doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Charlin 12 Gauge

Thanks Ted!

The �Hard Kicking� comment, above, is one that always gives me the Willies when it is applied to an old, double shotgun, but, especially to a Charlin. There tend to be some things that don�t get covered that are pretty important.
To begin with, almost all Charlins left the factory with 65mm chambers. When a Charlin is fired with proper ammunition, they shouldn�t be hard kicking. Proper ammunition, sadly, is not especially easy to come by, and people have a tendency to buy what is easy to find. I wouldn�t be in a hurry to use more than a 1 ounce load, in a 2 1/2� case, in the above 12 gauge gun. This is not a goose gun.
I have seen people firing a Charlin, and removing spent cartridges with the ends ripped off. Of course, there is a complaint that the gun kicks too hard. A Charlin is a pure �over the center� device that doesn�t have additional mechanical locks built into the mechanism. Built into the opening lever is an interrupter, that keeps the gun from firing if the lever isn�t completely closed. Spiking the pressure in a Charlin, with long, or, higher pressure ammunition, will occasionally force the lever out of battery at the shot. While the action can�t be forced open, it is disconcerting, to say the least. These are very typically light guns intended for long days afield that feature much more walking than shooting. While they are heavily proofed, perhaps to excess, if truth be known, they are unpleasant to use with typical American off the shelf hunting or promotional loads.
Dealers, being dealers, have a distinct tendency to take things out of context when marketing their wares. I get a laugh when I see one advertising an �incredibly smooth action� Charlin,and perhaps writing how much better it must be than a Darne, because it is so smooth.
Poppycock. They are two different actions that accomplish pretty much the same thing. A Darne is not an over the center device, and the multiple mechanical bolts that hold it closed must be unlocked to open it, cocked, or, uncocked. If either gun has been fired, one, or both barrels, there is no difference in apparent smoothness, as those robust coil springs that drive equally robust strikers, have to be compressed, and that opening lever is what gives one the mechanical advantage to allow that to happen in either design.
I like a Charlin, but, I like a well broken in Darne R model better. Others feel differently. I don�t find one to be superior to the other in a pure design comparison.
Good luck with the sale.

Best,
Ted

Here's what info I have on the gun, 2 1/2 chambers, 27 1/2 battels, 1/2 choke & part choke. Came from Norms in Larwill, IN in 1968. In 1977 the chambers were lenghthed to 2 3/4 at Schutz Brothers in North Manchester IN.

As to the slide it's very good, there's no play in it.

I would like to have around $2000 for it if anyone is interested.

P choke stamping actually means full choke on a French gun.

Best,
Ted

Not sure what a Charlin will go for now. I bought mine from France for less than $2,000 but it needed a new front sight, the seller was using a bent piece of red insulated wire that he did not mention on the French internet sale board, nor was it apparent in his pix. That said, it is a very high grade Charlin and worth every penny.

Note that most of the sliding breech guns, Darne or Charlin, are fairly light and Ted's notion to keep them at 1 oz or 1-1/16 oz is sound advice. I've a 10 gauge Darne with 2-7/8 chambers that originally weighed under 7 lbs and I shot geese with 1-1/4 oz Bismuth or NICE handloads with no discomfort at all -- even used it for upland birds with 1-1/8 oz of lead shot.

On smooth, as I recall, the Charln sliding breech moves on small ball bearings and Darne doesn't. But I must say I do not notice that my Charlin is any smoother to open/close than either my Regis Darne 10 gauge or my F. Darne Fils Aine 16 gauge.

Bottom line on your Charln could be to ask, say, $2150 and be ready to dicker.

Regards, Tim

Tim:

I thought my 10 gauge Darne was light at 7 pounds 3 ounces. Yours under 7 is amazing.

I wish RST would still load the 1-1/16 lead loads in 10 gauge 2-7/8. They were really fun to use in that Darne.

Rem

Had the 10 gauge gun restocked at Darne in St. Etienne, Rem, and had new barrels proofed there, too. Kirk Merrington fitted new tubes after Briley erred putting choke tubes in (Briley paid for the new barrels to their credit). The renovated Darne R-16 now weighs 7 lbs 4 oz and the choke tubes make it versatile either in the goose blind or behind a bird dog.

Regards, Tim

Thanks..

A 7lb 4oz 10 gauge, with tubes!. "IF" you had two tight patterning tubes for the geese & two tubes for the "Birds" that would be One versatile Four-Ten
I wouldn't mind owning a 4-10 like that myself.

It is, indeed, Miller. Ken Eyster did the tubes and I use the mod and full for geese and IC and mod for upland. Gun, as you might imagine, shoots better than I do...

Regards, Tim