No way to know, treblig . . . but I'd bet against it. And that's not a criticism of the gun in question. Simply reflects the reality that Rivolier probably did not have in-house expertise in all the various specialties involved in the start to finish production of a side by side. And, as I suggested earlier, no way the wood on that gun is original. But that's not a criticism either, because it does appear to be well-executed. The wood and the metal simply don't match. It'd be like a high school girl wearing an expensive prom dress and flip-flops to the dance.
Thanks Larry. Possibly sourced barrels? From Belgium possibly? Keith mentioned the differences in two Rivolier actions in his excellent posts, possible built the rest of the gun other than the barrels?
In the case of this gun . . . maybe I'm missing something, but the proofmarks on the barrel are pure St. Etienne. I don't see anything to indicate Belgian origin. Some French makers did use Belgian barrels. For that matter, some French "makers" put their names on guns made in Belgium. But I don't see that applying to the gun in question in this thread. French barrels, proofed no earlier than 1900.
As for Rivolier, if you look at the information posted by Argo, you'll see that they also made sewing machines, safes, cutlery, and ammunition. That's fairly significant diversity. Hard to tell how much of their operation went in which direction.
Last edited by L. Brown; 03/23/17 08:14 AM.
