doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Saint Etienne info. please?

Just incase you wanted to see...you are correct about the "22" on the under rib...I hadn't noticed it before

I will try to get more info. on the gun. Thanks, Bobby

Those last photos must show a post-WWII Robust. I don't believe the 850 Kilos mark would have been used before the war. According to Kennett, the "normal" mark was used from 1924-62. The choke-demi choke marks are what I've seen most often (when choke is marked at all on French guns) for M/F.

Expect there might be a Manufrance SN/date list somewhere, but I've never seen one.

According to my sources, the grade 22 (which this gun is) was made between 1925 and 1930. This matches james-l list. I'll research the proof mark further. However the proofing house probably did not mark "850Kg". This was likely done by MF itself. The gun was proofed "finished" as demonstrated by the crossed lightning mark.
Grade 22 is a treble grip without ejectors. The price was 675Fr in 1930.
Also note that the vast majority of french guns are built with M/F choke. The unusual exception is the Supra (rifled)barrel which was built for short range shooting, the vast majority of which being cotton tail hunting over ferret.
WC (aka PBT)

These inexpensive Frenchies make nice little Poacher's Guns. I have seen lovely little scaloped BLNE 'Helico' 20br 65mm with 27.?" tubes in good shape for $350. Now, because it's French that translates to $250 cash in Redneck county. Bubba South of Mason-Dixon does not do French (me luvs that) ;), so deep discounts can be had. Merry CHRISTmas.

Interesting, WC. I would've guessed it a later gun, but Frenchies tend to be hard to date because the proofmarks don't give you much to go on. I've owned several Robusts, and the only one that had the pressure marked like that one was a very late gun, probably a 70's import.

Jager, if you can still pick them up that cheap, you're a lucky guy. Used to be the case around here too, but prices have gone up quite a bit. That may have something to do with the fact that you can take a decent Frenchie to some of the "big box" dealers like Cabela's and sell it for a good bit more than $350.

Photos, two thoughts for us amateurs:
-- use the macro capability of the digital camera;
-- make sure of the lighting, but don't hesitate to use flash, even a forced flash if the lighting is so low as to limit shutter speed or require a very large lens opening that would reduce depth of field.

Finally, you need very good software to do image enhancement/repair. I use Adobe Photoshop 4.0 and made sure that the software has a special module for my point and shoot digital, a Leica D-Lux 3 that came out about a year ago. Haven't figured out how to work with images in RAW that the Leica takes as yet, so I use the standard edit features on the JPEG images: key is darkening highlights and accentuating mid-tone contrast. The "unsharp mask" is not so useful for macro shots such as we take on guns.

Best of the Season

I do not wan to highjack this tread but!!!


I have one French double that I know nothing about it.
It is hammer 16 GA non-ejector 27 ½” long barrels. Its chamber for 2 ½”
Stock is almost a straight grip, but is not.
Has side clips, very little engraving, and solid as a rock.
The gun has double under lug and hidden fastener on rib extension.
The outside need some work. Mostly cosmetic.
I am not sure the gun has a serial numbers?
There is no5 and no10 on the barrel flats; watertable and forend iron.
No maker name.
Thanks for you’re help.
Casey


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About all I can add is it likely was built since 1900, as it was proofed for smokeless powder T. The 17.0 and 17.1 tell us it is a 16 gauge.

It is a very good looking little hammer gun.
Best,
Ted

Pretty straightforward St. Etienne proofs. Single proof, "safety steel" (which doesn't tell you much except that it isn't Damascus). Has that very small French round knob to which I referred earlier.