doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - St Etienne 1860-69 French double barrel percussion

https://imgur.com/gallery/EYEF3bU

I am trying identify and value this shotgun. It is in fantastic conditon. I know it is St. Etiennne proofed. I dont know if the French arsenal is the maker. The BD proof is a mystery. The St Etienne proof was used from 1860-69. I will take any and all bits of knowledge.

Thanks

Tom

This is the best article on the Banc d'Epreuve de Saint Etienne 1700 and 1800's that I've found. It looks as if even the French don't know everything. The author is asking owners of pistols and commercial firearms to forward pictures of their proof marks so that he can research the question further.

http://www.lapistole.com/GDAPoinconcivils.pdf

What the article does emphasize is that up to 1855 and the death of Augustin Merley, the last private proofer for commercial guns, Saint Etienne used both the palm fronds and crown of the Saint Etienne proof mark and his own mark crown over AM.



Here is a possible mark for Saint Etienne commercial arms privately proofed from 1831 (overthrow of Charles X) to 1856. There is a crown a palm fronds but the fronds do not cross. It's interesting that the author shows no proof marks for the 2nd Republic period 1848-1855. Perhaps since Augustin Merley was still working, they didn't change.



Merley died in 1855 and in 1856 the proofing responsibility for Saint Etienne commercial products devolved onto the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The mark had the imperial crown and crossing palm fronds that appears on Twines' gun.



Again it is quite possible that the BD surmounted by crown is a proofer in the Saint Etienne commercial proof house at the time. Or it could be a commercial gun maker's mark.

However, again after the fall of Napoleon III and declaration of the 3rd French Republic 3 September 1870, it looks like the imperial crown was replaced by a stylized castle of sorts:



Anyway, the article is interesting. I'll translate it as time permits. Still looking to identify "BD."