The best French hunting rifles of the 20th century

Stevens 555 E shotgun

The Stevens 555 E break-type hunting double-barreled shotgun is one of the highest quality, reliable and easy-to-use shotguns. Stevens 555 E is manufactured in the USA, which is one of the leaders among manufacturers of civilian weapons. The Stevens arms company itself was founded in the 18th century and was a small family firm. Over time, thanks to successful samples of small arms, the company has won a worthy place among other firearms manufacturers. The Stevens 555 E double-barreled shotgun is well known in America itself, as well as in Europe. The Stevens 555 E is not yet popular on the Russian hunting weapon market, but it’s a matter of time.

Characteristics and modifications of the Stevens 555 E vertical

The Stevens 555 E is essentially a sideflint, as it is intended not only for hunting, but also for sports clay pigeon and trench shooting. The caliber is 28, but there are models with 12 and 410 gauge, although they are less common. Barrel length 710 mm. for versions with caliber 28 and 410, for the version with caliber 12 it is 730 mm. All modifications of the Stevens 555 E are designed for a powerful cartridge, that is, 76 mm. The Stevens 555 E is equipped with an ejector, as well as a firing order switching mechanism, since there is only one trigger.

Advantages and disadvantages of Stevens 555 E

The advantages include high build quality, reliability, reliability, excellent balance, as well as excellent ballistic performance. The Stevens 555 E is priced just above the budget segment with an approximate cost of around $900. But the obstacle to purchasing the Stevens 555 E may be not so much the price as its absence on the shelves in the store with the possibility of purchasing only by pre-order.

Brief summary about the gun

Stevens 555 E is perfect for any hunter; it is light, fits perfectly in the hands, looks well-assembled and looks quite expensive. True, it is difficult to purchase it in domestic stores, but with a strong desire, this task is doable.

Manufrance Sampa - French single-barreled shotgun

The French single-barrel “Simplex” system turned out to be so successful and promising that during the 20th century, many enterprises from different countries created their own single-barrel models based on it.

Photo 1. PHOTO by Alexander Yurtaev

Greetings!

I have a French single-barreled shotgun, please tell me the value.

Thank you, Evgeniy Molchanov

Hello!

Help me identify a single-barreled gun, French, old, presumably from 1858. If you need any additional information, I will let you know. Alexander Yurtaev.

Dear Evgeniy Gennadievich! On a recent hunting trip I saw this Sampa gun from an old friend of my father.

According to available information, this gun was purchased around 1920–1925 by his grandfather for his grandmother (it was a hungry time). The most interesting thing is the so-called. "Winchester" mechanism of the gun. I would like to know more about the history of the manufacturer and about the gun in general. Thanks in advance, Andrey Kukharchuk.

A similar single locking of the barrel in the block has been used for decades on our single-barrel guns of the “ZK” group, as well as the “IZH-17 - IZH-18 - MP-18” group, but they differ significantly in that the locking lever is an independent part.

As a diversified enterprise, Manufrance at various times assigned its own brands to most of its products, and for the proprietary single-barrel system of the “Simplex” system, the “Sampa” trademark was registered in 1923.

Manufrance Simplex single-barreled guns are a product of mass technology; as a cheap and reliable weapon with good shot-fire performance, they were produced almost unchanged for many years.

It is obvious that the material, artistic and historical value of such simple serial samples is small. Nevertheless, the educational value for modern hunters is difficult to overestimate.

As one of the first in production, the single-barrel Simplex, shown in photo 1, provides, according to long-standing French law, detailed and valuable information that can be obtained with great difficulty from modern manufacturers.

It's not a matter of secrecy or complexity, but only that many companies limit information to avoid possible claims.

Yurtaev Alexander's Simplex specimen is one of the first samples with the barrel locked with a wedge of a triangular shape. The barrel is composite: the barrel itself is press-fitted into the breech in the form of a large coupling of large diameter.

The clutch is equipped with a long and wide under-barrel hook, the sighting devices are simple: a small notch on top of the block and a front sight. The decor is limited to a laconic floral ornament on the block.

By the way, other branded models, for example Manufrance Robust horizontal guns, were equipped with barrel blocks with similar breech couplings; this is a feature of the proprietary technology.

As expected, information about the company and model is required: on the right side of the breech of the barrel is the name of the company Manufacture Francaise d'Armes et Cycles de Saint-Etienne, on the left is the name of the model “Fusil Simplex”.

