The list of "Helice" associated names used in France came from this line:
http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbt...8156#Post448156It was posted by "Neltir" on a French website. Here is the quote:
The word/action "HELICE" was never patented...it was a generic term.
Neltir is poster on a French double gun website. He was employed for many years in St Etienne gun business and retired in 2007. He posted this post on the website explaining to French shooters what the meaning of Helice is.
http://www.passionlachasse.com/t17209-fusil-helice
I will paraphrase what he said and will enter the entire translation if needed:
Helice is just a helix screw, a method of locking a center-break gun. Helice locks were used from the beginning in center break guns but especially in under-lever guns
"With the invention of the box lock and side lock and more powerful powder, additional locks were needed. In 1894 Webley came up with a triple lock system and moved the locking lever on top of the breech, aesthetically a master stroke.
Verny Carron in St. Etienne took this idea, simplified it and added a fourth lock. VC patented this in 1896 using the variants of Helice...including the name HELICOBLOC or HELISTOP and HELICE-GRIPP. However the name HELICE was never patented by anyone,..it was generic.
Because of the popularity of the Webley and VC locks, everyone piled in and began using the word “HELICE “ on their release lever, usually stamped and in raised letters, often combined with the name of the gun maker or the initials and some form of word added to HELICE to make it a compound name.
He added: "It is well known that only one single long gun (ed: a complete gun, not an action) was patented under the mark “HELICE"; I was the long gun fabricated by Marcel Philippon. And following that a multitude of arms makers baptized their actions using a prefix HELICE (and variants) while adding their names or initials onto the breech combining it with HELICE."
He then attached this list of various names used by French gun-makers employing the word HELICE taken from a book by Maurice Forisier, which was given to him by his old workmates/collegues from the armorie school when he retired in 2007 (list looks incomplete since is appears to include only St Etienne armorers..others seemed to have joined in the Heli naming and etching craze).
