A few years ago, I bought a 1943 Antoine Joseph Defourny 12 gauge at an online auction. It turned out to be a close match to my 12-gauge Purdey in almost every dimension, look, and feel — the rose and scroll engraving was nearly identical, as was the forend and stock checkering, along with most other details of the gun. I later learned that Purdey had licensed some over/under technology from A.J. Defourny, which made me think the licensing arrangement likely went both ways. It's remarkable to consider that this gun was made right in the middle of WWII, while Belgium was under German occupation.
|