Fox Collectors

just curious if anyone has experience with the sliding breech doubles.the premium american vintage shotguns are few and far between here in Tx,but we have more than a smattering of Darne floating around. this is due to the fact a Victoria Tx sporting goods store imported them. every one i picked up was light ,short, and too high in the comb for me. the quality was high in fit and finish and many grades were available. a common wart was the import marks were hand stamped . something about the sliding breach standing open that did not instill confidence in the design and i think may have been distracting while shooting. overheard one man examining shotgun state , ill bet these shotguns killed more frenchmen than the english ,just 4 am ramble with only 1 cup f coffee

They are indeed unique and fascinating guns, but they're not for everybody. So few people in this country have ever seen one let alone shot one, much of what you hear about them is what was heard from someone else (who most probably never saw or shot one either). The vast majority are lightweight, short-barreled guns built for upland shooting, but the new maker Bruchet will build whatever you want, including slug guns for large and dangerous game. All are custom guns; none are built for inventory currently.

Darne began building guns in 1881, hammer guns on fixed frames with a breech that pivoted up and back while the barrels remained fixed on the frame. The action as we know it today was introduced in 1898, and it has been around the world and back again. The French military routinely supplied hunting and recreational shooting models to their outposts worldwide for use by troops whiling away their off-duty hours.

No one knew much about them in the US until a couple of importers started to carry them in the early 1960s. Original makers F. Darne Fils Aine went out of business in early 1970, but the marque was resurrected by Herve Bruchet, former manager of Darne's high grade custom shop, and found a couple of new champions here in the US: a man named Ted Schefelbein, who operated a shop called The Drumming Stump our of Circle Pines MN, and none other than the dearly-departed master engraver Geoffroy Gournet, who was a big fan of the Bruchet/Darne and engraved a few magnificent examples before his untimely death barely a year ago. Ted remains the single individual in this country with the most information and insight into these guns IMHO.

If you decide you want one, make sure it is marked Darne in the little box between the "ears" of the sliding breech retractor (look where a conventional SxS safety would be). There are identical guns built by Charlin and J.G. Gaucher of St. Etienne, but are poorly marked or not marked at all; they are Darne-produced actions warehoused out to guild makers for finishing.

I wound up purchasing a lovely 28 ga. R-15 grade Darne from Steve Barnett at the Southern SxS years ago, but was forced to sell it when my English Setter needed emergency abdominal surgery. I had to give up the gun but got another hunting season and a half out of him, a wonderful grouse dog. I miss the gun but I miss him a lot more. Kevin

thanks Kevin for taking the time to share your knowledge.

There are several internet sources for Charlin information. I just finished reading several of them.