Ted, that "Wonder" gun is stout - side clips and all. It should take about anything. I'm suspecting the cartridge was the problem. There were some bits of rust on it and the husk was distorted after ejection...rim and primer pulled away from the base. But, even after Gunter had shortened the (very thin) firing pins, it was still really stiff to open. That should be looked at before going back to the firing pins.
As mentioned, this is probably a 1920's Saint Etienne gun I speculated was marketed by a well-known manufacturer of bicycles and motorcycles in Saint-Étienne named “Ravat.” Ravat was founded in 1898 and in 1910 came out with a famous bicycle christened “Wonder.”
The problems with the gun are frustrating. It obviously was a war trophy gun, cost a few hundred dollars and was meant to be backup for when my Special Forces comrades came to town for Memorial Day and I needed an extra gun. I hate to discard it, not least because it's part of son's heritage in a way (Grandfather is from Lyon/ Saint-Chamond), but it's costing me more than it's worth. (This said, I don't think I ever said that about a motorcycle so will probably soldier on to a solution). (Or maybe not - I tend to get too stubborn over mechanical stuff; I just don't want to pass on problems to the next possible owner, even for a few hundred $. . after it gets back from Mike down in the panhandle).
Last edited by Argo44; 11/03/23 10:17 PM.
