doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 10 Gauge Manufrance Ideal with Lunette triggers

Interesting to see Francophiles presumably US based. Looking at most posts it is easy to form the impression that French doubles are unknown in the US.

Thanks for all the information. I've been in the mountains grouse hunting the last few days. It was amazing to come home and learn so much about my gun and others like it.

I took the Ideal but no luck. We had 4 flushes but unfortunately none were in front of me. It was between 11 and 22 degrees the whole time we were there with real snotty weather for the drive home.

Thanks again guys,

Roger

Presumptions solely based on what one reads on an internet site are bound to be incorrect.


Best,
Ted

Ted, it is not just from the site. Having followed the US hunting press over many years there were few references to French guns. The Darne was mentioned. Roger Barlow wrote one or two pieces on the Bretton.

I do not recall any mention of the Robust or the Ideal in the press and naturally did not expect anything on lesser known makes like Granger, Bergeron etc. The double rifle people seem to be more Francophilic, perhaps because of Chapuis and Verney Carron offering double rifles at reasonable rates.

An aside, Greener mentions that Walsh favored a French double that opened via a spur which was squeezed towards the stock. He does not even mention the name of the gun!

The Sporting Press in the US is advertiser driven, and will give a distorted view of what is what 100% of the time. Roger Barlow wrote a lot of articles on the Darne, as did John Amber, and a few others. If you recall few articles on the Ideal, or the Robust or Costo, remember, they were out of production, and an editor mostly realized nobody could make any money on them, so an article would only get printed if there was space for it. G. Granger guns are about as easy to obtain here as a Purdey, and few would have the money for or interest in that brand, here. I've seen exactly two G. Granger guns for sale in the states, and they were both priced high, but, well below replacement cost. They are a much easier sale in France.
The Double Gun Journal changed that aspect of sporting publication, as the magazine was about the guns, often from a historical standpoint. There were always plenty of places you could read about the latest plastic pump, or, handgun, but, now we also had information available about double guns of all types that often weren't in production any more.
Someone who read "Outdoor Life" in the 1960s, may have remembered a short article on French guns. Someone who read The Double Gun Journal in the 1990s could find out how to grade a Darne, or, an Ideal, how to get one apart, photos of different grades, and how the owners used them in the field and what they thought of them.
The percentage of users of this board who read DGJ is high, but, the percentage of people who read it out of hunting game license holders is likely pretty small. That hasn't stopped boutique gunrooms, catering to the double gun market, from sprouting up, or boutique ammunition makers from finding a profitable niche between giants like Federal cartridge or Winchester, who can't or won't make specific ammunition for older doubles from all parts of Europe.
The phenomena of Americans who understand and are versed in French guns is a fairly recent, but, positive development. You would most likely miss it if you only considered the popular sporting press in this country.

Best,
Ted

Those triggers look fitting for you Mr. Sniffle'bean....

Ideals aren't my cup of tea, Mr. plastic Stupid Black Eagle.


Best,
Ted

Ted I figured they named those triggers after you...

"Lunette" ....is that French for lunatic ?

As an American who knows nothing of French guns, I am intrigued by this gun in general and by the triggers in particular. Why do they look like that? Do they function differently than a normal double trigger gun? Does the trigger guard beat you up on recoil when shooting a heavy load with the front trigger? Any info would be appreciated.

Mergus