Mike,
Need someone like Larry Brown to reply (edit - ah, see he did as I was writing this), but it looks like a fairly ordinary boxlock 16 gauge with a somewhat large bore of 17mm versus the normal 16.8mm. Please double check the gauge with a tool!! It has 2-1/2 inch chambers (65 mm or 6.5 cm), double proofed at St. Etienne in France for smokeless, modern powders (PT). Barrels are modern steel. Don't know what the running rabbit means, suspect it's a barrelmaker? Could not find the mark in Gunmarks and nothing on the maker, Ronchard Cizeron in Carders.
Here's what the
http://www.littlegun.be site has to say about an earlier hammer gun made by Ronchard Cizeron, the maker of your gun:
QUOTE
Ronchard Cizeron
French shotgun manufactured or sold by Muller in Evreux (Eure) in 1900 close to Rouen. Manufactured barrels with St Etienne by Cizeron and carrying the punch of test of this city of use between 1868 and 1900. [believe yours is later as this refers to a hammer gun - tim]
Probably manufactured towards the end of 19th and tested with the powder nitro as indicated on the top of the barrel. [again, believe yous is later - tim]
Ronchard--Cizeron Joseph: manufacturer with St-Etienne about 1840 - registration of trademark in 1879 - exposures of Paris in 1878 (MB) and 1889 (except contest)
Here explanations of various markings which are reproduced on the weapon.
Canon de sûreté : Security barrel
17.0 : Value of the choke
Perfectionné : Improved
I /.’C Daille ‘Dor (Médaille d’or) : Gold medal
Two palm with crown and “St Etienne” : Punch of the proofhouse of “Saint Etienne” in France. Ordinary test
UNQUOTE
Regards, Tim
