My first was an 11 pound Francotte 20 ga with a Miller Single Trigger that I purchased sight unseen from a large gun dealer on the internet. Yes, 11 pounds, at least according to the salesman.
I’d been carrying an 8# 12 gauge OU with a dreadful synthetic stock, and I was looking for a proper grouse gun. It was between a Stevens 555, and a vintage double of some sort. One of my dad’s buddies who was into old doubles suggested I looked into it.
I took his advice, much to his chagrin. After having admired the Francotte for about 2-3 weeks, and having viewed hundreds, if not thousands of SxS listings before finally deciding to pull the trigger, I finally phoned the dealer. I asked the scripted questions, like — do the barrels ring? Is it tight on face? (I hardly understood what this was)....And how much does the gun weigh?
The salesman confidently replied, “At least 11 pounds.” I stammered. He then confidently explained, “Well, you DO know this IS a a DOUBLE-barrel shotgun, and you know, they start at about 7-8 lbs for a 12 gauge, and because this one is a 20 gauge, so it will weigh AT LEAST 11 or 12 pounds; maybe even 13 or 14 pounds, I’ve seen some that weigh up to 17 pounds.”
Upon receiving the gun, it tipped the scales at a whopping 5 lbs, 5 ounces. It was a delight to shoot, carry, and miss with. All my shotguns have been vintage side by sides, and my dad has gotten the double bug as well, and we have a lot of fun together with it!
