doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Guyot shotguns

I own a Guyot SxS made in the 1930's. I never see Guyot boxlocks advertised or talked about. Think French Purdy.

Mine is a fine example with profuse engraving and high condition overall. It is not a field gun. I am just wondering if anyone has seen these, as they don't seem to be common...but quality.

Mike

You bring back memories. Homeless Joe used to spell Purdey the same way. I told him they also make fine paint brushes. Anyhow legendary member Lowell Glenthorne from Glenthorne Woods aka Thorny used to own one before he moved on to Frederick Beesley British double. The only thing he complained about was how little he got for that fine French game gun with Paris? proof marks. Other than that he had nothing bad to say about it.

Adverts give the concern was founded in 1868((MAISON FOND�E EN 1868) & it was active till @ least the 1950s. All examples I've seen reeked of quality.


Kind Regards,


Raimey
rse

Little Creek-

Any pics of your gun? I've seen all sorts of Guyots - plain boxlocks, sideplated boxlocks, sidelocks, hammerguns - but I've never found much info on the maker/makers.

All the Guyots I've seen have been very well made. On the sidelocks I've seen, as close to a British best as most continental stuff gets.

OWD

Guyot seems to have been highly esteemed by live pigeon shots back when the sport was in its heyday, and was among the dozen or so of names whose guns won matches.

Add to that the obscure gunmakers, Georges Granger, Henri Guichard and others built by French masters for the French customer to be used by the French sportsman in France and kept with in the family being handed down generation after generation. No wonder few have heard of them outside of France.

Check the 4th column "Foreign Pigeon Shooting"
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1895/VOL_26_NO_12/SL2612011.pdf

5th column under "Trigger"
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/SportingLife/1890/VOL_15_NO_05/SL1505014.pdf

For those with bad eyes.



"The victorious guns this season so far have been the Scott among amateurs. Beginning in October, the Riverton team all shot with Scott guns, and the highest score, 49 out of 50, was made with one.

Mr. Dolan shot two matches soon after with Mr. Oakley Thorne, winning both. He soon after shot against Dr. Knapp, but lost the match, the Doctor doing the best piece of shooting I have ever seen; his score, 86 out of 100, was magnificent. He shot with a Guyot (French) gun and handled it to perfection. This was one lost for Scott.

Soon after we had our match, or three matches, and I was fortunate enough to win all, which brought Scott up to six wins and one lost. At Tuxedo during two days' shoot sweep- stakes Scott won again, but soon after Dr. Knapp won a match against Mr. Randolph, the Doctor using his French gun and Mr. Randolph a Scott.


At the Cartaret shoot Mr. Dando won first with a Scott, second and third being divided between Scott and Purdy, while fourth was won with a Scott. At Larchinont Mr. Dolan beat Mr. Brokaw, the latter shooting a Gnyot. March 14 the Larchmout Cup was shot for, ,nd here the winning team used Scott guns. Mr. Thorn shot a 100-bird race with Mr. Randolph, using a Francotte gun and winning; Mr. Randolph handled a Scott.

Nearly all our amateurs shoot Scott guns because they are very reliable, seldom get out of order and stand the wear and tear as well, if not better than any on the market. Their ten bores until very recently were shot by professionals all over the country at pigeon matches, so no matter where one would go one would hear of the Scott guns.

One of the best team matches shot for a long time took plaee at Riverton last Wednesday, and was won by representatives of the Riverton Gun Club. Dr. Knapp and Mr. Chauncey Floyd-Jones represented New York; Mr. H. Yale Dolau aud P. S. Randolph, Philadelphia. The shooting began at 11:30 and lasted four hours and a half. Mr. Randolph lead off and did eome bcautful work, killing his first thirty straight, missed an incomer, killed the next, then a miss followed by fifteen straight, two misses on very hard drivers; sixteen straight was next scored in his favor.

These were his best runs. He was in fine form. His 15th bird was a very hard driver, also 17,19, 22, 23, 24, 2o'; 27. The 30th was a very rapid incomer, which he scored with his second barrel. He killed all out of his first 20, 18 out of the second 20; 18 out of third 16 out of fourth and 17 out ot the last 20, making a total of SO killed and 11 missed. Mr. H. Y'ale Dolan, Randolph's partner, shot very well. He had the hardest birds of the day. He started off by killing his first bird, missed the second, ran fifteen straight, and at another time during the match he ran 28 straight. He scored 18 out of the first 20, 17 out of the second, killed all in his third 20, 16 out of the fourth 20, and 17 of his last 20, making a total of 83 killed and 12 missed just one behind his partner.


Mr. Chauncey Floyd-Jones shot first for the New York team. He has been very sick, but did extremely well and hud his partner but held his end up it would have been a very exciting match. He scored 18 out ot the first 20,1C out of the second, 19 out of the third, 17 out of the fourth, and 1G out of the last 20, making a total of So' killed and 14 missed. Dr. Knapp was off. He made some beautiful shots, but was not near his usual form He scored Ib'out of his first 20, 14 out of the second, 14 out of the third, 16 out of the fourth and 17 out of his last 20. Total, 77 killed and 23 missed.

No one will ever forget the last fifteen birds of the match between Dolan, Randolph and Floyd-Jones. They were tie for quite a little while, Floyd-Jones shooting well, but Randolph let a couple off, and which enabled Floyd-Jones aud Dolan to catch up to him. But Randolph soon got the lead again which he held to the end. The birds were all good, strong flyers and not one was called of-the 400 shot at. What little wind there was was aguinst the birds, but nevertheless it took shooting to make the scores of today."




"At Tuxedo during two days' shoot sweep- stakes Scott won again, but soon after Dr. Knapp won a match against Mr. Randolph, the Doctor using his French gun and Mr. Randolph a Scott."

"At the Cartaret shoot Mr. Dando won first with a Scott, second and third being divided between Scott and Purdy, while fourth was won with a Scott. At Larchinont Mr. Dolan beat Mr. Brokaw, the latter shooting a Guyot."

It's marketing, pure and simple. London was the centre of the British Empire and THE reason for the Empire was commerce. Raw goods from the colonies, finished goods to the colonies.

The French were not outward looking in the same way. They had a vibrant small arms industry and a vibrant small arms market, all within the confines of their borders. 950,000 Manufrance Robusts made. How many show up on our shores? Compare that number to the Parker, Fox, Ithaca, Smith and Remington production numbers. And that was just one model.

Its quite similar to the relative rarity of classic American SxS to be found currently in any part of Europe or England. Those guns were produced for the home market. Conversely in England, export markets, in particular America were a very important component of the business plan.

They are obscure to us. Probably not to French sportsmen.