doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - Viva La France

I am actually pleasantly surprised by French guns. I recently picked one up, not really thinking much of it, maybe like a Savage 311 or an imported Spanish gun made to a price point, nope! I am actually really impressed. Here is a little bit about it. It was made by Societe Moderne De Fabrications Mecaniques. Whew what a mouthful, so SMFM it is!! I'm not really sure the year of manufacture, but the catalog I found was from 1959.

It's a 12 bore SOLYD model

Internals are basic, nicely finished

Top Lever

Set Screw to hold the top lever pin

Numbered pins ( I assume most parts were outsourced)




Receiver is case colored and offers a nice hidden cover and a removable/adjustable hinge pin





Another cool feature is the forend iron, has adjustments which I assume is to compensate for wear



Basic trigger set and safety
[img]https://i.ibb.co/0C5JTHd/SMFM-trigger.jpg[/img]

Catalog entry
[img]https://i.ibb.co/qkLYbk2/SMFM-catalog.jpg[/img]

SOLYD 101A
Fine rifle. Pyro Barrel guaranteed stainless. Advanced left choke and advanced half right choke.
70mm chambers. Ideal-Diamond steel. Interior rectified with stone and pyrochrome. Black bronze exterior.
Finely streaked receding band. (not sure what that is) Barrel subjected to double proof 1,150 kg per cm2.
Triple lock closure. Reinforced stainless steel receiver. Normal extractor, optional safety. Removable front with push button mechanism.
Very sober decoration of the receiver and fittings. Tempered marble (case hardened? ) parts. 1/2 pistol stock in beautiful walnut wood(French walnut I believe).
Shooting adjusted in height and direction, guaranteed range test of the finished rifle at T weight under pressure of 900kg per cm2.
Certificate of Proof House of Saint Etienne guaranteed 5 yrs.

Caliber 12
Average weight 2kg 720
Barrel Length 70cm




An explanation on what Pyrochrome is

[img]https://i.ibb.co/QNc7JLF/SMFM-chrome.jpg[/img]

Pyrochrome plating, of which we are dealers, is an electrolytic process which makes the inside of barrels very resistance to the corrosive action of hunting powders.

On several occasions, since the invention of the application of chrome, attempts have been made to chrome the inside of the barrels of hunting and war rifles.
All researchers have come up against the same difficulty: the homogeneity of chromium. By the very fact of treatment,
the chrome layer of chrome is impregnated with infinitely small air bubbles, which , when released over time .cause the chrome to flake off.
We tried to solve the problem by increasing the thickness of the layer. The results is convincing on ordinary pieces, but in a rifle barrel only a minimal thickness is possible so as not to harm the expansion of the barrel during the shot,
consequently the range and the grouping.

The invention of Pyro took 10 years of research. The special composition of our baths and certain chemical solution prevent the formation of air during work.
As a result, it is possible for us to deposit inside the barrel a layer of chromium of 2/100mm, absolutely homogeneous, that is to say forming a chromic cementation forming one body with steel of the barrel.
The low thickness deposited allows the normal expansion of the walls of the barrel, the firing of which is in no way disturbed, as evidenced by the test carried out at the proof house in Liege on September 10, 1936.


Some of it is mixed up due to translation of certain words. Still a really cool double which surprised me.

A non-ejector suits me just fine. I think ejectors get out of order more than anything on a gun.

Air conditioners probably get out of order on a car or truck (or tractor, or combine, or cotton picker) more than anything else. Does that mean you don't want a/c in vehicles, too?

I have shot ejector guns for most of my life of hunting with doubles. I've had exactly one issue with them, and I repaired it myself. I think ejector problems are overstated. YMMV.

Thanks Stan, just different opinions. As an aside, my clays gun is now a non-ejector Fox.