Just bought this French 16 listing says no maker. I always thought this action was called/ made by Brueil, but not sure since he was a barrel maker? Will have more information when arrives but looked like a no brainer to me. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. ...
If the bores are in good shape you're quite likely to find you've gotten a serious bargain.
Both my French guns are barrelled by Breuil. Breuil's reputation as a barrel-maker was for high-quality work, one of the top 2 or 3 in France. One gun is a straight-up guild gun, 16 ga, liberated from a Norman barn in the summer of '44. It, too, has no "maker" name beyond the barrel/proof stampings. The other is a Maisonnial 12 ga. Maisonnial stamped his name on the barrels of my gun near the flats. Breuil stamped on the barrel flats. Best guesstimate on age of the Maisonnial is the mid-20s, serial # 12xx. Maisonnial lost/destroyed/misplaced his prewar records during the German occupation so exactly dating earlier guns is not possible. It's a high-quality gun - the internals are highly polished and numbered to the gun. It also has Birmingham proofs overstamped. Maisonnial is basically unheard-of here but highly respected in France.