




Or this express rifle from Victor Sarasqueta



And another...


Another offering from V. Sarasqueta.... a Woodward sidelock over/under.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I would love to know more about the Woodward O/U made by Victor Sarasqueta, looks like a heck of a gun

VERY few made it stateside.... I've only seen one offered for sale here. It was several years ago on Gunsamerica and it sold for $7K or $8K. Nice looking gun for sure!