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The extractor is identical in design to the one I have on my Williams & Powell (Liverpool). It was part of their Simplex patent of about 1875 though I suspect it was used prior to that. Interesting....more proof that nothing under the sun is new.

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Jeff--Not all that unusual to find Bernard steel barrels, but they're regarded as a mark of a quality gun for sure. Yours must be relatively old, because the marks do not include definitive smokeless powder proof. Should indicate pre-1900 production. But it does have both Bernard's private proofmark (the LB with a crown) and a single Paris proofmark (the backwards E with the P).

Hi & Merry Christmas

Robert I will try to take a pic forward of the flats today. Larry thanks for the info. I would think any Bernard barreled gun will be pre 1900 if the info is accurate that they operated until 1890. When did french change from Demas to steel? I was lucky on that Roblin as I picked it up for a few hundred dollars about 10 years ago.
Jeff

treblig, just an OT aside to your remark about the old book "Europe on $5 Per Day"--I had the strange fortune to be stuck in LAX baggage claim recently with one of the co-authors of that book. As a sign of our times, he was in LA with a number of tourism industry notables, including the astronaut Buzz Aldrin, for a symposium on the "Future of Outer Space Tourism" (I swear to God, I am NOT kidding). And his book is now "Europe on $100 Per Day" (And good luck with THAT, I say.)!

As an additional comment, I used the book in 1980 when it was USD20 a day and it was great, with fantastic tips about hotels and very good restaurants.

It always helps when your budget is not limited though, :-)

Merry Christmas,

JC

Hi Robert,
I was going to take another photo but there is nothing but what you see clearly in my previous photos. That mark you see just behind the lumps is oil residue and not a trademark. Thanks for the help but no other markings are on the gun.

Jeff G.

Jeff, the French were pretty much like everyone else--Brits, Americans, etc--where Damascus and fluid steel are concerned. There was a period of time (last couple decades of the 19th century, first decade or so of the 20th) when both would be seen. Gradually, Damascus became more and more rare and fluid steel more and more common. Conventional wisdom is that fluid steel was stronger and better suited to smokeless powder. But the truth is, once boring fluid steel barrels was perfected, it was a cheaper process than producing Damascus--especially good quality Damascus.

I'd say you were very lucky on that Roblin. Expect you could make a little profit should you try to market it today.