doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Darne express rifle??

I was at the Musee de Chasse in Paris last week. There I saw Darne express rifle??. It had express sights, I couldnt see the muzzle ends to determine if they were shotgun or rifle. It was in a glass case and the muzzles were too high. But it did have multiple leaf rear express sight and it was a Darne or variation of. I have one crappy photo taken through the glass. will try to post soon.

Bruchet still makes Darne's and will still make you a Darne Express Rifle.-Dick

Here are some pictures of their express guns.

http://www.gournetusa.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=183&SearchTerms=express

http://www.gournetusa.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=428&SearchTerms=express

Sounds like you are enjoying the trip, Brian.

Pete

I have never had the opportunity to handle a Darne action other than at a gun show table. The express rifle, with the dolls head is a nice looking firearm but I would be concerned about the ability to reload it as quickly as an ejector break action double - which is an asset for a express rifle. Would someone with experience comment on this please?

I don't have a Darne double rifle, but I do shoot a 16ga R-10 Darne shotgun. The slide action took me a while to get used to, but once I did get used to it I find it very intuitive and just as slick to open, eject, and reload as it can be. I think an express rifle on the slide action would be a very workable arrangement...Geo

The rifle they are building now is a bit different than what was the norm back in the day. I'm guessing a Darne rifle in a Paris museum would be an older gun, sans the dollshead arrangement, an arrangement that leaves me a bit befuddled. The last time I was in St. Etienne, I handled Paul Bruchet's .450-500 model V rifle, built at perhaps the turn of the century. It had been many years since a V action was produced in a rifle configuration at that point (R actions are considered stronger) but, Paul had taken pigs with it.
Since the older guns didn't need/use the dollshead, why does it need to be there on the new guns? Less is more in that particular area on a double rifle, and the Westley Richards rifles received some criticism, rightly, I believe, about the arrangement hampering quick reloading.
I don't hunt or shoot anything that might attempt to eat or destroy me, so, the notion of a double rifle seems profoundly silly when compared to an accurate turn bolt gun. I might use a turn bolt gun anyway, if the opportunity ever came-the PH is right there with his gun, right?


Best,
Ted

I don't understand how a doll's head would work on a Darne, would someone enlighten me as to how it's constructed & operates. A normal doll's head has to rotate out of position, but there is no rotation to a Darne action.