doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Darne clones

It seems a lot of folks started making sliding breech guns after the Darne patents ran out. Where might I find information on non Darne sliding breech guns? Thanks

Have just finished and sent off a draft for The Double Gun Journal on French Sliding Breech guns. Limited myself to Regis Darne, his son and competitor Francisque Darne, and Louis Charlin largely because I have one of each. Many other makers built sliding breech guns, but all except Darne are long gone.

If you read French you will find some good information on various chat rooms over there.

Regards

Let us know when it get's published.

I lusted after a Darne from the first time I saw one in 1965, finally bought a R-11 as a retirement gift to myself and am just as impressed now as I was 40yrs ago. 5 lb. 15 oz. all steel and wood 12ga with 29" barrels what's not to like.

Pooch, if you'd been at Flatwater this year, you could've handled Rockie's Charlin--or maybe you already have. Very nice gun. Teddy Darne (or Darne Ted) will probably be along to help you as well.

Tim, always good to see more information on the sliding breech guns. A tidbit you may want to include in your DGJ article: Darne also made machineguns for airplanes during WWI. Don't know how often they were used, but saw one in the Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. As best I recall, it did not have a sliding breech.

In the discussion on Verney-Carron guns, it came out that V-C absorbed F. Darne. However, I'm not sure whether V-C ever made sliding breech guns under their own name, or whether they continued to produce F. Darne sliders after the merger.

Funny story about Darne: I'd read about them, saw and handled some when spending summers in France in 1976-77. (Still have a little Darne flier from the gunshop in Rouen.) A few years later, first time I ever saw any Darnes at a gun show in the States. So I said to the dealer "I see you have some Darnes." "I believe that's pronounced 'darnay'", he informed me. "Not in France it isn't," I replied.

Steve Bodio did a Darne article in DGJ (Winter 89), as did our own Ted Schefelbein (Summer 96). And Vic Venters reviewed the Bruchet/Darne in Shooting Sportsman, Jul/Aug 98.

Take a look here:
http://www.gournetusa.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=4

Even some Belgian makers got into the act....

Pete

I have a V21 12 bore, 6lbs. Nicely made and very interesting, but "what's not to like" - well here's a short list!

Recoil high (I shoot 21 grammes only and it weighs 6 lbs)
Handling - very much an acquired taste, that I have never fully acquired. Its just too light and wand like for me.
Trigger pulls - only fair, and I'm told not easy to improve
Operation, though well made fitted, its not particularly 'slick' to use

I respect it for being well made, clever, and a genuine alternative ..... but its not by any means everyone's 'cup of tea' (or verre de vin).

All I can find is about Darnes or Charlins while there are other sliding breech guns without an illustrious pedigree that appear to be very serviceable. I'm looking for a bargain shooter that is not a money pit. A 16 or 20 gauge sliding breech gun looks like a good way to chase Woodcock here in Texas, as there is a lot of walking and little shooting, a light gun, tough gun is the ticket. A little shooting is better then the no shooting presently enjoyed while hunting quail. The quail in Texas are not likely to recover in my lifetime.

I can recall seeing one once where, after firing both barrels, the action was slid back and two more cartridges were pushed up from below and entered the breech as it was slid forwards again. Am I imagining it or does anyone else recall something similar? Lagopus.....

Larry - somewhere between 1946 and 1955 (based on the catalogs I have), V-C started offering a "Stopvis" model. Single barrel sliding breech gun, very basic and their least expensive model.

Yes, you are right Lagopus. Someone will post a picturte shortly, I'm sure...Geo