doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Info on Francotte pigeon? Gun

Gun came in- 7.75lbs 14.5lop 30in barrel .735 bores with slight frosting in bores actually quite nice both choked .033 . Barrels .175 thick at 3.3in .075 at 9 inches minimum.040 6in from muzzle. Guess she’s my new duck goose gun.

It's gorgeous - enjoy it!

Wow!! That is really pretty. Have fun with it!!

Very neat gun, with impressive wall thickness! With the side clips and at that weight it may well have been ordered for Live Birds and Inanimate Targets, which were limited to 8# in competition.

VL&D started importing Francottes in 1889.

The first annual Sportsmen's Exposition in Madison Square Garden, New York, 1895
https://books.google.com/books?id=n0IhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA419&lpg#v=onepage&q&f=false
A very attractive exhibit was made by a very fine showing of Francotte bammerless guns. No cheap guns were shown, but just a limited number of special high grades, the best being an extra fine one, which was sold to George Barker for $108. This gun was a 12-guage, weighing 7 3/4 pounds, having the Siemon-Marten steel barrel and six fastenings, a double bolt of the Purdey action, a double side breech projection, Greener cross bolt and doll's head extension, with extra bite in the extension. There were other grades from $80 to $450 the latter containing the most artistic and elaborate engraving and most elegant finish throughout.

Both Justus and Carl von Lengerke, and Gus Grieff, were regular competitors in east coast shoots, and the GAH, using and promoting Francotte imports
1895 Penn. State Shoot
https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll17/id/47783/rec/22

24 Francottes were used at the 1899 GAH, no doubt with Smokeless loads which were in wide general use after about 1895