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Thanks Ted S., for the information and I'll start looking up these articles!!!! I've seen some of their prices while looking through Gunbroker, Auctionarms, etc., and for what you are getting they seem kind of reasonable compared to a 'Best' English, Italian, Belgium or German.
All the best

Something that has cropped up as of late, is allegations of Darne R actions, marked with the Charlin name. The Charlin company went out of business in 1955, and the guns were produced by Darne from 1955 until 1965 when they were discontinued, along with the Darne P model.

I have been told of these, but, have never seen one. I have no reason to doubt it is possible.
Best,
Ted

Thanks for the lead. A copy of J-C Mournetas, Les fusils de chasse de Regis Darne, 2nd edition of 2006 arrived via FedEx today from France. It's full of the Darne patents and a huge amount of Darne lore.

Just a note on the author's failure to draw up a table of serial numbers: (free translation here) "...I so much wanted to find the key to this (serial number) enigma and to be able to, as for the IDEAL, offer to all lovers of fine arms, a precise chronology by serial number. Alas, the greatest part of the documents have disappeared. Moreover, the principle of deciding serial numbers of Darne guns is so bizzare that it's impossible to sort it out." He goes on to note that guns of different types are found with the same serial numbers, observing that such might cause concern with the police!
Regards, Tim

Tim,
I have seen many low grade Darnes with just a three digit serial number and always wondered about that. Prewar Halifax models always seem to be marked with just three numbers. I was told that a serial number wasn't really required by law until after the guns had been in production for 75 years or so, and the numbers just helped the gunmakers keep the parts from getting mixed.

One other note, at one time I owned a V20 two barrel set, which had a serial number that defied dating it-6 digit number if I recall. While having it worked on, Hervé pointed to the engravers name, "Bernaud", if I'm not mistaken, and said it was built before 1912-he knew that because Bernaud had died that year. But not too much before 1912, since he had worked up to his death, and the work closer to that year was not his best. This gun had engraving that was not his best!
Funny, but, true.
Best,
Ted

Here is the three digit serial nº on an old specimen:


JC(AL)

I was passing a Polish book store today to look for more books on edged weapons and suchlike when I reviewed one I saw before. This dealt with older weapopns presumably now in Polish museums or other hands as a result of the "asquisition" of private and public arms at the ending year of WWII.

There was a photo of an 1813 Parisian presumably double gun whose breech flipped up on a hinge just at the chamber. Obviously a breech loading muzzlkeloader. The thing which caused the breech to raise was a long top tang integral with the top or back breech which went back through the grip area and which folded into a nice loop to grab.

How this was locked requires reading in Polish if that information was given. The obvious (today) aspect of this design was that the flip up section looked exactly like the sliding breech of the Darne family of guns. My logical guess is that the later Darne design developers remembered that breech design and said, "Why not slide back instead of flip up?"

I suppose you could draw any number of mnechanisms including a central pivot pin which would permit the top/back breech to be raised by a lever going back as the top tang. It worked for "muzzle loaders" in that case and I'm wondering if there is any point in making something like that today.

Charlin breechblocks slide on bearing balls. Very well-made little gun. Short article with illustrations of an elaborately-decorated Charlin with gold infill made for some raja or rani in DGJ (02 or 03 I think). IMO the lines of the Charlin are made a bit cleaner by the lack of the Darne belly band and vestigial pistol grip knob. Not much cache with the Pahker mob and the A H Fox lemmings but daring to be different is permitted to those who can live without a cheering section.

jack

Jack,
Both my Darnes are straight grip, one a very European style, called "Galwi", that features just a hint of swan neck curve in the stock, with a bit of belly up to the checkered butt.

That little wood area under the sliding breech on a Darne makes a dandy handle for one arm gun carry on the way back to the car. A Charlin is steel in the same area.

I like both styles, but, as the years went by, for reason of personal preference, I came to prefer the R Darne over anything else. The Charlin I used to own, that was pictured in the DGJ, lives just down the road in Mpls, with a close friend who owns a large collection of all kinds of sliding breech guns. I suppose the number one reason I sold it to him was the bodacious amount of cast in the stock, opposite my lefthanded requirements, that caused my cheek pain at the shot.

Glad to see you found a gun to appreciate. Use it in good health.
Best,
Ted

FSP,
Actually, in production at the time of the earliest Darne catalog in my possesion (1907), was a design called the model A Darne, which had a breech that flipped up on a hinge at the back of the breechblock. If one follows the patent dates, it actually came prior to either the model C rotating breech gun, or the model R.

I handled a model A in St. Etienne, which I might have bought if it had steel barrels. While unique, I can't see any advantage in the design, other than it was trim, and could be fitted with actual ejectors, if one goes for that 'sort of thing.

I prefer to pocket my emptys, not search for them in the dirt.
Best,
Ted

Ted, I saw it stated somewhere that Charlins have ejectors. Mine has a classic, one-piece extractor which "appears" to miraculously produce selective ejection of fired casing while leaving unfired shell in the chamber. The breech face is a forest of dead bolts, spring-loaded pins, and engaging hooks. Painfully clear that injun not understand firestick! What mechanism is producing selective ejection? Oddly, I also save hulls and find it quite easy to hold gun level and remove the hulls from the ways under the sliding breech (or dump them out by turning gun 90 degrees. No way it can throw em over one's shoulder as their path is inline with the breechwall. In addition I'm still working out a MO for that little pineapple safety in the field. Best I've come up with is safety turned to 6 o'clock (it will move past 9 viewed from left side of gun) so it protrudes below the bottom of action, index finger left on right side of trigger guard and middle finger crooked under guard to kick it back to 3 oclock off safe.

jack