doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Brevete 16ga info sought

Shown a Brevete 16ga boxlock by a friend today who is selling family estate guns. Offered to help him figure a few out.

Brevete 16ga
27 5/8� barrels, not cut
Full/Extra Full
Concave rib
Sling swivels
Prince Charles
Metal buttplate
�COSTO� stamped on trigger plate
Like-new bores
Some slight pitting on barrels
Frame and iron seem to be blued

Images here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-Q8KNzkqpfN3IPosg2Q_L4Xype7L4ut6

Not Belgian. Clearly French from the proofmarks, and relatively modern (850 kilo proof pressure). French guns are usually pretty good quality, but Costo is somewhere near the bottom of the French heap.

Thank you. This one has the stepped barrels. The gunauction above site references color case remaining. If this was ever color cased, it�s under black oxide now. The family story is that it was brought back here from Europe by a returning serviceman.

From the French gun terminology line: http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=480959

Brevet�(e) - patented
...Brevet�(e) SGDG - model patent ("sans garantie du gouvernement")- Patented Without Guarentee of the Government". French distinction that designates a technical patent in the U.S. sense, as opposed to trademark and the old design patent number system that dealt only with name and shape.

Somehow doesn't look like a pre-WWII Manufrance. I could be wrong. What's it chambered for?

2 3/4� chambers. The person who reportedly brought it back from somewhere is no longer living, and the friend who�s needing the help with this one and several others is not well versed.

I really dislike the sling swivels, but it�s kind of a neat little 16ga.

It's a Costo. It is very closely related a Robust, I think they are the same gun with different names on them. Manufrance produced like a million of them, they were work-a-day guns for the masses.
There was some sort of factory running joke on the names, that escapes me at the moment, but, the truth is you can't really buy anything like either of these guns today. Solid hunting implements, usually pretty light and with adequate wall thickness and meat in the chambers.
Watch for pitted barrels. Most won't sell for more than 1K. Good deals.

Best,
Ted

70mm chambers existed in French guns before WWII...I've documented a lot of them but the vast majority of French guns in the period between the wars were 65mm ...2 1/2. 70mm didn't really become common until the 1950's? So I'd expect the gun to be 65mm.

Here is something about Costo from "Passionlachase.fr" with a rough translation below:

Le Costo est n� en 1924 lorsque la Manufacture de St Etienne cr�e une soci�t� de vente parall�le (Manumodele) pour pouvoir vendre des armes � un tarif plus �lev� en leur donnant une d�nomination nouvelle.Les armes sont fabriqu�es dans les ateliers Manufrance, par les m�mes ouvriers, avec les m�mes mat�riaux.Sont donc produits des fr�res jumeaux qui porteront des noms diff�rents.Ainsi le Robust devient le � Costo �.Sa num�rotation dans le type est abaiss�e d�une unit� : un Robust n�22 devient un Costo n�21.Par contre le tarif de vente est consid�rablement augment� et variable selon les points de vente.

Au point de vue valeur intrins�que, le Costo est le clone du Robust, il rend donc les m�mes bons services.Son marquage � Costo � est bien plus rare que les Robust et le collectionneur peut y trouver son compte.Sa production cessera en 1940 avec l�extinction de la Manumodele.En salle des ventes le Costo est moins on�reux qu�un Robust, sa d�cote est m�me sensible, ce qui peut expliquer son bas prix d�achat � 80e, une affaire donc 8) !

Translation:
"Costo was born in 1924 when Manufrance of Saint Etienne created a parallel retail sales company (Manumodele) in order to sell guns at a higher retail price by giving them a new model. The arms were fabricated in the workshops of Manufrance by the same workers with the same materials (as Manufrance Robust). They were therefore twin brothers which carried different names. Thus the Robust became the "Costo". its numbering of the model types was one number less than the Robust...a Robust no. 22 became a Costo no. 21. On the other hand the sales price was considerably augmented and varied according to the place of sale.

"From the point of view of intrinsic value, the Costo is the clone of the Robust, it gives therefore the same good service. It's mark "Costo" is quite a bit rarer than the Robust and the collector can find them with some difficulty. Its production ended in 1940 with the extinction of Manumodele. In the salesroom the Costo was cheaper than the Robust, the offer prices were negotiable, which might explain its lower sales price about 80% (of a Robust). and therefore a bargain."

Ie. You have a model number "201" and a serial number 181025. Check out this line: Page 11 - The years of the Robust models....the Robust model equivalent will be "202." which was produced from 1932-1940.

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=484199

Was it brought back from Europe or Vietnam?
Mike

They searched you leaving Vietnam..confiscated anything like empty grenades, double edged blades (Montagnards spear heads for instance). Almost no trophies other than uniforms, helmets etc. made it back...at least for enlisted men and that included Special Forces. They tried to confiscate my Randall knife...the one I carried 40 years later in Afghanistan.