doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com I hate it when this happens.

Some time back, I described the dismantling and cleaning of this old gun, an early Halifax Darne 12:







My intention was to clean it up a bit, reduce the awful trigger pulls, service it, and send it down the road to a new home. I have a different Darne that I'd like to restock. My work adjusting the triggers required me to bring it to the range, and check it with both barrels loaded, to see if there were any problems with doubling, or, partial hanging of the sears. I did manage to reduce the pulls from double digit numbers (my gauge only goes to ten pounds, and it was more than that) down to about the weight of the gun (as far as I was comfortable going on this example) with an extremely clean break.
I shot by myself, since, I was loading two rounds in the gun. I alternated barrels, and really didn't pay that much attention to shooting, just operating.
When it was over, I missed the number 2 bird, and ran the next 23 straight. I had hit number 1, for a score of 24.

Now what?

The gun features a perfect right handed safety button, while I am a lefty, a bit of right cast, and is a bit short for me. It is hard to argue with results, and I loath moving guns I shoot really well. A pad would correct the short LOP, the chambers could be lengthened to 2 3/4, or, left alone, and it would make a decent pheasant gun, my actual goal with the R10 restocking project.

Dang. The best laid plans....


Best,
Ted

Ted, I've heard of worse problems...Geo

I guess you could trade it in on something you wanted more or something?

Everyone should have your problems.
nial

There are better looking guns that you could shoot well too, Ted.

SRH

Worse, too, Stan. Form follows function. Thing is, there is some right handed guy out there, who could shoot lights out with this gun. Hell, a left handed guy came close, today. A truly right handed Darne, stock, safety, the whole shebang, is a rare item. As Argo has been digging up info on age of French guns, this one isn't exactly new, either-pre 1912. Really great condition, considering all the festivities in the first half of the last century in Europe.
I think it is a good looking gun, others do as well. As of right now, every comment on the topic is from a Darne believer, save, the one you put up.
The sculpted detonators disappeared in the 1920s, I've always thought they look cool. I'm partial to thin and pretty brunettes, too, but, not everyone feels the same, I'm sure.

Best,
Ted

Beautiful Darne Ted. You have a Darne that you had restocked in France that you shoot really well also because I remember you describing that high crossing fastball you crushed a few years back with it, but I take it this isn't that gun.

Is that a 12 gauge too?

Dare I say it could be the dreaded honeymoon? Shoot some more clays with it and see what happens. "Let me sleep on it and I'LL GIVE YOU AN ANSWER IN THE MORNIN'."

DDA

I believe this is the key phrase. I also believe, if you could repeat the "just operating" part, you would shoot the same percentage with just about any other gun.

The problem is, one seldom can.

All in fun, Ted. I know there are those who really like the looks of a Darne, but as far as function goes, if you can shoot the thing that well ............ it doesn't matter how it looks to anybody else. Pretty is as pretty does.

I imagine I could get to liking one just fine if I never missed with it.

Hmmm, did they ever make a 30" .410?

All my best, SRH

Put the pad on, Ted . . . and you probably won't shoot it for crap!

I stumbled across a like new Miroku 20ga sxs years ago, brought back from Japan by a Navy vet who'd served there. Don't think I paid $500 for it. PG/DT/splinter. 28" barrels. M/F. Shot a straight with it, first round of skeet I shot. Immediately had the chokes opened because I didn't want birds reduced to the equivalent of the puffs of smoke hits I got on those clay birds. After which I never shot it anywhere near as well again.