doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 100 year maintenance on a Darne.

You'd miss the green Ted. Dry and brown down there (although Utah is a good place). Idaho may be the last best place at the moment. Good hunting, fishing and politics so-far. Good demographics too.

oops!

Evan as a Non-Consumer of alcoholic beverages I will still have to say, the Repeal of Prohibition in 1933 had a far greater impact on curbing the use of those "Classes of Firearms" than did the 1934 Federal Firearms Act.
After 1933 about the only market for Illegal Liquor was from the Hill-Billy MoonShiners & they weren't using "Thompsons & BARs".
There are still some of these around but for the most part they are not the violent type. They just like to make a bit of Shine for tham as likes it.

About as ready for it's closeup, as I can make it:





Generic, horn buttplate, wonder where the worms have been the last 10-11 decades?



I tried a trick a good friend suggested might clean the wood up. Flood the surface of the wood with a good grade of linseed oil, and allow it to sit 15-30 minutes, to loosen up the grime. Working in small sections, rub the stuff off using paper towels, being careful to change paper towels when they start to look soiled. It lifted a bunch of grime off the wood, which, is fairly plain French walnut, fitting of this grade of gun.



This is a robust gun, with nice, heavy barrels that have a weight forward feel, and a tall raised rib with an under rib. Not sure what to do with it, but, it is the only straight English style Darne in the safe right now, save the R10 with the "Galwi", perch belly stock, and I really like a straight stock. I put a big drop of epoxy in the void in the stock, it looks like a stock with a drop of epoxy in it, but, I'm sure the repair will last longer than me.

Best,
Ted

Maybe the nasty broom jockey gave 'em frostbite. Nice set of pictures and descriptions to go along.

Your gun looks nice, Ted. The stock reminds me of the 'Churchill stock' with the high comb nose, my favorite style with a straight grip.

You'll have to drag that one along for grousemas Ted. I'd like to see it.

I'll see what I can do, Lloyd. That would make it a 12 gauge trip for me, likely this one, and the R10 with the sling.
The good thing is, there are half a dozen spots I could get ammunition for the R10 at between Baudett and the tin shed.
The bad thing, none of them would have 2 1/2" stuff. Or, Winchester Featherlites.


Craig,
Thanks. I'm the guy who could rebuild a carb, who went to France, and learned what is inside a Darne. To me, part of owning, say, a Morgan, or a Gypsy Moth, or a Darne, is, that you the owner can be the best mechanic for the task at hand.
There are some qualifiers that go with that, patience, good tools (bent nail not withstanding) and a bit of skill with same tools. A man's also got to know his limitations. I haven't noticed the internet thingy to be littered with pictures of dismantled Darnes just yet, so, perhaps that notion is solely mine. I'm not a trained gunsmith, but, I'm the next best thing with a Darne, and that is good enough for my guns. I haven't wrecked any, yet, including those where my help was requested. I've fixed a bunch of them.
I hope we are all here to advance our knowledge and that of others. This was my effort.

Best,
Ted

Ted:

FWIW: I have a surprising amount of RST 2 1/2 12 stockpiled at my father-in-laws (from back when I was using my sidelock 12).

Lloyd,
I'll keep that in mind. Perhaps I'll trade you some 16 gauge of the same length, which, I have a fair amount of stashed, here.

Best,
Ted