I bought a pair off a fellow who claimed he got them from a guy that brought them back as WWII war booty . Now I dunno if they were that old or not , one was a 12 that weighed 6 1/3 pounds the other was a 20 that weighed a hair less then 5 1/2 pounds both had the semi pistol grip .

They would have made lovely grouse getters but the only time I fired either was on the skeet field and let me just say the little 20 would wake you up and put the fear of God in you all at the same time !
The slightly heavier 12 gauge amazingly enough was rather pleasant to shoot but the little one was a terror .

I kept them maybe 2 years and then sold traded them to Jim Tyrell when he ran the pro shoip at Fairfax Rod and Gun !@

I have a Darne 20 gauge, English stock. I have had it for over 30 years. It is very light, and you won't find a shotgun with the balance point closer to the triggers. This results in very quick handling, to the point that it is difficult to master. Takes a while to catch up to it after shooting something else. It is a fast handling, fun shotgun.

The cam action means the shells are held tight, no headspace. Because of this, felt recoil is very mild.

The swamped rib is different, but is not something that I notice when shooting. I shoot the Parkers most of the time, but I like the little Darne a lot. It is a beautiful design and a historic French contribution to our sport.

I do not doubt you for a moment , but with all sincerity I can attest to the fact the little 20 I had would kick the snot out of you shootings mounted gun on the skeet field . Now perhaps the gun didn't fit me well , but I was shooting an average of about 23/25 a round . So it must not have been to bad , the 12 on the other hand "to me" was a good bit milder recoil wise .

Ron, I would like to see and possibly to shoot your little Darne. If you live close enough perhaps you can come to the New Years Day Shoot at Major Waldron's in Barrington, NH?

Dean

Oops... I just noticed you're in Fairbanks :rotf: so I guess you won't be coming to the New Years Day Shoot...






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Dean,
I'd love to shoot with you in NH, but you are correct, I won't make it this year . Certainly is on my list to visit your area of the county and meet some of the folks from PGCA!
Ron

Recently bought a Darne R14 in 16 ga at a gun show. Very nice gun beautifully engraved and weighs only 5 lbs 8 oz.

I'd love to see a picture of your new R14 16 Gauge.

You will occasionally see them with numbers branded into the side of the butt; armory guns that could be checked out for hunting by members of the French military during the early years of their occupation of Indochina.

Went by the dealer at the Chantilly Gun Show with the 16ga.Darne and it sill for sale.J.J.

I found a very good article in Double Gun Journal by Theodore Schefelbein called Le Bon Vieux Darne. It is in the Summer 96 issue and it is a very good overview on Darne guns and the different models. Ted imported Darnes for a few years and I have come to find he knows his stuff when it comes to Darnes. He posts a fair amount over on the Doublegun Forums.