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

I thought I would resurrect Ted's Thread with a new sling on a Darne of my own. I contacted Geoffroy Gournet and he had one Darne Bratelle Sling left in stock for a 12 gauge. So my R10 12 gauge was sent off and in a few weeks came back installed, ready to go. It is really a nice design for an easy to remove sling if the situation calls for it.

Slick bird gun. How is it choked? Can’t tell for sure but it sure seems like the safety is still on the left.

WLM has one on their website that appears to be its twin. But, because it is at WLM, it is priced about double what it is worth.

I’ll check back in five years or so, should still be there.

Best,
Ted

Ted,
The R10 is choked .003 in the right barrel and .010 in the left barrel and weights 6lbs 4oz. The chokes and weight make it a great upland gun. The safety is on the left side. I purchased this gun from a gentlemen in Illinois who had an ad in Double Gun Journal about 4 years back. I paid as I recalled about half of what WLM wants for there R10. The gentleman still has a couple of rough 16 Darnes as far as I know. One that I remember was a halifax grade. One was a R10 that had the receiver blued that made me cautious. At least one had a straight English stock as I remember. He wanted to much for them and we never made a deal.

Some folks don't like slings on upland guns, particularly for woodcock, but I've never met a cover that couldn't be resolved with a flood of obscenities and Dan's Briar Gear. Here's my R-10 20 ga. with a removable gamekeepers sling from Galazan. I haven't see it listed in the catalog in the past few years. The front is secured by a slide on malleable metal clamp covered with leather and has an open view over the rib. Gil

Not a huge loss, that R10 is going to cover most of the bases for bird hunting in the 5 state area. Mine did. Maybe not pass shooting ducks, but, that gives you an excuse to own a pump gun.

40 years ago, you could find R10s like that for $750-1K, closer to $750, most of the time. The prices on those guns rose and then fell with the popularity of Michael McIntosh’s writing, even though he didn’t have a bunch to say about them. They got close to $2K, and then, he died. Prices have settled back a bit. His writing life was a line graph for the rise and decline of working double guns we see today.
I would have called yours right around $1500, when you bought it, and, today. I tried, hard, to avoid used guns, when I was importing from France, for a bunch of different reasons, but, mid 1990s to about 2010, I could have gotten $2K for your gun. Easy.

Did it a few times.

Good hunting. I should be able to sneak out a few times after the weather breaks, and before the season closes the evening of New Year’s Day. Hope you can do the same.

Best,
Ted

Ted,
Late to this current discussion, but that first page photo of the 28 ga. with a nice high rib looks great. You know how I abhor a severe swamped rib like most Darne's have, so this particular gun really appeals to my sense of aesthetics. Nice gun! Merry Christmas.
JR

John,
By far the most common version of Darne gun imported to the US prior to Paul Bruchet turning the company to production of custom guns only, is the raised rib pictured on the 28 gauge. Typically, but, not always, there is no under rib on a gun so configured. One of the regulars here, a knowledgeable English poster has consistently pointed out that he abhors under ribs for the corrosion that tends to develop under them. I’ve always considered an under rib not needed unless you were trying to balance a gun with short tubes, or get the weight up. I don’t live in England, and corrosion, on my guns, hasn’t bitten me in the ass, however.
I sold my 20 gauge R15, a lovely bird getting machine, with 29” tubes, a swamped rib and a straight stock, in a moment of foolishness. After I got rid of the big mistake that induced the sale of that gun (she thought she needed to change the world, and wanted to begin in my little corner of it) I began looking for another swamped rib, straight stock 20 gauge, in hopes it would perform about the same in my hands.

25 seasons went by. I can assure you, I looked long and hard, for a long, long time before another came my way. I compromised on barrel length, or, I’d still be looking. I own Darne guns with both styles of rib. But, I prefer to hunt birds with a swamped rib.

The girl I married harbored no illusions of me being anything but what I was, and signed on anyway, swamped ribs, Setters, and all.

I can’t speak to every hunting situation. But, on grouse and woodcock, and pheasants that haven’t been pressured into 40-50 yard flushes in front of the dog, I much prefer a swamped rib, on a Darne. I’ve never had the opportunity to use a different manufacturer’s version of a swamped rib. I don’t think it is a great option for clays games, but, that just might be me. I have other complications with my shooting, and find myself struggling with the things that used to work so well. But, I will continue to try to find what works best for things in the future. It may not be what worked well, before. Sadly, an ugly, All Weather Remington 1100 20 gauge LW has been about the most consistent gun in the arsenal this season. But, at least I’m still shooting. My brother will end his days in the nursing home. His guns live here, today. There, but for the grace of God....

Merry Christmas. May your New Year be blessed and joyful.


Best,
Ted