doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Dumoulin Model 1908

First, hello gentlemen. I've browsed over this forum a lot in the past year and have enjoyed seeing all the different double guns and learning about them.

Second, a friend recently brought me an old shotgun to check out. It's a Dumoulin Model 1908, or just another old 16 gauge Belgian hammer gun in rough shape. Was originally purchased by his grandfather years and years ago and was used to hunt grouse in Northern Minnesota by the family.

Wallhanger or not he'd like to see it cleaned up and would appreciate some info on it, and besides- I'm curious about it too and my Google-fu is coming up short.



Of course there's a lot of issues hidden in that photo. The barrels are well off-face, a firing pin was replaced by a nail at some point, the top lever release spring is missing, a hammer is loose, a barrel is dented, the bead is bent, and part of the stock head is cracked and missing, among things...



Of course most of the screw heads are bugged up and there was a good layer of old gunk built up on much of the parts too. Oh, and the buttstock is broken in half just behind the grip.



The wood grain runs straight through the wrist and grip but then sweeps back up towards the heel of the stock rather than continuing towards the toe, making where it broke a weak spot.



Has 30" bores.







Photobucket doesn't want these last two photos to be rotated, sorry.

As I was trying to research this gun, the year of manufacture was a mystery to me. However after pulling the buttplate off, I noticed some faint writing and was eventually able to read it. "10-8-14" and the mark of whom I'm guessing was the stockmaker (Fran�ois?). Either way, we now know not only the year but an exact day it was worked on. I haven't tried checking out the proof marks yet though.











Has an interesting star inlay in the grip.



So as I'm working on cleaning up this old shotgun for the sake of preservation, I'm just curious about the history of Dumoulin shotguns and if there could be many others of this make and model over here in the US. Does anyone here own one or know of others? Anything would be appreciated. Thanks for looking!

go here

http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/a%20a%20artisans%20identifies%20gb.htm#D

and under D you will see both family and individual entries for Dumoulin makers

T. Dumoulin was in operation from 1890 to 1914. The crowned ELG in oval proofmark shows the gun was made post 1892. This appears to be a less expensive type of export gun typically wholesaled by a company like Folsom, and retailed at the local Hardware/Drygoods store. It appears to have the period fluid, or decarbonized steel barrels found on lower cost Belgian doubles of the period. If the gun was in fact made in 1914, (which I doubt, the number appears to be the serial number to me) then this would have been one of the last guns made by the company, as the Germans overran Liege in early August, 1914. 10-08-14, and 08-10-14 both postdate the fall of Liege, on August seventh.

To me, the barrels appear to have been shortened, so the tilted bead may simply be a poor re-installation. The various Dumoulins made guns spanning the entire scope of grades and quality. I ran into a nicely engraved hammergun with Damascus barrels last year. This gun was one of the most basic models.

Thanks for the link OH Osthaus.

Ken, clearly the mark under the buttplate is the serial number. Thanks for pointing out that and the historical info.