The absence of the name "Manufrance", in combination with the serial number, allows us to clarify the production period - no earlier than 1908 and no later than 1911. So the owner was mistaken in determining the year of manufacture by just fifty years.

On the right side of the breech of the barrel is indicated the type of production “Fabrication Mecanique”, caliber “Cal. 16", as well as the grade of barrel steel "Acier Fin". The chamber is designated according to the French method with the term “Normal”, which means a length of 65 mm.

The muzzle constriction is about, the diameter of the bore is marked “17.0”. The necessary test marks were also affixed, including with smokeless powder grade “T”, used at that time in France.

What hunters value most is detailed shooting performance data, and the left side of the barrel presents the most significant characteristics of the 16/65 caliber cartridges of the era, including:

- mass of 2.93 g of powder charge of grade "T" and mass of 30 g of shot shell of test cartridges designated "Charge d'Epreuve", - mass of 1.7 g of charge of grade "T" gunpowder and mass of 28 g of shot shell of hunting cartridges, marked “Charge Normale” - I note that these data are indicated for shot No. 8 with a diameter of 2.25 mm.

Shot shells and powder charges in combination with chamber length show that even some neglect of the exact dosage of components will lead to increased pressure during firing with undesirable consequences.

Undoubtedly, this data is a necessary help for current owners of French guns from the first third of the 20th century when loading cartridges. Notice how many vintage guns are on the aftermarket that have been damaged by improperly loaded ammunition.

The later, judging by the number, single-barreled gun, shown in photo 2, already has the “Sampa” trademark on the bottom of the block. The owner's testimony about the time of purchase of this Manufrance Sampa single-barrel gun in the years 1920-1925, although oral, is very significant as strong evidence of the period of production.

But we can say more precisely that it was acquired no earlier than 1923. Obviously, almost immediately after the start of production, this model appeared in our country thanks to the efficiency of employees of domestic foreign trade organizations, which was facilitated by a low price and high reliability.

During the period of restoration of the national economy in the second half of the 1920s, our country acquired abroad not only means of production, but also production items, in particular hunting rifles.

It is known that guns were imported from Germany at that time, and now it has actually been proven that guns were also coming from France at that time.

The single-barreled Manufrance Sampa caliber 12/65 by Andrey Kukharchuk is distinguished by the fact that the block already has a rear sight in the form of a shield, corresponding to the production period. And the designations on it are already different.

A test with smokeless powder “Epreuve Arme Finie Pression 850 kilos” is marked on the barrel, that is, the test was carried out at a pressure of 850 kg/cm2, but there are no more details about the cartridges, they have become optional.

According to the designation "Cal.12 Normal" on the barrel according to the French method, the barrel chamber has a length of 65 mm, so the caliber of this Manufrance Sampa should be designated as 12/65.

The presence of a muzzle constriction o. French barrel steel is usually of high quality and can withstand loads well within acceptable limits; however, it is advisable to measure the barrel to make sure it complies with the brand specifications. The block is smooth, there is no decor, it is obvious that the specimen belongs to the accessible category, although it is well preserved.

An even later, judging by the serial number, single-barreled Manufrance Simplex by Molchanov Evgeniy has exactly the same design, the rear sight in the form of a shield is mounted on the block, the letter S stands out at the end of the safety button.

And it deserves attention as an example of the evolution of proprietary technology. Thus, it is tested with smokeless powder at a higher pressure, as indicated by the marking “Epreuve Arme Finie Pression 1100 Kilos”, that is, at a pressure of 1100 kg/cm2, which, according to the test station methodology, means an enhanced test of a barrel with a chamber length of 65 mm.

The origin is confirmed by branded emblems and markings on the barrel and buttplate of the stock, in particular the name of the Manufrance company and the patented “Fusil Simplex Brevete SGDG” system. Like any gun from Saint-Etienne, it is dated by marks and inscriptions according to the time of their use.

Externally, the condition of Evgeniy Molchanov’s Manufrance Simplex single-barreled shotgun is relatively good; the typical ornament on the block has been preserved. Of course, the specimen is worn out, and in some places there is pitting corrosion on the outside, but such shortcomings are quite natural for a simple mass-produced single-barreled gun of the affordable category, almost a century old.

French single-barreled guns of the Manufrance Simplex system are reliable and durable thanks to good local steel of special grades; as you can see, many examples have survived to this day.

Of course, simple care is required: wiping and lubricating the metal with neutral gun oil, and the wood with natural linseed oil. On the foreign secondary market they find new owners as traditional hunting weapons and collector's items.

They are also popular in our market, although not as popular as double-barreled guns, but many examples will be of interest to lovers of French guns, especially fans of models from Saint-Etienne. To assess the scale of local production of hunting weapons, it is appropriate to familiarize yourself with the pre-industrial panorama of the city from the local museum, shown in photo 3.

Modern analogues are available, so on the secondary market you can partly evaluate them accordingly, but taking into account the actual condition. Obviously, the correspondence assessment is only approximate; direct inspection is more important; of course, market demand must also be taken into account.

The amount may be small, but the use value is attractive, and the educational value is much higher.

Source

Double-barreled shotgun BERETTA ULTRALIGHT MC NEW

BERETTA is the oldest arms company in the world. It was founded in 1526 in the Italian town of Brescia. Now it is a huge arms concern that produces, in addition to civilian and hunting weapons, military small arms for many countries around the world. In Russia, the smooth-bore hunting weapons of this company are well known, including the BERETTA ULTRALIGHT MC NEW double-barreled shotgun.

Description, characteristics and modifications of BERETTA ULTRALIGHT MC NEW

The hunting rifle with vertically paired barrels BERETTA ULTRALIGHT MC NEW is a new development of the concern and incorporates all the best technical solutions. This is a classic of the turning point type with an aristocratic exterior and ease of use. Caliber 12, maybe 20 and 28. Barrel length 760 mm, for smaller caliber 710 mm. There is a ventilated sighting rib on top of the barrels. All modifications of BERETTA ULTRALIGHT MC NEW have a 76 mm chamber, that is, they are designed for the use of reinforced charges. Depending on the modification, there is either an extractor or an ejector. It may have two releases or one, depending on the modification. Of course, there is both a regular version and a piece version. The quality of all modifications is high.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Italian vertical

BERETTA ULTRALIGHT MC NEW has a high build quality, it is perfectly balanced, easy to use, its design has modern technical solutions, a fairly wide range of modifications, relatively light weight, good accuracy and accuracy of shots, soft recoil, the kit includes several replaceable attachments for trunks. One of the disadvantages is that BERETTA ULTRALIGHT MC NEW has a fairly high cost in comparison with similar double-barreled shotguns, which amounts to 220,000 thousand rubles.

Brief summary of BERETTA ULTRALIGHT MC NEW

The BERETTA ULTRALIGHT MC NEW double-barreled hunting shotgun is perfect as a “first shotgun” that will last for several decades without breakdowns. It is lightweight, reliable, easy to maintain and handle.

Thunderstorm of the twelfth year. Guns

Fragment of the panorama “Battle of Borodino” by F. Roubaud. Fight between Russian grenadiers and Friant's division

The storm of the twelfth year has arrived - who helped us here? The frenzy of the people, Barclay, winter or the Russian god? A. S. Pushkin. Evgeniy Onegin Attention to everyone, gentlemen, I ask. Trouble has come to our homeland. A military thunderstorm covered our sky. On the twelfth day Bonaparte's troops crossed the Neman unexpectedly... Hussar ballad. 1962

Weapons of 1812.

What could be more formidable than a man-made weapon? Well, maybe natural phenomena. But at the beginning of the 19th century, man was not yet so strong that, by pressing one or several multi-colored buttons, he could release a force comparable to the forces of nature. But even primitive guns and bayonets, cannons and cannonballs, sabers and broadswords of that time brought death to people very effectively. For example, in the Paris Army Museum there is a metal cuirass of a French cuirassier, on the left side of which there is a hole with jagged edges the size of a fist, made by a cannonball. And one can imagine what the fate of this horseman was after that. Sometimes a rifle bullet (the size of a walnut) was quite enough to pierce it in the same way. And so, having read about this in one of the previous materials, some VO readers asked me to talk in more detail about the weapons of 1812, both ours and those of our opponents. And this is exactly what our story is about now, accompanied by drawings by our famous illustrator A. Sheps. As for the illustrations with samples of the uniform of the Russian army of 1812, they belong to a series of drawings by N.V. Zaretsky, prepared by him in 1911 for the anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812, on the basis of which a series of popular postcards was issued.

Grenadier of the L-Guards. Preobrazhensky and musketeer of the Sevsky infantry regiment. Artist N.V. Zaretsky. 1876-1959. Russian army in 1812. St. Petersburg, 1912

The main force of the Russian imperial army, and not only the Russian army, in the Patriotic War of 1812 was the infantry, the number of which amounted to almost two-thirds of its personnel. The infantry regiment consisted of 2,201 privates and officers, 1,800 of whom had an infantry rifle as their main weapon. Why is this important to highlight? Simply because at that time there was a rather strange practice: each branch of the army had its own guns, different from all others. But at the same time, it was the infantry rifle with a bayonet that was the main weapon in the army. It weighed more than five kilograms, but it was very durable. So, in 1808, the commander of the Libau Musketeer Regiment reported that his regiment used guns dating back to 1700, that is, the same age as Peter the Great and the Battle of Poltava. This happened because weapons were made in that era with a very large margin of safety, they were fired from these guns quite rarely, and they were looked after with care. So it turned out that they served for a century or more! Among the infantry rifles there were many captured examples. For example, French, purchased by Russia in England, as well as Austrian, Prussian, Dutch, and also Swedish. But it was good that their devices were practically no different from each other. They all had a French battery lock, and differed only in small details.

Another thing was bad: all these weapons had barrels with different bore diameters, so that in the Russian army in 1808-1809 there were simultaneously weapons of 28 different calibers, from 13.7 to 22 mm. Supplying them with ammunition centrally was extremely difficult. But a way out was found: the soldiers cast the bullets themselves (for this purpose, special bullet guns were supplied to the regiments), and glued the cartridges from paper - for this, mandrels for the cartridges were also needed, so the main thing that the quartermasters had to take care of was gunpowder.

In 1805, a truly revolutionary decision was finally made: to establish a single caliber in the army for both rifles and pistols, equal to 7 lines, or 17.78 mm, and solve the supply problem at once. New guns began to be supplied to the army from the same year, although old models were also used. However, by the standards of our days, this caliber was very large, surpassing the anti-tank rifles of the Great Patriotic War. The bullet had the form of a ball cast from lead and weighed 27.7 g, and the charge of gunpowder for an infantry rifle was 8.6 g.

This is what the gun looked like...

However, deciding is one thing, but organizing the production of new weapons is quite another, and it’s even more difficult to saturate your army with these weapons. The equipment of the Russian arms factories of that time was extremely primitive, there were practically no machines at all, all work was done either manually, or, at best, by the force of... falling water! In the dry season, such a drive, of course, did not work! And on the eve of the war with Napoleon in 1805, I had to turn to England again and buy 60 thousand guns there. Defeat at Austerlitz? Again orders, because a lot of weapons were lost. It’s a sin to say, but the Tula Arms Plant tried. He tried very hard, before he produced no more than 40 thousand guns a year, but in the same 1808 he was able to increase their production by one and a half times! And before the War of 1812, the production of rifles and pistols there was increased to 100 thousand units per year. But just as the army did not have enough small arms, it continued to be in short supply. And again, 24 thousand guns were imported from Austria and another 30 thousand, the very next year, from England. In total, England supplied Russia in those years with more than 100 thousand English-made guns, that is, almost as many as our Tula arms factory produced in the same year! This is what the army's needs for guns were and how they were met in those years.

Special gun for dragoons

Now let’s add a few more words about one very interesting feature that distinguished the weapons of the army of that time from the army of today. Now everyone is striving to unify the weapons of different branches of the military, but at that time it was considered simply necessary for each branch of the military to have its own completely special and different weapon. So, in addition to the infantry gun, there was a dragoon gun, lighter in weight and length, having the same caliber, but with a smaller charge of gunpowder in the cartridge. A cuirassier's gun was like a dragoon's, but without a bayonet, and on the left side of the stock there was a metal shoulder strap (rod) with a ring for a belt, since cuirassiers carried guns on the right side of the belt. There was also a special hussar gun - even lighter, shorter and, accordingly, designed for a smaller powder charge.

English gun supplied to Russia

Austrian gun

The guns were designed simply. The barrel is iron, smooth inside, cone-shaped outside. The tail part of the barrel was faceted and had five sides. The breech was screwed into the thread, which fastened the barrel to the stock with a screw. And it also greatly facilitated the maintenance of the gun barrel, since by unscrewing it, it was possible to easily clean the bore on both sides. A hole was drilled on the right side of the barrel, through which the flame from the ignited gunpowder from the lock flange entered the barrel and ignited the gunpowder of the charge. It is clear that a gun would not be a gun if it did not have a lock, in this case a flintlock. The standard lock consisted of 13 parts. It was designed in such a way that, when released, the trigger with the flint clamped in it struck a sheaf of sparks that ignited the gunpowder on the shelf. Both the barrel and the lock were attached to a stock made of birch wood, which was integral with the butt. On the left side of the butt there was a recess for the shooter’s cheek - so that he would not touch the butt with it and could not get hit during recoil. Small parts that served to fasten the barrel to the stock and protect it from damage (“stock device”) were made of yellow copper.

French army. Line infantry, light infantry. 1805-1807 Illustration by Louis de Beaufort. From left to right: fusilier* on the march, 1805 (line infantry); fusilier on the march, 1805 (line infantry); grenadier on the march, 1805 (line infantry); drummer-rifleman, 1805 (line infantry); cornetist-voltigeur, 1805 (light infantry); carabinieri on the march, 1805 (light infantry); chasseur** on the big march, 1805 (light infantry); voltigeur*** on the march, 1806 (light infantry); voltigeur, 1806-1807 (line infantry); grenadier, 1806-1807 (line infantry); voltigeur, 1806 (line infantry). * Fusilier (French) – shooter. ** Chasseur (French) – huntsman. *** Voltigeur (French) - infantryman-shooter

The barrel and stock were covered by three stock rings, while the front sight was soldered onto the topmost ring (or the front one), and not onto the barrel. The bayonet was necessary for hand-to-hand combat, it was triangular in shape, piercing and had a mass of 320 g. A leather shoulder strap, passed into the swivels (arc-shaped devices in front of the trigger guard and on the middle stock ring), was required to carry the gun. To load a flintlock weapon, a ramrod was required. At one end of the ramrod of the Russian infantry rifle there was a head for fitting the bullet to the charge; on the other, it was possible to screw a fawn, something like a corkscrew, which was used to remove a bullet from the bore in case of a misfire.

French infantry rifle, on the basis of which all other examples of flintlock rifles of the 19th century were created

It was noted that the guns of the Tula factory were somewhat inferior in quality to English guns, but they were no worse than Austrian and French guns, which was proven in comparative tests of domestic, French and English guns back in 1808. This was then confirmed during the battles of the Patriotic War of 1812.

Fuseler of the 3rd Marine Regiment. Winter uniform. Sailor of the Guards Crew. Winter uniform. Artist N.V. Zaretsky. 1876-1959. Russian army in 1812. St. Petersburg, 1912

Why this was so, however, is understandable. The newest at that time French gun AN-IX (the last two digits are the date of adoption according to the revolutionary calendar adopted in France) of the 1801 model was practically no different from the 1777 gun, and the Austrian gun of 1807 was from the 1798 model. The British used the Brown Bess flintlock musket, which had a caliber of 0.75 inches (19.05 mm), from 1720 to 1840, and this model also remained virtually unchanged throughout that time.

Infantry rifle - the main weapon of the Napoleonic army

The uniform fashion of having different guns did not bypass the French either. Dragoon gun...

And this is hussar!

Things were also not going well with the unification of weapons in France. There, along with the “native” ones, Austrian, Russian (!), English, Dutch and God knows what other guns were used. Napoleon's Grand Army required a lot of firearms, but where could they get them? The production capabilities of French arsenals were greatly inferior to the production capacities of English enterprises, which were also already equipped with new steam-powered machines.

French rifled carbines

The rifles of the infantry rangers, who operated in loose formation and at the same time could shoot quickly and also accurately, differed from the infantry ones. They were lighter and shorter, which made them easier to handle, and therefore the rate of fire of their guns was higher than that of line infantry guns. Although at the same time they were also more expensive, primarily due to the better quality of the barrel finishing. The huntsmen had to load them not only while standing, but also while lying down (they were allowed to apply to the terrain!), since the barrel length of their guns was shorter. By the way, this also helped rapid fire: the powder charge in such a barrel could be moved faster to the treasury, and, therefore, a new shot could be fired.

Russian Jaeger fitting

However, the main means of enhancing the firepower of the huntsmen were rifled fittings, which were used to arm his non-commissioned officers and the most accurate shooters. In the Russian Imperial Army these were the 1805 model fittings, which had a caliber of 16.51 mm and eight rifling in the barrel. The regiment had only 120 such guns. But the firing range was more than a thousand steps, and their accuracy was much higher than that of smooth-bore guns. The fittings also had the first, special sighting devices in the form of two shields with slots. With their help, the front sight was sighted and aligned with the target. There was also a wooden mallet attached to the fittings to drive the bullet into the barrel. So they inevitably “hit rarely, but accurately.” However, the huntsmen also had to make bayonet attacks, so bayonets were attached to their fittings in the form of... a dagger weighing 710 g. So, together with the bayonet, the total mass of the huntsman's fitting was quite large - 4.99 kg. The cavalry fitting of 1803 was very short and was not widely used. The infantry did not have a bayonet for it, and the cavalrymen had no time to bother with driving the bullet tightly into the bore.

Carabineer of the Life Guards Jaeger Regiment. Winter uniform. Chasseur of the 14th Chasseur Regiment. Summer uniform. Artist N.V. Zaretsky. 1876-1959. Russian army in 1812. St. Petersburg, 1912

In the wars with Napoleon, including the War of 1812, the Russian cavalry, divided into regular and irregular, also played an important role. The regular cavalry consisted of guards, cuirassiers, dragoons, hussars and lancers. Well, the irregular ones are, of course, the Cossacks, of whom there were even more in the army than all the other cavalrymen: over 100,000 horsemen!

Hussar rifle

Cavalry firearms, in principle, did not differ from infantry weapons, but they had some features that were associated with their use by horsemen, and besides, they were somewhat more varied. For example, both heavy and light cavalry had guns, carbines, blunderbusses (not used at all by infantry!), rifles and pistols.

A cavalry fitting with a bracket and a ring and an unusual trombolone pistol with a flat socket like the barrel of a “Shuvalov secret howitzer”—the cavalrymen had similar ones in 1812! Penza Museum of Local Lore

Cuirassiers and dragoons had guns of the 1809 model and two pistols of the same year in saddle holsters. Sixteen people in each squadron had fittings that were very similar to those of the Jaegers, but even shorter. There were a similar number of fittings in the Uhlan regiments. Soldiers with rifles were called carabinieri. At the same time, instead of fittings, the hussar regiments adopted a hussar carbine of the 1809 model and the most sinister-looking blunderbuss: a short gun with a bell at the end of the barrel, which fired large buckshot at close range. By the way, it was the hussar small arms that were then the shortest of all other models. The carbine barrel had a length of only 637.5 mm, while the length of the infantry rifle was 1141 mm, and the length of the dragoon rifle was 928 mm. The blunderbuss' barrel was even shorter - only 447 mm. Lancers and hussars also had two holsters with pistols, on the left and right of the saddle. But we will talk about pistols of 1812, as well as edged weapons, next time.

To be continued…

Smoothbore double-barrel over/under BROWNING B725 HUNTER

The BROWNING arms company was founded in 1878 in Utah, USA. This is a private company that produces firearms for the military and police, as well as for hunters and ordinary citizens. The weapons of this company are in great demand and are distributed throughout the world. In Russia, BROWNING weapons are far from uncommon: especially smooth-bore and rifled hunting weapons.

Appearance, characteristics and modifications of the smooth-bore vertical rifle BROWNING B725 HUNTER

Hunting over/under rifle BROWNING B725 HUNTER has a classic breakout look, the barrels are located in a vertical plane with a ventilated rib for aiming. The breaking mechanism itself is of an original design with triple locking. Caliber 12, chamber 76 mm. There are modifications of 28 and 32 calibers, as well as combined versions, but they are quite rare on the Russian hunting weapons market.

Advantages and disadvantages of the BROWNING B725 HUNTER vertical camera

This is a fairly reliable and well-assembled hunting rifle, perfectly balanced, allows you to instantly aim at a target, easy to maintain, a wide range of models, excellent ballistic performance. Among the disadvantages: not all versions of BROWNING B725 HUNTER are presented on the Russian market, the cost is relatively high, and ranges from 200,000 rubles.

Brief conclusion

An excellent and high-quality hunting rifle, universal: it allows you to hunt birds, animals, and large ungulates. Perfect for the novice hunter.

Hunting rifle CZ Mallard

The CZ weapons company from the Czech Republic is quite old and has extensive experience in the development and production of high-quality firearms for the military, police, security and for citizens. This company, if we take into account only hunting weapons, has a wide variety of rifled carbines, semi-automatics and classic double-barreled shotguns, in particular the CZ Mallard over-and-under shotgun. CZ Mallard is far from new to the Russian market and has a good reputation.

Description and characteristics of the hunting double-barreled shotgun CZ Mallard

CZ Mallard double-barreled hunting shotgun of classic appearance, breaking type. The sighting bar is ventilated, there are models with one trigger. Caliber 12 for 76 mm sleeve. "Magnum". Barrel length 760 mm, weight 3.0 kg. Depending on the modification, there is either a shock absorber or a special pad at the end of the butt. The CZ Mallard is available with extractor (cheaper version) or ejector (somewhat expensive version).

Advantages and disadvantages of the CZ Mallard hunting rifle

The CZ Mallard is well-built and of high quality, reliable and durable, has a good sharp and precise action, is relatively light, has a wide selection of modifications, and has a reasonable price of 35,000 - 40,000 rubles. Disadvantages: the varnish coating is very sensitive to even minor mechanical stress.

Brief conclusion

This is a completely reliable and durable hunting rifle, perfect as a first gun. CZ Mallard is universal: suitable for game birds, animals and ungulates. Quite reasonable price, with good quality.

The best French hunting rifles of the 20th century

In France, hunting firearms began to be made back in the 16th century. The oldest and most important center of the arms industry is the city of Saint-Etienne. Another center is Paris, which has long been famous for its craftsmen.

Glorious weapon history

French inventors, designers, and gunsmiths made a great contribution to the development of hunting weapons. Suffice it to say that in 1738 Leclerc created the first comfortable, lightweight ramrod horizontal double-barreled shotgun. K. Lefoshe in 1834-1837 designed the first successful model of a gun with folding barrels. L. Flaubert in 1842 invented the well-known rimfire cartridge, which is still widely used in small-caliber weapons. created a closed capsule that is still used throughout the world today.

France has always been famous for its craftsmen, many of whom were well known in Russia. These are the Parisian gunsmiths Foret-Le-Page, Pearlet, Gastin-Renette, Chenu, Guyot and a number of others.

Main manufacturers

The largest manufacturer of hunting weapons in France for many years has been Manufrance - the French arms manufactory in Saint-Etienne. Manufrance has been producing hunting rifles since 1885. Currently, it is a large plant equipped with modern high-performance equipment. In record years, more than 60,000 units of hunting weapons alone were produced, the share of exports among all French companies was up to 65%.

Since the mid-20th century, seven basic models of hunting rifles have brought great fame to the Manufrance manufactory: “Robust” and “Ideal” - horizontal shotguns with twin barrels; "Falko" - a vertical double-barreled shotgun; “Rapid” is a single-barreled repeating shotgun with a movable fore-end; “Perfex” is a single-barreled self-loading shotgun; "Simplex" - a single-barreled shotgun with a folding barrel; small-caliber self-loading carbine "Rena" chambered for 5.6 mm rimfire cartridge.

In addition to Manufrance, Saint-Etienne is also home to a well-known armory that has been producing guns since 1820. The company specializes in several branded models of guns in various external designs and with different barrel lengths. Verneuil-Carron shotguns with twin horizontal barrels have a rather complex locking system. The ejector mechanism is located in the receiver block. The fuse is non-automatic. The stock is straight.

A characteristic feature of drilling the barrels of French hunting rifles is the desire to ensure maximum uniformity of the shot pellet, often at the expense of reduced accuracy. So, when marking barrels with a full choke and when shooting with factory cartridges with shot concentrator cups, the typical accuracy for many French guns is 58-60%, and when marking barrels the result is 49-51%. The average degree of condensation of the shot grain towards the center is 1.4-1.45 when marking a full choke and 1.3-1.35 when marking a half-choke.

French gunsmiths have always had their own view of weapons. Just look at the list of global innovations. And at the present stage, craftsmen produce a number of models of completely original systems. For example, the curious “Baby Bretton” model.

Baby Bretton is a model of innovation

This is a double-barreled over/under shotgun (the barrels are oriented vertically). In appearance and design, this gun is not similar to other guns available for hunting. It was designed back in 1936, but went into production in the mid-20th century. Still in production today. The model is characterized by light weight and an original concept in the design of mechanisms. It is approximately one third lighter than the so-called classic shotguns of the same caliber.

However, the hunter has to pay for the lightness of the gun with a noticeably greater recoil force when firing. The strength of the receiver along with the receiver coupling also became less due to the lighter weight of their alloy. For these reasons, only medium power shotgun and powder charge cartridges can be used in a gun. The materials used to make the gun are not susceptible to corrosion. Barrels within the same caliber and length are interchangeable.

Barrel tubes have up to four different types of drilling. When assembling with a coupling, any of the tubes of different or identical drillings can be placed below or above as desired. This is of great importance when shooting with a bullet, as well as during hunting of various types.

