Traded into another Darne last week:



Mid 1970s vintage V19 20 gauge. Straight stock, swamped rib. I’m thinking the butt plate might be one of the urethane reproductions, as it is a little too perfect, and has not shrunk. That would be exactly one Darne plastic butt plate I’ve seen, in forty years, that hasn’t shrunk.

Interesting wood:




Not too much to lug around. It is actually lighter in weight than my 28 gauge V19:



Porky 28 gauge on the scale:



Maintenance consisted of moving all the screws back into north/south alignment, expected after 45 or so years, clean and light lube. Someone decided to remove about .010” from each barrel, not sure if forcing cones or chamber length have been altered, and, mostly don’t care. Chokes come in about .008 and .027, call it IC and Full, I suppose. Stock does not appear to be cast either way, and LOP is an honest 14 3/4”. I would say it has been well cared for. Triggers both break well under the weight of the gun, my usual trigger test since my trigger scale died.

I have looked for a long time for a straight stocked, swamped rib 20 gauge Darne, to replace the gun pictured in The Double Gun Journal, a gun that I sold in a silly moment. Had a very hard time missing with that gun, and didn’t really know just what a gift that was.

Best,
Ted

Very nice gun, Ted. Congratulations! I keep looking at the pair of Vouzelaud 20's Hallowell has had for some time. I can live with the short LOP and probably the cast, but I'm not sure I can live with the drop. I remain a big fan of French guns, although I've given up on Darnes. Along with pretty much any other guns that aren't break action with a tang safety.

http://www.hallowellco.com/vouzelaud_____matched_pair%2020ga.htm

That’s great Ted!

Hopefully as you switch shooting sides, the lack of cast will be easy to adapt to.

Good for you Ted. I have made a deal on a 20 gauge Darne as well that I should have in my possession in a few days. I will take some pictures of that one as well when it comes and have you post them to here to the board for me. Enjoy that straight English stock. I have a soft spot in my heart for those English stocks. That new stock of yours is a beauty.

- Les Francais sourient.

Looks good Ted

For Gene:

https://ibb.co/1srDT3S

When a Darne is marked with either the SPC or SPL prefix in the serial number, there really isn’t an accurate way to date the manufacture of the gun using the serial number. SPC indicated special order short barrels, and SPL indicated special order long barrels. As special orders, they were numbered out of sequence.

But, there are other clues. James Wayne dutifully stamped his importer information into the tubes, telling us 1970s, I’ve looked at a lot of Darne guns, and can’t recall seeing an SPL serial number. In the era James Wayne was in the game, many were the writers who pontificated that 26” tubes were exactly what a bloke wanted, regardless of whether he shot a pump, an auto, or a double of some sort. I’d bet most of what James Wayne sold was inventory, and few guns were ordered to measure. My previous 20 gauge R15, left the factory with a set of 29” tubes. I am a poorer man for not realizing exactly what I had, when I had it. I shot that little gun well.

The thermometer is indicating -1 F, at the moment, and I won’t pattern it, today. But, I will, eventually.

Larry, those guns have been for sale for a long time. They look odd, with all that drop, and beaver tail front wood.

I couldn’t shoot them, not well, anyway.

Best,
Ted

What a beautiful example of the ugliest sxs ever made. Congratulations, Ted. Glad you like it. Fwiw, just where is the safety on a the Darne thing?
JR

A little early to be slurring the words on your keyboard, isn’t it John?

A Darne has a couple of safeties on board. Not going to get into it, today, since there are 20 years worth of me explaining it right here. I doubt you actually give a rip, anyway. Whatever.

Might just be me, but, I think this is the ugliest:



Have a good Sunday. Can you hunt woodcock thereabouts?

Best,
Ted

Congratulations Ted, very nice!

I can’t tell, but does the gun have sling swivels or does it have the Darne detachable sling?

It has neither. There were three options, the retractable, the bretelle Darne, and, sling swivels. Most American spec guns have none of the above.

The 28 has the bretelle Darne, but, that is because I own it, and I can do that:



https://ibb.co/j8McwpL
https://ibb.co/vxRM9dJ

A checkered ebony buttplate replaced a very shrunken plastic buttplate at the same time.


Best,
Ted

First typo I've made this year, Ted.

I think that would qualify as the ugliest O/U ever made.

