doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 16ga Double Barrel St. Etienne, Need help

With due respect, this has nothing to do with a Robust.
It is a typical trade gun which were very common between the wars.
The Robust has sleeved barrels, a different third grip, a different forend attachment, no side clips and on and on. It would be marked either Costo or Robust, and the barrel flat markings would be quite different.
This gun looks like an "Helice" to me but one would need to see the breech face to know better. It's impossible to know who made it.
It was proved finished indeed, which is not too common.
It's a good looking gun however, and very typical.
Best regards,
WC

Points taken - but it sure looks like my Robust and Costo - I mean at least the forging that the receiver was made from.

Sold one just like it for $400. Looks like we're all in agreement on this one.

Well I got one thing right !

Hey, it's already older than most of us and still going strong. It appears a good solid gun (I like the carved fences) and properly cared for it will give years of hunting and shooting enjoyment. These guns carry well and the swamped rib is, IMHO, a real help when it comes to shooting game.

I'd stick with the lighter loads and possibly spreaders if the chokes come back tight and haven't already been messed with. Heavy loads will beat up the wood needlessly. Cutting the chokes now seems a bit sinful - they're only original once and it's made it this far....

I still can't believe you sold yours, Mark.

No regrets on my end. It had extractor issues and tight chambers. And it's not a Lefever. Got some good use out of it though!

Your gun looks great, I think I may have some one restore mine now.

From looking at your pictures, Bowman, I don't think there's any real need for more than (a) a gentle, but thorough cleaning to get off what accumulated crud there might be and (b) careful, by-the-instructions application of several coats of a good gunstock wax. Guns like Mark's and mine (below) get that look from good care and decades of use.



and

Pretty sure it's not an Helice, WC. Most of those are so marked with some form of the word around the top lever pivot. But the most telling factor is the visible screw in the top lever. As I understand the Helice system, the screw comes up from the bottom, so you don't have a visible top lever screw. That's true of all the Helice system guns I've seen, as best I can recall. I checked the Verney-Carron catalog material on the V-C Helice gun I owned and there's no screw visible where the top lever pivots.

What would you suggest to use as a cleaner and what brand gunstock wax would you use?

Thanks
for the help