I have a 12 gauge, F. Dumoulin boxlock I believe was made in 1941. Well made, Improved and Full, 28 barrels, about 6 1/4 lbs.
Here are some pics. Barrel blue is all original...have refinished stock, since these pics.
Need a market value, as I am considering selling it., or will consider trade for a 28 gauge over/under







any knowledge appreciated.....
thanks,
Terry

SIT,

I bought a sideplated BLE quite a few years ago. The gun is very well made. If you go to Guns International there are a usually a few for sale. Geno, from Russia, provided a link to Littlegun in Belgium which has the most info I've been able to find. F. Dumoulin has been mentioned in a couple of articles in DGJ. An old company and very influential in the 19th C. Belgian trade. They have made guns across the entire spectrum from the most basic to the best.

I too would like to learn a little more about F. Doumulin. I just looked for a couple of photos that I could upload of it. 12 bore boxlock non-ejector with 70mm. chambers. It is the gun I take along the river when I am out to lessen the goosander (merganser) population.



And this is my assistant daring anyone to come closer to her master's gun. Lagopus.....

Ho Ho! A Bay dog!
You know,if you grind mergies 50/50 with bacon, you get a pretty decent fish sandwich.

Am I nuts or is there a ring on that sawbill?

DLH

http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20den/a%20dumoulin%20gb.htm

Terry,

It is very unlikely your gun was made in 1941. Germany was occupying Belgium. Sporting firearms were not being produced in any numbers, as the Germans had the Belgians making parts for their military needs.

I would suggest the gun was made in 1961 instead.
http://damascus-barrels.com/Belgian_All_Proofmarks.html

lagopus,

Nice gun.

Not sure what you want to learn about the Dumolin name. They were around from 1830 to at least 1968. Their office location changed several times during that span. They also maintained an office in London at 9-11 Wilson St around 1897 or so. (Perhaps supplying parts to the trade?) To add confusion, there were Dumolins working in Austria, Portugal and maybe France.

They are one of most difficult names to deal with. 1st, it appears every one in the family was a gun maker, at least in name. Second, there seems to be some indication that they would put a Dumolin name on a gun, even though that particular Dumolin had no part in its manufacture.

At 1st glance there was F. Dumolin & CIE and also Dumolin Ferres. In addition there were at least 15 other Dumolin names registered. Adding to the confusion there were the hyphenated Dumolins, Dumolin-Demarteau, Dumolin-Paques, Dumolin-Labinon, Dumolin-Gerard, Dumolin-Rossels & Dumolin-Colombier.

The earliest Dumolin's seem to have specialized in converting flintlock guns to percussion. Over the years, various members of the family formed working relationships with Waranant, Remington and others. They produced just about every imaginable type of firearm.

Apparently some did hold patents, though I have never seen a master list.

In 1898 Neumann Freres, Janssen fils & Cie, and F. Dumolin & Cie formed Syndicat des Pieces Interchangables. This was done to standardize the manufacturing tolerances of sporting arms. Shortly after forming, they turned it over to Fabrique Nationale. Not surprising as many of them had been founders of FN.

Dumolin really should be viewed as a major player in the Belgian gun trade along side Pieper, Francotte, Heuse, etc.

Pete

I'll through out that if that shotgun was on a table at a gunshow around here, listed at $1,000.00, no one would buy it.
Flat back, Continental, A&D boxlocks with no scrollwork have to compete with the spaniards and turks. Saw quite a few this past weekend actually, some down around $600.00 for start.

