On a whim I have bought a St Etienne 12 ga SxS, double trigger with standard safety on top of the stock. It didn't cost much but I wanted to play. I assumed it was a plain old 1930's French trade gun being billed as a WWII trophy (which it probably was).
It is 12 ga, 65mm (i.e. 2 1/2). There is not an inscribed mark on the gun other that 1) the St. Etienne proof mark, 2) the crown with "PT" beneath it, 3) "rectife" (re choke which doesn't describe what that means), 4) "65" (= chambered for 2 1/2) and 5) "8.3" (?). All parts, receiver, barrel, foreshock are labeled "732." That's it for marks.
The barrels are 27.5" and the bores are absolutely pristine with a lot of metal around them. It seems heavier than the usual French made SxS. (edit: weighs 6 lbs 7.62 oz) It has a pistol grip stock with a curved butt plate that looks to be horn. There is some minimal engraving of screws and around the receiver and on the rear of the barrels.
It was allegedly a WWII war trophy brought back from France and looks like it hasn't been shot in 70 years. The springs are so tense it is difficult to take off the fore grip...or even to break the gun. I will delve into the internals once I'm confident I can take off the back plate screws without breaking the plate.
I'll post some photos later. But here is the Question. A 12 ga choke measure put into the muzzle won't even register. Not even "beyond full choke." And in fact the barrels at the muzzle look almost half-way between 16 and 12 ga. I know that French guns are insanely choked...but this is beyond ridiculous. Larry schooled me on this before I bought it. So now before I get further into the gun, I'm curious about the "8.3" business. I've assumed that "8.4" or "8.5" = a normal 12 ga bore in French shotguns. So what is this "8.3" all about? Is that the source of the choke gauge problem?
Last edited by Argo44; 07/03/16 08:22 PM.
