doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Manufrance Robust 16 on its way!

Last week while idly browsing Guns International and having no plan whatever to buy anything, I saw a little 16-gauge I couldn't pass up. It's a Manufrance Robust Model 202, a plain working gun probably found on any number of French farms propped up in a corner or hanging over the fire.
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I've seen many of these listed, but this one seems in remarkable shape and I like everything about it--stock configuration & dimensions, barrel length & chokes etc. What really pushed me over the edge, though was the weight of 5.75 pounds with 70-cm barrels and 70-mm chambers.

The serial # is 148xxx, so about 150,000 out of nearly 900,000 Fusils Robust made between 1913 and 1982. I emailed customer service at the new Manufrance.fr to see if they could date the manufacture of this gun; they replied within 2 hours with an email adress for the Departmental archives of St. Etienne (archives@cg42.fr). I promptly emailed them but haven't heard back. I'm guessing 1930s or possibly 50s? Anyone have firm dates on serial numbers for fusils Robust?

My first attempt to post pics here. Hope they work!

Bill

Bill,the pics are there but you have extra [img](before)and [/img](after),just one and pic will show like this;

Bill, that one is both in unusually nice condition and also is well on the light side for a Robust 16. Don't have SN's, but since that one does not have the pivoting forend latch seen on earlier Robusts, I'd guess yours is later. Likely post-WWII. If the chambers are factory 70MM, that would also make it more likely to be a later gun.

I have a box of those old Holiday 16s, pretty sure mine are a Federal 1 1/4th oz short magnum load, and I'm going to suggest you find something else to shoot in a 5 3/4 lb 16 gauge.
The gun looks very nice.

Best,
Ted

For 16-gauge ammo I was thinking Polywad, RST, maybe Fiocchi 1 oz. loads. I've been using RST 7/8 ounce in the 5.6-pound Darne 20 with happy results. Don't think I'm that interested in finding out what 1.25 ounce short mag feels like...
Bill

Welcome to the world of French guns, assuming of course it is your first. It has been a steep learning curve for me, as there could be many variations of one model. Here is a link to the highest end Robust I have seen:

http://www.naturabuy.fr/RARE-ROBUST-252-PRESTIGE-item-1575919.html

Also, there is the version with mono block stepped barrels built on the Ideal round action:

http://www.naturabuy.fr/DEPOT-VENTE-TRES-BEAU-ROBUST-IDEAL-N-274-item-1614919.html

As you bought a 16, I infer that you are a person of taste and accomplishment. Enjoy.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the links. That Prestige is amazing. Personally, I don't think I'd like the fat fore-end much, but there's no doubting the care and skill that went into it.

Actually, this will make three St. Etienne doubles for me. I just posted pics of a 20-gauge Darne R15 on another thread.

My first French shotgun, and truth be told, the first gun I bought in about 30 years, is anonymous as far as I can tell, though it has matching serial numbers and St. Etienne proofs. It's a well used field-grade 12 with 70-cm barrels and 65-mm chambers. Kind of reminds me of an old Birmingham 12 (Webley & Scott, I think) I owned back in the day: light (6 pounds 1 ounce), nicely balance, case colors gone and a bit of freckling on the barrels, generally plain but with a few surprising touches of class, such as fine scroll engraving around the hinge and a couple screws, carved fences, a bit of figure in the oil-finished walnut, and checkering that's notably finer than on my 1970s-vintage Darne. When I get my photographic skills honed a bit. I'll post some pics of it.
Bill

Some new info on dates that might help with my Robust. A discussion in another forum: http://www.gournetusa.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=52 establishes a date for a gun quite close to mine: 166216 compared to my 148346. The 166 gun is dated on the butt stock February 5, 1932. So it looks like my gun is older but not by much. Maybe 1928-1931?

That early date makes me suspect the originality of the 2.75-inch chambers. The seller read and described the proof marks over the phone but could not see any clear 65s or 70s denoting chamber length. Anyway, I plan to shoot low-pressure loads of 1 ounce or less, so I'm not concerned. But I am curious.

Bill

Chamber length wasn't marked on all French guns, but I'd be skeptical of any that are 70MM/2 3/4" and not marked. May well have started life as 2 1/2". One ounce loads in a 5 3/4# gun can give you a fair jolt. If you're going to shoot factory loads, you might consider RST's 7/8 oz shells. They even make 3/4 oz loads for the 16. Pressure isn't really an issue with recoil. Reduce either shot charge or velocity, or both, and she'll kick less.