Thanks, everyone for your comments.
Drew, I looked into Littlegun and they have a site , where they will do homework, charge about $7 for six months subscription, and research your gun. I tried to set it up, and it wouldn't take my credit or debit card info...so ??? I followed up with the people that host the site, but couldn't make progress. Had several conversations with Alain Trigger, but to no avail. Anyone ever had luck with the littlegun 6 month subscription process?
Also, Pete, there is a lower case "t" just under the barrel weight markings on the flats, in the last pic on my post, and that's what I thought was date code....corresponding to 1941. I'm really more interested in trying to establish a fair market value for the gun, than learning much more about the company.
There just doesn't seem to be many out there to compare to.
There is one on gunbroker now with a start of over $5000, has Abercrombie and Fitch stamped on it, but is a similar style F. Dumoulin boxlock.it has an English straight stock, but frame is very similar...no bids however.
any more info or opinions out there?...much appreciated!

Looks like a lower case 't' to me, but I've proven several times that I can't read Belgian script

Or less.

Pete, my thoughts were in line with yours, for a very long time. Belgium, occupied from spring 1940 on . . . surely they couldn't have been producing many sporting arms? But at least going by the date codes, I've looked at quite a few (including several Francottes) from that "occupation" period. I wonder if maybe the Germans focused mainly on FN for their requirements, and allowed at least some production of sporting arms to continue by other makers.

Larry,

My best guess is that guns were waiting to be proofed when the invasion occurred. During the occupation some of the "back log" was proofed, but very few. I know of at least one case where a set of damascus tubes were hiden in a wall and did not come to light until some recent remodeling.

I do know the Germans took control of Pieper. It certainly happened to them during both wars.

This is from an email exchange with Raimey on the topic


Pete

Yes, it's a Bay Dog. I have two. They are a rare breed here in Britain but I have had four so far and bred one litter. I work them for myself and also pick up with them at some big driven shoots. We have been on the grouse moors today and got well wet into the bargin.

Goosander not ringed; must be a trick of the light. I don't shoot them for food, don't worry on that score. They are a protected species here but I get a special license to shoot a certain number each year for Fishery protection purposes.

No, I could not find much on F. Doumulin. This particular gun has the name of a British Army Officer engraved on the trigger guard. He served with the Royal Engineers in the last war so I wondered if it had been 'liberated' at some time. It is a nice gun and in good condition. Lagopus.....

Pete--You could be right, about the "waiting to be proofed" thing. I knew about FN previously. Pieper (Bayard) made handguns also, which would have made them perhaps of more interest to the Germans than companies like Dumoulin and Francotte. I owned a Francotte with a 1943 date code.

Known, but not highly valued Continental name equals Brand Value level four (BV4). Looks to be a notch above a colonial/farmer BLNE grade gun, so Original Quality grade is OQ8. Current Condition looks to be between slightly used and significantly used, say CC2 1/2. BV4-OQ8-CC2 1/2 = $592; sharp call at $600. The refinished stock might knock off a few bucks if it does not fit to the rest of the gun. The unusually high condition might add a bit in the right places.

Geez, I wonder where I learned that?
I think it's easier to ball park a less expensive gun. A $100.00 disagreement is a much greater % of the value. More error margin.

Hello Lagopus,

Nice gun!

JC

SIT,

The reinforced frame seems to be typical of the F. or Fs. Dumoulin guns. Referring again the Guns Intl. site you will see significant differences in the level of finishes on the four or five guns listed. The guns advertised by doublegunhq and boisegun have both been on the site for quite sometime as has the 16ga. sideplated gun at Cabelas. The 16ga. is the twin to my gun with minor variation in the engraving and the carving of the fences. The doublegunhq's ad seems to be close to the condition of the gun you have but your gun shows slightly more engraving. I would think that about $750. would be right.

Note that most of these guns are light for guage. My 16 is 5lbs. 8ozs. For those conjecturing about date codes, my gun is marked '43. I fully admit to Drew's hesitation in interpreting said codes.

Well thank you all!
I concur that the gun is a $600 to $700 gun and your comments have reinforced my beliefs. With less name recognition, yet quality construction, plus the fact that several have continued to be listed on the Guns Intl. site for a few hundred more $$ without moving, etc.....bring us to the range Rocketman and others have pointed to.
thanks again for your help,
Terry