doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What grade Francotte does this look like?

I posted for clarification of two choke marks for each barrel about a month or so ago. It may have gone back and forth from the American owner ("Made for C.W. Billings" on the rib) to the Francotte factory. Examining Recoil's engraving with mine, I neglected to mention that his has clips and mine do not.

The triggers, safety and checkering appear identical. I am puzzled also by the matching serial number 33762 on the right barrel with a JV above it, and the left barrel marked 8622 with 12 below it, both positioned in the same place on the barrel. Forward, adjacent to the forend lock, the right barrel is marked 90, the left barrel 0.

I'll second that.

Well, today I saw the gun I posted on originally.

I believe you can write off VLD gun # 21752, a primer on how not to treat a good gun.

The original butt stock must have been severely cut back at one time it has about a 3" butt extension on it, the checkering is worn smooth, the stock heads are looking compressed.

The bores are still under at .727 with .007 & .035 choke in the 30" tubes. The ribs are loose but the real killer is it has been opened up to 3" chambers and probably saw a life of heavy duck loads. The toplever was loose, something doing with the spring, and even when manually pushed all the way right the action rattles like a washing machine. The barrel flats have no chamber length marked so I must assume they started out as 65mm.

Too bad but didn't seem fiscally responsible to restore.

Bob, do your records show this gun?

What a disappointment, Rob. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you.

This one weighs just under 7 lbs with 30" barrels. Also a VL&D import in 12 gauge. Serial number is about 20 earlier than yours.

Rob,

Francotte 21752 is too early to be in the VL&D records that are in the possession of Griffin & Howe. Those records begin in 1901 and, as the Francotte serial number chart elsewhere on this site suggests, No.21752 was probably made in the mid-1890's. Sorry that we couldn't be of more help.

Thanks King, but they'll be others down the orad, that's what makees it fun.

Thanks for looking Bob, I appreciate it.

I sent you a PM about another VLD gun I have the acquaintance of. It belongs to a friend I've shot with for years, I know he had a Francotte 20ga but I never looked at it closely until this past Thursday. Turns out it's a lovely 20ga sidelock engraved by Hyppolite Corombelle, the master himself.

I sent you the serial number to see if it's in your records, looks to be a 1929-1930 gun.


Thanks, Rob