Old French shotgun
Question:
Received no useful reply on my former message (although the Francotte site has pics of remarkable shotguns – thanks). So here is it again. I’m looking for an old French shotgun made by "Darn" or "Darne". It has been produced untill the ‘20 s and is remarkable because it doesn’t "break" like a normal shotgun does. To load it, you have to pull a lever which opens the chamber. If anyone ever saw such a weapon, or if anyone owns such a weapon and is willing to sell it, please contact me. Regards, J. Verheye Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
Yes. I remember reading an old article about those type of shotguns in the 70’s. They were produced by the French Company of the Darne name from the early 1900’s onward. The author of the article came across one while he was in vietnam. It was in a pile of weapons confiscated by the South Vietnamese from the viet cong. He thought the action was unusual, although it appeared to be broken. He was told he could have it if he wanted it, so he took it. He wrote to the company and asked about the shotgun. The shotgun was sold originally to a tea plantation owner in vietnam in the 1950’s, and it was to be used to fowling, mainly. It was a 20 guage. They also read his description of the worn or broken parts and they sent him some new parts and screws, free of charge. The action is unusual because it uses a t-handle type lever to force the receiver and barrels together (this was a side by side). It was a good action to have in the humid environment of southeast asia because in those days, shotgun shells were made of paper, and they would swell in the torrid heat. This action would force them into the chamber whether they were over sized or not. Paper shells like that wouldnt’ feed into a regular break-type or auto shotguns. Now that most of the shells are plastic and brass, there may not be a whole lot of need for such a shotgun. BUt it is an interesting piece, and I would hesitate to put a value on it. You might try checking on the internet to see if the company still exists. Maybe they could help with some repairs if necessary. You could try looking up the article, I think it was in American Rifleman. Probably 1973-78 timeframe. Good luck Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
I missed the original post – but Darne shotguns are still made; older ones in good condition are quite expensive. "Shooting Sportsman" ran an article on them w/i the past year-I think the magazine has a website. Eric – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Yes. I remember reading an old article about those type of shotguns in the > 70’s. They were produced by the French Company of the Darne name from the > early 1900’s onward. > The author of the article came across one while he was in vietnam. It was in a > pile of weapons confiscated by the South Vietnamese from the viet cong. He > thought the action was unusual, although it appeared to be broken. He was told > he could have it if he wanted it, so he took it. > He wrote to the company and asked about the shotgun. The shotgun was sold > originally to a tea plantation owner in vietnam in the 1950’s, and it was to be > used to fowling, mainly. It was a 20 guage. They also read his description of > the worn or broken parts and they sent him some new parts and screws, free of > charge. > The action is unusual because it uses a t-handle type lever to force the > receiver and barrels together (this was a side by side). It was a good action > to have in the humid environment of southeast asia because in those days, > shotgun shells were made of paper, and they would swell in the torrid heat. > This action would force them into the chamber whether they were over sized or > not. Paper shells like that wouldnt’ feed into a regular break-type or auto > shotguns. > Now that most of the shells are plastic and brass, there may not be a whole lot > of need for such a shotgun. BUt it is an interesting piece, and I would > hesitate to put a value on it. You might try checking on the internet to see > if the company still exists. Maybe they could help with some repairs if > necessary. > You could try looking up the article, I think it was in American Rifleman. > Probably 1973-78 timeframe. Good luck > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
