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Excuse me, it was not very nice of me to post about problems with my Fancisque Darne with out including pics[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pkC2Xy]

[/url]Darne 001 by bktkennedy Kennedy, on Flickr[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pkzP35]

[/url]Darne 004 by bktkennedy Kennedy, on Flickr

Sweet, what a beauty
Thanks
Mike

Joined: 19 Jun 2004 Posts: 1480 Location: Mpls, MN.

Not to pop your bubble, but, that isn’t, technically, a Darne.

It is a Francisque Darne. Francisque Darne was Regis Darnes eldest son, and founded his own gun making firm in 1910. While he did have a few patents issued in his name, to a large degree the guns we see are 1894 patent R models that have been finished in house. They were sold as in the white barreled and proofed actions out the back door of the Darne factory, and finished at F. Darne, and other firms.

Francisque died in 1917, but, the company continued on until 1955. A photo of the flats of the barrel will get me some more information.

That gun looks like an F. Darne that Brad Bacheldor restored a few years ago. I would bet it is the same gun.

Good luck.

Best,
Ted

Ted, we have discussed this before when I first bought it several years ago, you may not remember, very happy to own it

Joined: 22 May 2020 Posts: 268 Location: Ky

I would be also. Beautiful gun!

Joined: 19 Jun 2004 Posts: 1480 Location: Mpls, MN.

I don’t remember. In the course of a year I probably discuss Darne guns with 50-100 people.

Glad it is working.

Best,
Ted

Joined: 05 Nov 2017 Posts: 17

That's a beaut. The Darne (and Darne type) guns are so light they're like magic wands. My issue has always been the safety, which my brain could never figure out how to work fast enough in the uplands. Congrats on the purchase...

Joined: 19 Jun 2004 Posts: 1480 Location: Mpls, MN.

Early 1920s vintage Darne Halifax with right handed push button safety, and factory catalog photo of same:

[url=https://ibb.co/42t5XNn]

[/url]
[url=https://imgbb.com/]

[/url]

Best,
Ted

Joined: 05 Nov 2017 Posts: 17

Ted,

That would be a much more doable safety for me for sure. Were they all built with swamped ribs or did some of them taller ribs?

Joined: 19 Jun 2004 Posts: 1480 Location: Mpls, MN.

They were built with whatever rib the customer ordered. This particular gun has a raised rib, with an under rib. But, you could get a swamped rib, with or without an under rib.

[url=https://ibb.co/FxnnX2w]

[/url]

The catalog shows two options at the bottom of the page. A “Plume” rib was 60 Franc. A semi-pistol grip stock was 14 Franc.

My gun is the more modest grade three Halifax. Circa 1920, it was a pretty nice gun, brazed barrels, lightly engraved with bone charcoal case colors and sling swivels.

Page translation:

Inventers of the fixed-barrel shotgun, propagators of the long-disputed principle, now recognized, diffusers of the successive models that our studies on our own inventions have constantly perfected, it seemed unacceptable to us to let our imitators seize our old models alone, and, thanks to the lowest price or noisy advertisements, present them to customers.

We therefore resumed the manufacture of one of our old models, organizing its economic construction in series.

Halifax, which is the Darne gun of twenty years ago, judiciously modified, has all the guarantees that its inventor-builder assures it. It is a good shotgun, solid, practical, resistant, infinitely superior to any break open gun, of even much higher price, significantly superior also to any imitation launched , because its principle is not distorted, and it remains the one that, in its time, contributed to the great reputation of the Darne.

Sliding breech design. Barrel and breech removable by hand. Guaranteed for the use of smokeless powders and so proofed. (Note:Powder T, what this gun was proofed with, was the first truly smokeless French powder) Automatic ejection of fired cartridges. Safety button on the side.

Built with Martin-Siemens gun steel, compressed and decarburized, barrels copper brazed. Choke on the left, and choke, half-choke or smooth on the right.

Stock in two parts for maximum solidity.

Special cannon regulation, for excellent performance

The price stuff on the page you guys can likely figure out.

Best,
Ted

PS This particular gun is a 2 1/2” 12. It has very heavy barrels and actually weighs 6 1/2 lbs.
Somewhat magic wand. My last 12 was 6lbs even.