Looking for gunshop(s) while in Paris

[allen newell]

I am leaving shortly for 2 weeks in France and the UK. While in Paris, I'd like to visit a quality gun shop but don't have a clue if any are located there. So would welcome any suggestions. I have the addresses for Purdey's and Holland & Holland and plan to visit them when we're in London. But Paris is a mystery to me as far as knowing of any quality double gun shops are concerned.

[John Campbell]

Forget gunshops in Paris. Visit Harry's New York Bar. And have one with the ghost of Ernest Hemingway... among a host of others. And The Ritz bar is the best on Earth. Especially if you have an American Express card.

[allen newell]

Have them pegged on my itinerary. Thanks! Gotta love those bakeries and fresh coffee in the morning though. Been a few years since I was last in Paris but haven't forgot the wonderful smell of fresh baked goods early in the morning along those cobblestone streets

[greg conomos]

You can imagine the culture shock when going from Texas 'bakeries' to bakeries in Paris....

[Brian Dudley]

Have a great trip Allen!

[Jeff Christie]

Be sure to visit the Musee de Chasse (spelling ?). You will find it in the Michelin Guide. I haven't been there since the 70's but it should be there. It was great. I second the recommendation to visit Harry's NY bar. Have a Bloody Mary!

[edgarspencer]

Skip Purdeys. H&H and William Evans for sure. Farlows is right down St. James and turn left.

[Billy Gross]

Alan - We just got back from Paris - It is a great city with lots of great things to see. The crowds and lines at the various sites are big and cost a lot of time. I strongly recommend that you plan your days well before you leave and buy "Skip the line" tickets in advance over the internet. Also, the Musee de L'Armee is a very interesting place - they had every weapon and uniform that was ever used in french history. They also had a nice Musketeers exhibit there. Language and people's courtesy were not a problem, globalization and our money make it easy to operate there. We mastered the Paris Metro and navigated the city well. Have a nice trip, Billy Gross

[Bobby Cash]

Most common long guns in a French gunstore are military.
Signage usually reads,"Never fired, dropped only once".

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

[Stephen Hodges]

Allen, might I suggest you spend a night at the Moulin Rouge. Wonderful entertainment and dinner was great. We were there two years ago and it was a great nigh out.

[Kevin McCormack]

Skip Purdeys. H&H and William Evans for sure. Farlows is right down St. James and turn left.

How in the world could you ever visit London and tell somebody later that you skipped Purdey's on the "Great Maker's Crawl"!? Unthinkable!

[edgarspencer]

How in the world could you ever visit London and tell somebody later that you skipped Purdey's on the "Great Maker's Crawl"!? Unthinkable!

How? That's easy.
Unless you're on their list of elite, they barely speak to you. I went there, perhaps 6 times, in my over 100 trips to London. I probably stopped in at Bruton Street half of the trips. They were warm, chatty, and generous. Billy Billimoria became a great personal friend, had invited me to India countless times, and always called when he was in the States, and stayed with us often. That's always been the norm at H&H. The Audley House stuffers could take a lesson.

[George Lander]

But THE LONG ROOM at Purdey's is something not to be missed. IMHO

Best Regards, George

[Eldon Goddard]

I don't know about gun shops but if I ever make it to Paris I am visiting the Pantheon to visit the grave of Lagrange.

[Jeff Christie]

Go to the Lido as well. It is on the Champs near the Arch. Do the dinner show. Fantastic and the ladies are drop dead gorgeous!

[Bobby Cash]

Go to Montmartre, climb the stairs, walk past the church and through the square.
The oldest Boulangerie in Paris is in the southwest corner of the square.
There I purchased an apple tart that was hands down the best thing I ate while in France.

[allen newell]

Thank you all for the great advice and recommendations. I used o go to Paris quite often but on business and apart from jogging along the cobblestone streets in the older section of the city, I never took much personal time to tour. Shame on me during all those years. But now it's pure pleasure. As for London, thank you Edgar, but while Purdey's may be a bit 'stuffy' , I'm not going there to make friends with their staff but to see their collection of guns and perhaps purchase some small item with their name on it. (and pick up their catalog). I will visit the other gunmaker shops to be sure.

[edgarspencer]

Don't forget Allen, the gun shops are not open on Saturdays, In London.

[allen newell]

That's correct Edgar, Purdey's hours are M-F from 9m am to 5:30 pm. We will be in London on Thursday and Friday. I plan to make the rounds of the gun shops on Friday 6/13. We've got it covered. After a period of uncontrollable drooling, I'll probably leave with a pair of snap caps!

[Linn Matthews]

It would be hard for me to visit Paris again and not go to the Louve---even for a quick look at the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and the Venus de Milo

[Bobby Cash]

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk136/2low8s/PARIS086_zpsfa3abec9.jpg

[allen newell]

Joy has all the Paris sights mapped out for the 4 days we'll be there (following our 8 day Viking cruise on the Rhone). The 2 days we're in London belong to me!

[Leighton Stallones]

I ALSO HUNTED FOR A NICE GUNSHOP IN PARIS. FINALLY FOUND ONE WAY DOWN (NORTH) THE STREET-GASTEEN RENEE-- FROM THE ARMY MUSEUM, BUT IT WAS A DISAPOINTMENT. STICK TO THE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND BAKERIES.

[George Lander]

Leighton: Gastinne Renette was a very famous maker, primarilly of duelling pistols during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is sad to here that they no longer hold that place of emminence.

Best Regards, George

[Mills Morrison]

You know, only one of us would go to Paris and only think of looking for gun shops.

