Ah, just grab it & make a new post:


A

Abm(e) - spoiled/ruined/damaged
Acier - steel
Acier chocolat - excessively soft steel (Belgian trade vernacular)
Acier damas (also "damas") - damascus steel
Acier revenu - tempered steel
Acier tremp - quenched steel
Argent - silver
...vieil argent - old silver
Ailes - side clips
me du canon - bore
Amortisseur - pad (as in buttpad)
Ancien - old
Anson et Deeley; Anson- box lock
Arabesque - Scroll (engraving)
Arme de poing - hand gun
Arme dpaule - long gun
Arm - cocked
Armurier - gun shop owner
Armurerie - gun shop, not a maker, historically a body armor vendor
Arquebusier - Gun maker (abbreviated as "Arqr")
Artisan - artisan
Avantage ( droite, gauche) - cast-off, cast-on

B

Baguette de nettoyage - ramrod, cleaning rod
Banc dpreuves - proof house
Bande - rib
...Prolongement de la bande - extension of the rib (to the receiver)
...Bande ventile - ventilated rib
Balle - bullet or slug
Bascule - receiver/action
Bascule ronde - round receiver
Basculeur - tradesman putting the action together
Bille acier - steel shot
Bois - wood
...Bois de noyer - walnut
......Noyer blond - blond walnut
...Bois d'rable - maple
Boitier - housing
Bouche - muzzle
Bouchon de canon - bullet starter (muzzle loader)
Bouchon de percuteur - Firing pin bushing
Bouquets (gravure ) - rose engraving
Bourre - wad
Bras - brazed
...bras sur - brazed on
Bretelle - sling
...Bretelle enrouleur - retractable sling (like on a Ideal)
...Brettelle retractable - retractable (built in) sling
Brevet - Patent
Brevet(e) - patented
...Brevet(e) SGDG - model patent ("sans garantie du gouvernement")- Patented Without Guarentee of the Government". French distinction that designates a technical patent in the U.S. sense, as opposed to trademark and the old design patent number system that dealt only with name and shape.
Brisure, - Breakage
Broche - pinfire
Bronze - bronze; (copper and tin alloy)
Bronzage - barrel blacking
Busc - comb (for a stock)

C

Cale - wedge (in a double rifle), or spacer between barrels
Calibre - caliber
Canon - barrel
...Canons fretts - sleeved barrel set (externally sleeved or jacketed, built-up barrels)
...Canons juxtaposs - SxS double barrel
...Canon lisse - smoothbore
...Canons miroir - mirror finish bores
......Canonnerie miroir - ditto
...Canons mixtes (Arme ) - cape gun
...Canon monobloc - Barrel set made in one block of steel
...Canon poli - honed barrel
...Canon ray - rifled barrel
...Canon ray dispersant -Rifled spreader barrel (usually Euro woodcock guns)
...Canons superposs - over/under
Canonnier - barrel maker
Capuche - metal piece surrounding the Deeley forearm push button
Carabine - rifle, carbine
Carabine de salon - indoor rifle
Carabine de jardin - light rifle, rook rifle
Cartouches plombs - shot shell
Cartouches balle - slug shell
Cartouche de rechargement - reloader
Chambrage - chamber(ing)
Chambre - chamber
Chien - hammer
Crte de chien - hammer spur
Chevrotines - buckshot.
Chiens extrieurs - external hammers
Choke - Choke
Cylindrique - cylinder choke (synonym: lisse)
... Demi choke - Modified choke
... Plein-full (as in choke
Chne - Oak
Chromage - chromed bores
Chrom(e) - chrome plated
Cl - key
Cl douverture - top lever key
Cl sur le dessus - top lever key
Coffret - case (to put the gun in)
Contre-platines - false side-plates
Convergence - regulation (shotgun or double rifle)
Coquille - action ball (fences)
...Coquilles de la Bascul - fences
Coquille de fusil de chasse - empty shotgun shell casing; Husk or Hull
Corne - horn
Cran de scurit - Safety catch
Crte de chien - hammer spur
Crochet - barrel lump
...Crochets dattache - barrel lump
...Crochets ajusts en queue daronde - dovetailed lump
...Crochet du canon - same
...Crochet encastr - dovetailed lump (embedded)
...Crochets rapports - non integral lumps
Crosse - stock
...Crosse anglaise - English stock
...Crosse joue - stock with cheek piece
...Crosse de borgne - crossover stock
...Crosse demi-pistolet - round knob grip stock
...Crosse pistolet - pistol grip stock
Crossier - stock maker
Cuir - leather (for the sling)
...Cuir surpiqu - double layered sown leather
Cuivre - copper
Culasse - standing breech or bolt
Culasse mobile - movable breech (i.e. on a Darne)
Cylindrique - cylinder choke (synonym: lisse)

