Hello...I have a 16 gauge side by side double that was on my grandfather's mantle due to a cracked stock. When talking to an elderly uncle of mine recently, I was told that he had hunted with it back in the 40s and 50s with modern ammo for that time and that there was nothing wrong with it...only the stock crack, which has become worse since then due to being dropped.
Anyway, the gun does not break open...it slides open, exposing the chambers and extractors. The only writing on it is "abeille" directly on top of the breach and there is a serial number of sorts hidden under the key lever mechanism. The only similar guns, and by similar I mean almost identical, I can find are the ones made by Darne. They have pics on their site, darneusa.com. It has a great deal of fine scrolling and an old, silvery finish. Double triggers as well. The only defect other than the cracked stock is the trigger gaurd, which has a bronzed spot where it was repaired. Does ANYONE know of a manufacturer other than Darne / Debruchet who may have used this same action. I'd love to put a new stock on it and use it...otherwise I'd sell or trade it for something I could use. It's a waste to leave it on my mantle. Any help would be greatly appreciated...thanks.