[allen newell]

Well Mills, I guess that makes me the guilty one. We're underway as I am writing this text and on our way to the next stop on the Rhone River. Trip has been superb thus far. Weather has been in the low 80's and nice and dry. Everyone friendly. Visited the d the the castle the Pope's in the 13/14 century built when they moved the papacy (temporarily) from Rome to Avignon. Fascinating. Bakeries here are out of sight. wine flows rather freely as well. we walked around Avignon yesterday for about 4 hours, visited flea markets (no guns-just toy one's) and many local shops selling various herbs and spices, lavender soap, cotton clothing made locally etc. Interesting. Saturday we take the train to Paris for 4 days and then on to London for 2 days and Purdeys and H&H for sure!

[Mills Morrison]

That was not a negative criticism in the least. If you find any good gun shops, please report back. Sounds like you are having a lot of fun. Get photos of Purdey and H&H if you can

[John Campbell]

For BRDHNTR's reference, here are my file photos of H&H and Purdey's, London:

[Mills Morrison]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing

[David Hendrey]

Allen

It has been a while (1982) but when I was in France we toured all over the best parts of France were Normandy(history), Nice(beaches), Bordeaux(drink), Cognac.

Well wishes and have a great time.

Todd

[allen newell]

we pulled into Touron this afternoon so Joy and I went for a long walk. Could not believe my eyes when I spied a local sporting goods shop. Went in and noticed he had a rack full of shotguns. A few semi autos but mostly over unders (no side by sides). They were 'Chapuis' O/U's. Looked nice w/much engraving and selling for 2,500 - 3,000 euros. Don't know Chapuis from adam. The shop keeper didn't know a word of English so I did my best to communicate with my high school and college French. Did not want me to take any pictures. Nice shop, small but the kind of shop you could poke around in not buy anything but still have a good time. We are due to pull into Lyon this evening and will poke around then. We did visit a chocolate store where they had every imaginable type of chocolate available for sampling. My blood sugar bolted from the store! Bon soir mon amis!

[Grantham Forester]

Toute las bons consils mon ami, mais tu n'as pas va Paris- jusqua-ceque es alle au le bar celetre d'Harry's New York, NY--chez les 75 Franquis. Bon soir!!

[allen newell]

We did visit one afternoon while in Paris Harry' New York bar which according to legend is one o 2 bars that Ernest Hemingway frequented when he lived in Paris. As the story goes, one bar Hemingway frequented when he had money and the other when he was short on funds. Harry's was the one he frequented when he had little $$. Anyway, We had drinks at Harry's and took time to reflect on Hemingway's legacy. Small bar with many college banners and Hemingway pics about the walls.

[Justin Julian]

Semi autos are still legal in France? That does surprise me. You won't see them on a rack in England or Australia.

[Larry Stauch]

Toute las bons consils mon ami, mais tu n'as pas va Paris- jusqua-ceque es alle au le bar celetre d'Harry's New York, NY--chez les 75 Franquis. Bon soir!!

What'd he say?

[allen newell]

We saw no game birds while in southern France or Paris for that matter except for a few mallards. But we did see plenty of these and it causes me to think it may be the National bird of France! :rotf:

[Grantham Forester]

What'd he say? "All good advice, my friend, but you haven't seen Paris until you've been to Harry's famous Bar- home of the French 75 (a champagne cocktail--

[Grantham Forester]

We saw no game birds while in southern France or Paris for that matter except for a few mallards. But we did see plenty of these and it causes me to think it may be the National bird of France! :rotf: The mallard (Canard) is what the late Robert Ruark often called the "French duck"-- Do you live on a "Cul De Sac"-- that French term refers to the upswept curve of the Mallard's tail feathers---

[Larry Stauch]

The mallard (Canard) is what the late Robert Ruark often called the "French duck"-- Do you live on a "Cul De Sac"-- that French term refers to the upswept curve of the Mallard's tail feathers---

You know way too much Dude.....:rotf:

[allen newell]

I couldn't shake that pigeon off my tail !

[Grantham Forester]

I couldn't shake that pigeon off my tail ! May I recommend you read Hemingway's posthumously published novel "Islands In The Stream" and in the first third of this great story of a father and his three sons, Hemingway details the early hungrier years in the "City of Light" and how he and young Bumby would stalk and shoot the dense populations of pigeons in the Champs D' Elysee, dispatching them with a slingshot, and bringing them home for the table. Bon appetit!!

[allen newell]

From what we could discern while in Paris for 4 days, Hemingway did not shoot enough of those pigeons! The one I posted followed us around looking for a handout!

[David Lien]

We did visit one afternoon while in Paris Harry' New York bar which according to legend is one o 2 bars that Ernest Hemingway frequented when he lived in Paris. As the story goes, one bar Hemingway frequented when he had money and the other when he was short on funds. Harry's was the one he frequented when he had little $$. Anyway, We had drinks at Harry's and took time to reflect on Hemingway's legacy. Small bar with many college banners and Hemingway pics about the walls.

Allen;
The Ritz Hotel in Paris was frequented By Hemingway many times in his life. He had several trunks stored in the basement for many years. The Ritz hotel has been under a two year renovation, with the hotel completely closed. Did by chance did you get close enough to see if the hotel had reopened?? or if they had an opening date? I did enjoy this thread, and the comments on your trip.Thanks
David

[allen newell]

Hi David, the Ritz was on my list to visit but my lady friend had other ideas so it got squeezed out in favor of a cruise on the Seine, going up to the top of the Eiffel Tower and a number of museum visits. Best I could do was one drink at Harry's New York Bar!