Couple glasses of good French wine before you tackle it, barrels come off easily.
Pretty sure Ted would agree that the vast majority of Darnes were made for the European market. Particularly the French market. They were imported to the States at various times and by various importers (including Ted), but compared to total Darne production, new ones sent Stateside were never more than a trickle.
I saw and handled Darnes in France, mid-70's, before I'd ever seen any in the States. The first time I saw a couple on a table at a gun show, I said to the dealer: "I see you have a couple Darnes." "I believe that's pronounced Dar-nay," he corrected me. "Just 'darn' in France," I replied.
