My taste in doubleguns has been from one extreme to another it seems. I started out with a hand-me-down, restocked Stevens 311B 12 bore. I thought of that gun like it was a Rolls-Royce. I didn't want anything else. Then came along the American Round Action, Winchester Model 24..I didn't think it got much better than that. Then I chased after a pretty L.C. Smith field grade, I had reached the top...or so I thought. And thats pretty much the way its been for that past 10 years or so.
I've gone from having a big time interest in American made doubles, to taking a fancy to Spanish doubles, then I got on track to buying German made doubles...and then I found the wonderul world of French made doubles. I think I've found my "happy place" when it comes to the French sliding breech Darne and the triple bolted, wonderfully made Manufrance Ideal. These guns are just facinating, wonderfully built, incoporate ingenious design, lightweight, strong, ooze originality, and are very attractive, pretty much everything that I find fascinating about double guns.
Lately I have been buying up a small batch of English doubles. And I recently added an Italian O/U to the mix.....oh the madness of it all. :-)