No be'casse of any note here anymore. As a kid in my teens, I would pick one up occasionally when leaving the woods right at dark after shooting woodies way past legal hours. Almost ran over one in the middle of the road coming out of my river camp last year.
JR

Some people never learn....

Can’t shoot it off the hook. Like, that, you mean?

Best,
Ted

Cool unit Ted! Now...you have 9-months to get good with it. Those chokes are about perfect for the North Country.

I'm glad no moths were injured Enjoy Ted!

Thanks. Sorry to disappoint, but, moths don’t get hurt when you trade into a gun. Glad I don’t need a gunsmith for it. Don’t tell my neighbors, but, there is always a growler of Wild Brunette in the ‘fridge, too.

Best,
Ted

______________________________________________________________
https://www.barleyjohns.com/drink

I couldn't agree more those are some Darne butt ugly azz shoot guns.....

Disappointed?? Hardly, I'm impressed you sprang for a growler of good beer. 👍

You didn't trade your Mossberg pumper for it i hope....

Yup-- ugly as home made poop. RWTF

Fify
JR

Good thing. Your home team there has always struck me as a few fries short of a Happy Meal....

Best,
Ted

________________________________________________________________
The closer you get to Detroit, the weirder they get, too. Michigan thing, I guess.

Who's keeping score?
JR

Not necessary. There is a glaring display, daily. You might need to work on
your observation skills. Like, ‘furinstance, the guy who runs the joint has a V Darne as his avatar.

Best,
Ted

________________________________________________________________________
Not an RBL.

You saying Darmes are on the kids menu when it comes to SxSs.....

Foxey....

Ted likes Darmes because they're so ugly they'll ugly a bird to death....

Me.

Touche

Fify.


___________________________
Catfish Fever.

Very nice. Hope to own a Darne one day.

Be sure to pattern it before you buy it.

What's a Fify ?

Nice looking Darne, Ted. Wouldn't mind a pix of the barrel flats, too. Good way to welcome the New Year.

Regards, Tim

Fixed it for you.


__________________________
John sure does get mad easy, eh. Still sore about the Civil War I guess.

all I can say is I like my Darne and my two Manufrance Ideals as well. I don't shoot them well but that isn't unusual with me

Back on page one, one of my posts has a link to a photo of the flats, Tim.

JPEG box was acting up. You have to click on the link.

Best,
Ted

___________________________________________________________________
It is really cute to see you guys leading fox and jOe around by the hand when they get lost.

jOe, a Fify be ten mo den foety.

Ted, I submitted a post a couple days ago saying that your new gun looks to be in very nice condition, and that I hope you are able to shoot it as well as the one you let get away.

I'm not sure why it didn't get posted. I don't think it would have unnerved anyone here, or maybe even at the UJ Forum.

Keith, I just read a note from Dave concerning illness in his family in the "Please Consider a Donation to BBS" at the top of this page. He posted this about a half hour ago.

"My mom made it through and is at home recovering.
Her prognosis is good...however, there are still some challenges ahead.
I am hopeful she can return to independent living in the near future.
I will be tied up assisting her and this may cause further nominal update delays."

He likely has had his hands full caring for his mother lately.

I understand that Stan, and know from experience that it can be both challenging and time consuming caring for a sick parent. I hope Dave's Mom makes a full recovery and gets back to being healthy and independent.

However, it just seemed odd that my very benign post that I made to congratulate Ted on acquiring another shotgun didn't get posted, while a couple other posts I had made in that same time frame did appear. No big deal. I enjoyed taking another shot at the heavy-handed moderation that makes UJ forum weird. Some forums are even worse though. I have told the story about being on a Volkswagen TDI Diesel forum several years ago, when I had some questions about my Diesel Jetta. The Administrator there went off on one guy because he had the gall to suggest that it was OK to use Mobil 1 synthetic oil in a TDI Diesel engine. The Administrator called him everything but a white English gentleman, and announced that he was banning him permanently. Apparently the offender had made this same terrible sin in the past, and had been warned.

Considering that, it might not be a good idea to mention using Mobil synthetic grease or oil here as a hinge pin lubricant.

Keith...Sorry about terminating the benign congratulations post to Ted.

Autopilot got the best of me.

I went through the pile too fast only had a minute and it was a mistake on my end.

Once removed, I can't recover.

Feel free to resubmit.

I got it. Thanks, Keith.

Best,
Ted