doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com French 16 Acier Comprime

Still overseas for several more months so I'm trying to learn all I can now. Want to get a 16ga sxs when I get home. Noticed this one 7649782 on AA and thought I'd ask ya'll just for practice. I realize this one is pretty rough and I can do better. French or german 16ga is what I eventually want to go with my SKB100 20ga and Benelli M1 12.

Top lever is left of center. Photo of the barrels look bad but seller says bores are good. 65mm chambers don't bother me. What do the rest of the markings mean? Finally realized there is finite archive here so I copy the responses to MS Word for later reference. Thanks, Doug
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h272/dbh1956/MVC-026S.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h272/dbh1956/MVC-025S.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h272/dbh1956/MVC-024S.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h272/dbh1956/MVC-023S.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h272/dbh1956/1726cca3b5b08a9290cddb3f821c2f6d.jpg

Why did the url's show up and not the photos?

Got it now

Thats what I love about French guns, sellers typically don't have a clue as to what they have. "St. Etiene huh, it must be Spain!"
Lets see:
Acier Comprime = Compressed Steel
65 = 2.5"s chamber length
17.0 = .669" inside barrel diameter
Crown over PT = Standard smokeless powder proof
Mark to the left of St. Etiene = 14,223psi provisional proof

That's it for me, hope it helps.
Steve

Not sure what you are asking. But since you are enjoying the pleasures of Kwajalein....

Here is the link to the auction:
http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=7649782

I would stay away from this one. A couple of reasons. Hard to tell from the pix but the breech looks corroded. The top lever is way to the left. Some possible rust on the outside at the muzzle.

I did a very quick check over on GA and came up with these. At first blush, worth deeper look.

Here is a Darne
http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976778627.htm

And a couple of Sauer's
http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976714710.htm
http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976713624.htm

If you are going to do this on-line... Ask a lot of questions. Then ask some more. Also, keep reading this forum. There is a lot of knowledge here.

Pete

Agree with Pete on that particular gun. There are nice Frenchies out there, at relatively reasonable prices, but that one's pretty rough. Keep looking. You'll probably find quite a few Manufrance Robusts, the occasional Verney-Carron, guns marked "Helice" or some variation thereof, or guns not marked at all. All can be worth your interest. Also, don't overlook Belgian guns. A friend just picked one up in great shape. Had a Paris address on the barrels but Belgian proofs. 16ga, he paid around $1100. Would've been at least twice that had it been British.

Buying at on-line auctions is a crap shoot at best, sometimes you get craps, like the nitro special I won that wouldn’t cock, no wonder just the pins were in it, no hammers sears or mainsprings. Luckily it was only 125.00 and a friend had all the parts. Then you hit a homerun like this Belgian Sidelock for 425.00, or this Verney Carron with ejectors for 450.00.
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