doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com A Darne gets a sling.

Every now and then, a nice, new-in-the-box 1964 vintage V19 28 gauge falls in your lap. A gun like this one:



V action glory shot:



I'm pretty sure that if you rang the good folks at Stoeger up in that era, discussed your needs, and sent them payment in full, they would have seen that you got exactly what you wanted. I'm also pretty sure very few Americans did that. They just bought what Stoeger had on the shelf. Roger Barlow did the special order thing with a few of his Darnes. So did John Amber. But, they were Roger and John.

The 1965 shooters bible had the specs on the Darne guns, and stated the the V19 "Quail Hunter Supreme" (what a corny name) came fitted with a Darne sling. But, this one didn't. I like a Darne sling, a lot. No clanky swivels, unobtrusive, handy if you need your hands free when working the dog, getting a drink, or snapping a photo. Problem is, you just don't run down to Wal Mart to get one.

In just a few weeks, this one will be on US soil. Said V19 will be fitted with the option, and a new, never used, original Darne buttplate, to replace the shrunken original:







I can hardly wait. Every Darne needs a sling.


Best,
Ted

Nice score, Ted! I'm a sling guy myself.

Great Darne!!!
My guns with sling studs have have a sling on. I too find it useful.
BillK

This is cool:




These buttplates were an organic product, made with natural rubber, horse hooves, and Lord knows what else. They were in limited supply last time I was in St. Etienne, and I managed to snag one at the factory-I mean, who knows when you will need a new, original spec Darne buttplate? Another item you can't just get at Wally World.

There are ureathane replacements available, but, I like the styrations of different color that ran through the originals. Every one is as unique as a fingerprint.

The factory doesn't even have them anymore. Bummer.

Best,
Ted

I had one with the spring steel top I bought from Galazan....worked great until one day the top popped loose and my gun almost hit the ground. I prefer one with leather loops on each end.

I had a guy custom make these.

After seeing Ted's posts I put a sling on my Ithaca, an old Uncle Mike's deer hide sling. Its just easier to carry the decoys and everything else when you have your shotgun slung over your shoulder.

Very nice score, Ted. Between that and the Richland/Prandelli & Gasperini, you've been doing well lately.

As you know, the French like slings on shotguns. So do I, on open country birds. Their influence was quite strong in Morocco. The one picture I wish I'd taken: Moroccan hunter putting along down the road on his moped, shotgun slung across his back. Wife seated behind him, facing backwards, holding a box which was the carrier for their bird dog.

If you hunt chukars, you NEED a sling so you can hold onto the mountain with both hands (in my case, a medevac helicopter would be handy too).

I saw and heard a covey of "rock partridges" when I was in Croatia a few weeks ago. Are they the same as Red-Legged Partridges? (Croatia has partridge hunting fools just like us!).

that is because of their automatic response to drop whatever firearm they may be carrying and raise their hands whenever someone raises their voice.....the sling has saved many a French SxS from unnecessary damage, so much so that they even built some SxSs with the sling built right in.....