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I am looking at a Francotte Knock-about 12 ga. boxlock SxS. It is in good condition, other than the stock has a little too much drop at the heel. I has ejectors and long barrels. It was imported by VL&D in New york. What would be a fair price for this old timer. All help will be welcome.

Regards
M.L.

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_inf...30c8e33e4da16c6

This one looks pretty rough.

sure enough, it looks like its been knock about

John

Thanks for the help Homeless Joe. Was hoping to find a little more information on these shotguns. Are they well made, does anyone like them. What do you fellows think? HELP.

Regards
M.L.

Francotte name has Brand Value level three (BV3). The Original Quality grade is about six and a half (OQ6.5), between a second and third grade BLE. If found in Current Conditiion level four (CC4 = "heavy use, but no abuse,"), then BV3-OQ6.5-CC4 = $1,400.
Better CC will have a higher price and poorer CC will be less. Post photos or more description for a more accurate valuation.

The Knockabout comes from an era where most name brand guns were sound and shootable. Variations in quality had mainly to do with finess of finish, engraving, and wood quality. The Knockabout tends to minimal engraving and relatively plain wood. It is finished at a very servicable level, but far from a best work level. It is on par with the middle of the pack Brit BLE's.

it's nearly impossible to give estimate w/o inspecting the piece but assuming original good condition (original chambers, no pits or evidence of pit removal by "hone" ie it has sufficient barrel thickness, no stock cracks nor barrel dents or bulges) i would say 900usd+/-50. not having reputation allows me to give an estimate even with next to no info available.
the knockabout is on par with g.e. lewis,...... or one from birmingham bicycle maker called bsa.

Let me add that Francotte is a well known Belgian maker. Begun in 1805 the firm has produced all manor of firearms over the centuries. They have had contractual relationships with many other makers. The name may or may not carry value depending on the buyer. The "knock about" was the Francotte entry into the then growing shotgun market. It actually was a step above the high volume Belgian guns being produced at the time.

Historically, Americans have not valued many of the Belgian makers. Francotte has recently risen in name recognition. Possibly the only Belgian maker with higher name recognition is FN. A few years ago the knock about guns were selling for $500 or less. Today it is had to find one in good condition for under $1,000. The one thing to remember is that there are alot of them around. So it can be best to wait until you find a gun that meets your standards.

Pete

JagerM....Got any leads on nice condition 1920-30 GE Lewis for around, say , 900 Bucks ????.
BSA should be a little less I think.
cheers
Franc