doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Italian Double Question

I've got a nice italian sidelock pigeon gun, Cal. 12/70, Barrels 81 cm proofed in 1961. On the side of the Barrels is "G. Tonolini, Brescia" Made in Italy. He was a gunmaker in Brescia from the 1950ies to the 1970ies. Rather unknown maker.
But on the watertable as well as on the barrel lugs there is stamped a weapon with script "Fausti di Brozzo" and that makes the gun a little bit mysterious.
Perhaps anyone can help! Any comment appreciated!

Kind regards,
Gunwolf

Tonolini sent some nice eight gauge guns to this country in the sixties or seventies. They are scarce and coveted today. That is the only knowledge of this company that I have.

Is this of any assistance??
I do not read italian but looks like an 84 page book
or catalog.

http://www.antiqbook.com/books/bookinfo.phtml?nr=1264180021&l=en

Thanks for your answers - I have another Tonolini catalogue from the 60ies and there is indeed a 8 gauge offered.
What I'm really curious about is the Fausti connection�
I asked in an italian forum and got this answer (in italian, translated by Google translator�):

At that time, 1961 shotguns had many rods long and narrow bottlenecks of 10-11/10.
The reasons for these production techniques are to be found in the little seal of borraggi cxercavano that in this way to compensate for the loss of pressure of the combustion gases. In fact, they are also one of the dating bores of the barrels that shoot 18.2 with wads of today create facial trauma to no end.
The company Tonolini, primarily a supplier of accessories and spare parts to dealers, not directly produced weapons but if it was done by artisans of the valley 'Gardone VT'.
the Fausti as other craftsmen have produced for Tonolini certainly, but times were different then and you can not make a comparison with the current production of 'new Fausti'.

Cheers,
Gunwolf

It is a 1957 catalog. Sells for $103.21.

Like the Belgians, the Italians had a registry for all the trade marks. So, any maker who touched a gun had the right to add their mark to it. Does not mean they made gun, they could have provided the barrels or the forging for the action, etc.

I saw this registry recently, it was simply too big for me scan it all and make it available. I should have made a copy of it.

Pete

There's another book, I believe available from the Italian proofhouse, that lists all Italian gunmakers (pretty sure past as well as present) and shows all their trademarks.

Yes, makers are here to find:

http://www.earmi.it/A-Enciclopedia/B.html

Gunwolf

For all who may be interested some pics:


















Kind regards,
Gunwolf

Just got to fancy those Imperial Chickens in gold on the tops of the tubes.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Seems to be special for Tonolini, on my gun it reads: "Tonolini Armi - Acier Cockerill"
the chicken may be the italian eagle..?

Cheers,
Gunwolf

I smell a Francotte Imperial Eagle with the Acier Cockerill. I don't think they are Tonolini Armi inland.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Well, but he made them also with "Boehler Royal" and the eagle�!?

Cheers,
Gunwolf

Could be but why would an Italian mechanic scribe Acier Cockerill in French instead of his native tongue? It really points to Liege sourcing.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Hum, seems to be typical of Italian wares:

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?p=1259002

"I received an email from Fausti Armi :

sorry for the delay in our reply.
The gun you have is not one made by us but a gun made by one relative of ours that he is dead. For this reason for us is more difficult help you also because the gun is too old.
At your disposal for further information,

Best Regards
FAUSTI STEFANO Srl
XXXXXXXXX
(Mrs. Fausti's Assistant)"






Hudson Bay Company




Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

So, the Italian mechanics were sourcing someone, probably not inland, for ??? Acier Cockerill & Boehler Royal - look toward Liege???

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Yes, and the eagle is in the weapon of the Province Brescia:

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Wappen_italienischer_Provinzen#mediaviewer/Datei:Provincia_di_Brescia-Stemma.png

Gunwolf

Indeed, but I fancy the rampant lion/dragon a bit more.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Look here, italian gun made in Belgium�!? (the barrels)?

http://www.armeriacorti.it/it/prodotti/doppiette/doppietta-cani-esterni/11252

Gunwolf

Ac�er Cocker�ll

Hum, I'd like to see the name atop the rib and the marks? Quite an asking price.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Wolfgang:
On your SxS does the term Acier have the dot over the I like above?

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Italian Bird w/ Acier Cockerill


Minus the Dot over I in Acier & Cockerill


With Dot over in Ac�er Cocker�ll

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Raimey- the French word for steel is Acier- why is that language used on an Italian made doublegun?

Acciaio should be and that's my point Francis. In my mind I would assume Belgian sourcing? Maybe they like French better than their native tongue. Do you fancy beef tongue there Francis?

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

There are a lot of local dialects spoken in Italy, and many in the northwest part of the country speak a version of Italian that is very close to French.

I wish it were that simple & if French was spoken in Brescia, I'd be all in.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Brescia is not that far from Mount Blanc. They have trains. Straight line is about 150 miles, maybe four hours by car if you are not stuck behind a truck.

Raimey, do you have more information about the gun with the "italian bird"???
I only can read Brescia, V.T. (Val Trompia) Italy��.not the maker.

The ACIER on my gun is without dot on the "i" because dots are only on small letters, not on capitals! But really funny is, that the "Cockeril" on my gun is with only one "L"!!!

I think, he made a mistake using the Brand name (all Brand names are in the language of origin: Krupp Stahl or Flu�stahl, Boehler (Antinit) Stahl etc. and of course Acier Cockerill from Seraing near Li�ge in french speaking part of Belgium)

I still believe, that the maker of mine was a Fausti out of the village Brozzo!
But there was nothing to find on him�!

Kind regards,
Wolfgang

�but there are capital letters with dot on "I":

http://cacciaonline.altervista.org/jooml...iettabelga3.jpg

strange!

Kind regards,
Wolfgang

the first find on Fausti Brozzo gun is on an italian gun forum:

http://www.migratoria.it/forum/armi-e-caricamenti/7908-notizie-pi-sulle-mie-arzille-vecchiette.html


"La seconda doppietta � calibro 16 cani esterni ed � indicato su uno stemma Fausti Brozzo ed � del 1960. Sulle canne si intravede la scritta " ACIER COSKERILL"."

Ciao,
Wolfgang

When I was going to Italy every few years, when the dollar was higher. I use to stop in their shop. At that time they had a place just outside of Brescia on the left side of the road, going up into Gardone Valley. I always found things that I could not find elsewhere. The only place I could find 24 & 32 ga mops, and brushes and rods. Also those little rubber trigger finger protectors, and leather recoil pads.

always had neat stuff

John Boyd
Quality ARms

Hello John,

good to know, thanks! Do you mean they are still there? Will try to find them when I will go to Brescia next time.. ;-)

Ciao,
Wolfgang

I have not been over there in about 7 years. For awhile I was going over every few years. So, do not know.

Easy place to find though

John Boyd
Quality Arms

Wolfgang:
It will take me a bit to rediscover it but I'm confident that it was a thread by NoDakScotty, possibly on Shotgunworld? I'll look later tonight.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse