I owned and shot a beautiful R-15 Darne 28 ga. for years. It was one of the best woodcock guns I ever owned. When my English setter ate some 'whiffle ball"-type hard plastic crap he came upon in the woods and needed emergency stomach surgery, I sold it to help pay for the operation, which fairly cost as much as the gun! (He survived).
In addition to Geoffroy Gournet, be sure to contact Ted Schefelbein whom I think still lives in the upper Midwest (WI, MN or MI??). He was one of the earliest proponents of the Darne gun in the US and provided me with tons of information and printed material on the marque. He and Geoffroy can tell you pretty much all you need to know about them.
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