D

Damasquin - damascened
dans son jus - original, never modified or restored
Demi-arm - half cocked (for hammer guns)
Demi-bloc - chopper lump
Dtente - trigger
...Double dtente - double trigger
...Monodtente - single trigger
......Monodtente slective - selective single trigger
Devant - forend
Devant pompe - Deeley pushbutton forearm
D'occasion - used
Dor - gold filled
repouss en ???
Double dtente - double trigger
double verrou de fermeture - double locking bolt

E

bne - ebony
couvillon - cleaning rod and implement
...couvillon en laiton - brass barrel (cleaning) brush
cusson - shield (on a stock)
jecteurs automatiques - automatic ejectors
enfoncements - dents
preuves - proof
...Banc dpreuves - proof house
...double preuve - double proof
...triple preuve - triple proof
...preuve ordinaire - version of normal proof
...preuve suprieure - modern day "triple proof"
rable - maple (wood)
tat - condition
...tat mcanique - mechanical condition
...tat moyen - so so condition; medium condition
...tat mauvais - bad condition
Pas en bon tat - not in good condition
...tat neuf - new condition
tranglement - choke
Etui - Gun case; gun slip
Express (also double "express") - double rifle
Extracteur - extractors

F

Fabricant (also abbreviated as "Fabt") - maker
Fausses-platines - false side-plates
Feu central, arme - centerfire (gun)
Feuillet(s) - sight leaf
Feutrine - baize (gun case)
Fermeture en "T" - Jones underlever
Finition - finish
Finition argent - silver finish
Finition blue - blued finish
Finition canon de fusil - gunmetal finish
Finition chrome - chrome finish
Finition nickele - nickel finish.
Finition noir - blued finish
Forage - bore (barrel)
Frres - Brothers
Frette - monoblock;
Fusil - firearm (normally a shotgun but also a military rifle)
...Fusil broche - pinfire gun
...Fusil canon sci - sawed off shotgun
...Fusil chargement par la bouche - muzzle loader
...Fusil Chien - hammer gun
...Fusil de chasse - shotgun
...Fusil juxtapos - double gun
... Fusil juxtapos Artisanal Franais - Artisanal French double gun (quite often maker not known)
...Fusils lever-action - lever action gun
......Fusil levier de sous-garde - ditto
......Fusil levier sous garde - ditto
...Fusil percussion - muzzle loading, percussion rifle
...Fusil piston - percussion gun
...Fusil pompe - pump gun (also "branlette" in French hunting vernacular)
...Fusil silex - flintlock

G

Gachette - sear
Gachette interruptrice - safety sear
Garnisseur - tradesman assembling barrels, ribs and lumps
Graveur - engraver
Gravure(s) - engraving(s)
Grenadire - sling swivel
Goupille - round pin
Goupille de charnire - hinge pin
Guidon - front sight
... protge-guidon - sight hood
Guilloch(e) - ornamented with geometric design
...Vis guilloches - ornamented screws

H

Hausse - back sight (originally adjustable type)

I

Illisible - illegible

J

Jaspage - case coloring
Jasp(e) - case colored
Jaug - guage
Jaug - gauged, measured at
Jaug de chambre - chamber measuring gage
Jeu - play (in the sense of movement)
...Jeu dans la bascule - (play in the receiver)
...sans jeu - without play
Joue - cheekpiece
...Joue allemande - German style cheeckpiece
Juxtapos - side by side

L

Laine dacier - steel wool
Laiton - Brass: alloy - 70 parts copper; 30 parts zinc
Levier - Lever
levier d'armement - cocking lever
Levier de scurit (ou scurit) - safety lever
Levier sous la longuesse - underlever
Longuesse - forestock
Longuesse poussoir - Anson forend (forestock with pushrod release)
Longuesse-sous- main amovible - underlever
Lunette - scope

M

Maniable - easy to the hand/handy
Moiti arm - half cocked (for hammer guns)
Mono-canon - single barrel
Monodtente - single trigger
Monteur bois - stocker
Moul(e) - molded

N

Nickel(e) - nickel plated
Noix - Hammer axis

O

Oeilleton - peep sight
Or - gold
...Or fin - fine gold
dor - gold plated or gold applique
Oreille - Sideclip
Organes de vise - sights
Orn(e) - ornamented
Ouverture par cl devant pontet - underlever
Oxydation - oxydation

P

Paire - pair of guns
Pente - drop
...Pente au busc - drop at comb
...Pente au talon - drop at heel
Percussion centrale - center percussion, center fire (hammer gun)
Percuteur - Firing pin
Pice d'armurerie - piece of firearms manufacture ???
Pierrage - honing
Pique - pitted
...Piqres - pitting
...Petites piqres - light pitting
Planchette - back sight folding leaf
Plaque de couche - butt plate
Plaqu(e) - plated
Platine - side lock
...Platine Holland - front lock as made by H&H or others
...Platine arrire - back lock
...Platine avant - front lock
...Platine dmontable - hand removable sidelock
...Platine encastre - embedded locks
...Platine rebondissante - rebounding lock
Plein--full (as in choke)
Plomb - lead (shot)
Poinon - stamp
...Poinons rglementaires - legal stamps
...Poinons d'preuve - proof marks
Poire poudre - powder horn; powder flask
Poli(e) - polished
polissage en long - longitudinal honing
Ponce huile (Crosse) - sanded with oil finish (stock)
Pontet - trigger guard
Pontet volute - trigger guard with volute in front
Porte - range (as in shooting distance)
Poudre - powder (gunpowder)
...Poudre blanche--smokeless powder
...Poudre pyroxyle - smokeless powder (French)
...Poudre sans fume - smokeless powder
...Poudre Vive - smokeless Powder ( Belgian)
Poussoir - push rod (forestock)
propre - clean, nice

Q

Quadrillage - Checkering
Quadrilleur - Checkerer
Queue daronde - dovetail (old French for"swallow tail" which is more accurate than dove tail, actually)

R

Rallonge de crosse - stock extension
Ray chargement par la bouche - muzzle loader rifle
Rayures - scratches or rifling
Relev - cocked
Relime - steel parts shaping (by chisel or file)
Relimeur - tradesman shaping the action and other parts
Ressort - spring
Ressort boudin - Coil spring
Restauration - restoration
Rticule - Reticle (scope)
Rinceaux - leaves and branches (engraving)
Rouille - rust
...Rouille lgre - light rust

S

Sabot - butt pad
Sabot - sabot projectile
Scne de chasse - hunting scene (engraving)
Scurit - safety
Scurit ds qu'elle est armee - safety automatically on when cocked
Serr - tight
SGDG - see Brevete SGDG
Similor - alloy; 100 parts Red copper; 12 parts zinc
Soudure - solder
Soudure dargent/ l'argent - Silver solder
Soudure ltain - Tin solder (lead and tin mixed)
Soudure de cuivre - Copper brazing (red coper, old silver, antimony, zinc, etc.)
Stphanois - from Saint-Etienne region
Successeur (also abbreviated to "succr") - Successor to
Sret - safety

T

Talon - heel
Tire-cartouche - extracteur
Tirette - action rod
Tombac - alloy; 16 parts copper; 1 part zinc; 1 part tin
Tonnerre - place where the ignition happen
Triplette - 3-gun set
Tromblon - blunderbuss (or bad shotgun)
Tube - barrel tube
Type anglais - English style

V

Valise - Case
Verrou - lock, also bolt
Verrou de fermeture - closing bolt
Verrou vertical - rising bite
Verrouillage - locking system
Vernis - varnish
Vis - Screw



lp,

Raimey
rse