doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Fusil Robust #250

I inherited this shotgun that was a GI bring back. It’s chambered in 12g 2 5/8”. Any info on year it was made? Etc? I took it to a gunsmith and was given the ok as to its condition.

One of the guys here has a chart that breaks out the date of manufacture by the number in the gun. The 250 does tell you exactly what year it was built. The gun you have was built by Manufrance, and proofed in-house. You won’t hurt that gun running 2 3/4” loads out to about 7000-8000 psi pressure. You will either need to buy 2 1/2” low pressure loads, or, get comfortable reloading what the gun needs. It was choked MOD/FULL when it was built.
Should make a good little bird gun.

Enjoy.

Best,
Ted

According to Mournetas book on the Robust (in French only) the 250 was made from 1931 to 1940. Here is the chart for that range of dates:

Oh, well. Kinda’ exact. A ten year window is pretty close by French gun standards.

Best,
Ted

the fact that is marked with 250 only, dates it after 1931 - that year alone the guns were marked with both the earlier two digit and the later three digit model numbers....and i doubt that production in 1939 -40 was substantial - so assume 1932 to 1938.

as ted notes, it has the double proofs and is a 12ga gun....choking is pretty predictable on these guns - about 25 thou constriction on the right, and about 45 thou on the left. i have owned a very similar #226 robust for many years (s.n. is 184688)....i slightly extended the forcing cones and have shot quite a few 1 and 1 1/8 ounce loads - mine is a straight stock rather than the more usual half pistol grip. these guns are fairly plain, but exceedingly well built - "robust" indeed.

best regards,
tom

The Robust was a popular gun. Between circa 1913 when production began and when Manufrance finally closed their doors in 1985, approximately 950,000 Robusts had been produced. Add in the Ideal production of roughly 80,000 that can be confirmed and Manufrance made more SxS than most well known American makers, like Parker, Fox, Lefever, Remington, Ithaca and LC Smith.

There were different grades of Robust--wood choices and metal work ranged from plain to elegant. Below photo depicts the Simplex, Robust, and Ideal all with intricate engraving. Stock photo is of wood on my 16 ga. 226 which I sold earlier this year. Gil

The subject gun



Manufrance Ideal 16g with the same proof marks; at 1100 Kg/cm2 = 15,646 psi + 10-14%. Service pressure would be about 2/3 proof pressure so about 11,500 psi which is the SAAMI max.
As Ted suggested, using 2 3/4" loads in a 2 1/2" chamber raises the pressure an average of 700 psi.
The 12g load for Standard T was 2.2 grams = 34 grains = 3 Dr. Eq. with 1 1/8 oz. but as noted the gun is Superior T Proved
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=618062



Acier Hercule was a Manufacture Francaise d´armes tradename and I don't know the source nor composition.

I know it has been brought up and discussed ad nauseam, but, not just any 2 3/4” load should go in that gun. The pressure of the 2 3/4” load should be around the 7-8000 I posted, and, you can’t get that ammunition at Wal-Mart.

I would be willing to bet just about all store bought ammunition available these days is sizzling right around SAAMI max. The better to run dirty semi auto shotguns that haven’t had their yearly cleaning for a decade or so.

You will need to learn to reload 2 3/4” ammunition that approximates the service load for that gun,or, buy or load low pressure 2 1/2” ammunition from one of the boutique vendors. I’ve checked wall thickness on more French shotguns than I can remember, and finding a French gun with thin walls doesn’t really happen, in my experience. Finding one with pitted or badly pitted walls is a fairly common event, however, and I believe they should be treated no different than a gun with questionably thin walls.

My own French guns have 2 3/4” chambers, thick walls of about .050 most of their length, and passed triple proof when they were built. Ammunition to use in them is not much of a concern. I do own a short chamber 12 gauge, but, it is a brute, with even thicker walls. It has seen a few 2 3/4” loads, but, they were of the high quality/low pressure variety.

I hope you shoot the gun well.

Best,
Ted