Lets not forget Soleihac?, Alexandre Bayle, Blandin, Lebel, Meyer, Conchon, and Verney Carron and more...all made sliding breech shotguns...and it would be unfair to not even mention Jas Merrill of Baltimore MD, who began the evolution of the pivoting key mechanism (lock up) with single shots in 1858 (US pat 20954)
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Thanks, I'll try writing to info arms at that address if they have no telephone listing.
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dubbletrubble...your pics are great, but what about the lock up and rib extension...although the gun was clearly proved in St Etienne, without seeing the lock up it's hard to determine if it's a St. Etienne action, or a Liege action that was barreled and joined by Fanget Freres, proved in St Etienne and finished by DR or Chevillard, which is an unknown makers mark to me. Thanks for posting this DR gun, I suspect that the French boxlocks can be broken down not only by the action origins (Liege, Manufrance,Verney), but by the barrels makers like Jean Bruiel (sp?), Fanget, Lugranit, Jean Falla (Be) and others...Auxerre is much closer to Paris than St Etienne...why send it a distant city for proving? unless it was made in St Etienne and supplied to Chevillard already joined and proved to be stocked and finished in Auxerre..if that is the case, it will have a Verney type lock up rather than the Purdey type triple verrou or the Greener type lock up that is more closely associated with actions that have their origins in Liege rather than St Etienne...
Last edited by Robert Chambers; 05/02/07 11:50 PM.
