doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Pondevaux of St. Etienne 16g. Double

Now I didn't say DD of 1855 was the same as Monsieur Pondevaux of 1855. I'm sure info on the medal is out there, I just haven't had the time to scour for it. I've seen a reference or 2 that gives that the concern PONDEVAUX ET JUSSY was dissolved in 1875. So between 1867/1868 & 1875.

Rebaud.P is for the arquebusier, armurier P. Rebaud was was the frame filer/action fella.

I don't have much on "Pondevaux et Jussy". One of my book says that they were together in 1875 and that's about it.
I did find that Pondevaux was a (the?) director of the St-Etienne proof house in the late 1850s. So he was probably well respected.
The St-Etienne proof house was at the time a local affair,sponsored by the St-Etienne chamber of commerce. The Paris proof house was set up the same way in 1900 and actually operated in the beginning within the Bernard factory.


Dider Drevet was riding a bit on L.Bernard's coat-tails, as for marketing.
Bernard was the king of French barrel makers at the time and Drevet (among many others) was copying the type of marking that Bernard was using at the time. So it's pretty certain that the barrel set was made in 1885. The gun however could have been made immediately afterwards or, less likely, before, if the barrel set was a replacement. I sincerely doubt that in that case...
Best regards,
WC-

Many thanks WC for looking. I do not think a replacement tubeset. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

The patent I was actually thinking of was 1853 not 1855:


8,545, vol. 28, p. 19 - Fusil se chargeant par la culasse - avril 9th of 1853)

Adverts from from the 1860s give that Pondevaux et Jussy exported to Russia, U.S. of A.(Am�rique) & Turkey

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

No, I meant that I was dense enough originally to associate the medal with Pondevaux instead of Drevet.

I'm accustomed to using a leather handguard on my English doubles. This is what the currently available model looks like:

http://hollandandholland.com/product/leather-shotgun-hand-guard/

I wonder if the French use anything similar at all. The Continental preference for sling swivels on shotguns makes the use of the traditional form of English leather handguard impossible.

Nah, not dense. You just have not put in your time with French tubesets. I do wonder if Didier rolled his own or not.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

The vast majority of French shotgun hunting was (is) done with one or a few people working fields and hedges with dogs ("A la billebaude" in Burgundy). There is a lot of walking to do, and a sling is appreciated.
English style driven game shooting is very much an upper crust exception. Those guns don't have slings. On the same note, pairs are a million to one abnormality.
I guess one does not need a hand guard for walk up hunting.
Best regards,
WC-

WC:
Sounds like @ some point you were a beater in the ole Chasser � la billebaude??

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

I was, but not in Burgundy, therefore not using that local word.

French speaking readers should get "La Billebaude" from Henri Vincenot, which gives a great idea of the hunting (and life in general) practiced in the 1920s and 30s.

Best regards,
WC-