doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Darnes, opinions

I have always admired the french made sliding breech Darnes. Never handled or shot one though. What are they like to use ? The only real gripe i have heard is they do not have a positive ejection system.

The vintage examples generally were stocked to fit a runty 9 year old, in my experience.

Well, they don't throw hulls over the shoulder, but do a more than adequate job of ejecting them completely out of the chamber when fired for either tilting the gun for them to fall on the ground or grabbing them for pocketing as they lie loose atop the opened action. An un-fired round is partially extracted for finger tip removal. A Darne has fewer parts for safety, percussion, extraction/ejection, and "fastening" than the typical break-open or "tipping" (Darne's description) sxs. 25 to 41 parts respectively. Some folks don't like the safety's location, but there is a field work around. If you haven't done so, there's a compilation of info in the Double Gun FAQ page which is the second listed forum. Gil

My Darne R-10 is stocked perfectly for me, gently ejects fired shells onto the action flat for pick up or dumping, has a full raised rib on 28" barrels choked IC & M, and has accounted for lots and lots of doves over the years. It is not for sale...Geo

My R10 fits me just fine as well although they definitely are a gun that should be shouldered if at all possible before purchase.

They are the most oddball sxs ever made, but those who drive Saabs and are non-conformists are attracted to them. I wouldn't have one based purely on aesthetics, but their adherents love them. Most have the most abominable swamped rib extant, though there are those with a level rib like Geo Newbern's. They seem to be well-made guns.
JR

You will never see one "off face". Gil

You have to find one that fits. You can't bend the wrist to adjust fit, as there is a steel rod running the length of it. If you are in Dublin, I'd expect you have access to 2 1/2" ammunition, more so than most Americans, a good thing, as I'd also expect most of the guns you see will be 2 1/2" chamber. Typically, a Darne will feature heavy proof, and barrels, not always, but far more often than not. Since the guns tend toward being light in weight, you will find, usually, that the gun is capable of digesting heavier rounds than you can stand to use. This is actually a good thing. Many will be tightly choked, this is usually not a good thing. A lot of them have sling swivels installed, something most Americans find outright offensive. I'm not in that group, because my hunting is rough hunting, about as rough as it comes. There are two basic designs, small key, as in Halifax, or R model, and large key, as in P or V model. There is no parts interchange between the two models, they have nothing in common except that the breech slides. The large key guns cost more money, and have better trigger pulls, out of the box. The small key guns are, of course, more common.
The advice to shoulder and, if possible, shoot one, is very well taken. If the buttstock is the least bit loose, do not fire it-this is good advice with any gun, actually, but, a Darne will break the stock if used in this condition, sooner, rather than later.
If you get past the admiration stage, don't be afraid to ask a few more questions, here, before plunking down your money. I'm sure I've forgotten something.
Full disclosure, I imported them to the western side of planet earth for over a decade, and didn't deal in used guns, unless they fit me. I have actually lost count of how many I've owned, and have five guns at the moment, of both types.

I love mine. NOT to the exclusion of other types of shotguns. I have known people in that camp, however.

Never owned or driven a Saab, and my drinking PBR from the can is about as non-conformist a thing as I can come up with.

Good luck in your quest.


Best,
Ted

I once handled a Peugeot. It seemed a bit rough in the making. Still, there is something I find charming about the Darne profile.

John

Most Darnes i see advertised have 2 3/4" chambers. Also as you say they appear to be short in the stock because all seem to have some sort of extension, either wood or thick recoil pad on the stocks.