Initially, the gun was offered in 12 and 16 gauges, but now only 12 gauge is produced. Barrels chambered for 65 mm are tested under powder gas pressure of 850 kgf/cm2. With chambers 70 mm long, the guns are tested for a pressure of 1200 kgf/cm2. To reduce the recoil force, the barrels can have muzzle brakes in the muzzle, and a rubber shock absorber can be placed on the butt. The barrel length is fixed - 700 mm. They can have different drilling options: cylinder with pressure, half choke, full choke or rifled choke for scattering shot.

When the Baby Bretton is unlocked by pressing a special lever on the locking mechanism, the barrels move forward along two parallel guide rods. At the end of the forward movement of the barrels, the double extractor pushes out the cartridge cases by 1 cm. The gun does not have ejectors.

The impact mechanism is internal. The triggers are separated from the strikers. The mainspring is made of piano wire 2.5-3 mm thick. The gun has a safety lock that locks the trigger levers, which means the triggers. The barrels do not have sighting or connecting strips. Stock and fore-end made of walnut. The neck shape of the stock is semi-pistol or straight. The weight of the gun is ultra-light: 2.1 kg.

Hunting smoothbore shotgun FABARM ELOS C

The Italian arms company FABARM was created in 1900 and was a small family company that produced pistols. During the Second World War, the company launched a convoy producing small arms for the Italian army. After the war, a ban was imposed on the production of military weapons and FABARM began to produce hunting smoothbore weapons of fairly high quality. The FABARM ELOS C hunting rifle is popular both in Europe and in Russia.

Description and characteristics of the double-barreled vertical FABARM ELOS C

Hunting vertical FABARM ELOS C of the classic turning type, with a barrel locking mechanism of the original design. There is a sighting bar with ventilation. Externally, the FABARM ELOS C double-barreled shotgun looks much more expensive than it actually is. Caliber 12, chamber 76 mm, weight 3.3 kg, there is a shock absorber on the butt. FABARM ELOS C has several modifications: with an ejector or extractor, the caliber can be 16th, 20th and 28th.

Advantages and disadvantages of the FABARM ELOS C smoothbore shotgun

The FABARM ELOS C double-barreled over-shooter is quite reliable, practical, durable with proper care, has a compact and sharp fire, is available in several modifications to suit every taste, and has the best price-quality ratio. Disadvantages: relatively heavy.

Brief summary of the hunting vertical FABARM ELOS C

The FABARM ELOS C hunting rifle is a high-quality and practical weapon, perfect for beginners and novice hunters, low cost with high quality. The starting price starts from 45,000 rubles.

MAKSIMOV.SU

A good friend of mine, until a certain time, didn’t really think about the fact that one of his guns was a rather extraordinary model.

Certainly,

during the re-registration, he encountered some bewilderment from the LRO inspectors, but what worried him most was not the production date of his long-barreled “musket,” but the fact that this gun did not fit in a standard safe.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, 20 gauge

Once, on a wonderful day

this comrade casually asked me if I knew anything interesting about “an old gun of unknown origin with the mark “1866-74”? Naturally, I couldn’t miss such an opportunity. And here I am holding a huge gun in my hands.

By outline

the bolt group is similar to the French 8-mm Lebel rifle model 1886/93 or its later version - the Berthier system rifle model. 07/15 (another name is the Mannlicher-Berthier rifle 07/15), which used the same 8-mm Lebel cartridge.

But the shutter layout,

in particular, the lack of lugs in its front part, as well as the obviously homemade integral magazine, immediately raised doubts. Upon careful examination, on the left side of the receiver, in addition to barely distinguishable Latin letters, the stamp “1866-74” was indeed clearly and defiantly displayed. There was no doubt that this gun was made in France.

Now

There was no doubt that the mysterious gun was nothing more than a “tuned” and re-barrel Chassepo-Gras rifle of the 1866-74 model, and, according to the owner, it could easily withstand strong charges of smokeless powder and had an excellent firefight. And this at almost 140 years of age!

Upon examination,

the 20-gauge barrel turned out to be almost in perfect condition, the mechanics also did not arouse suspicion, which led me to a kind of delight and prompted me to immediately test the gun by shooting, fortunately the terrain made it possible to do this immediately. But before embarking on this most pleasant pastime, my friends and I tried, as fully as possible, to restore the little-known history of this difficult gun.

French "frolovka"
model 1866

Talented "paddling pools"

So, the scene is Europe in the 60s of the 19th century.

A time of wars and geopolitical division of the world. A time of rapid improvement of small arms. Prussian Dreyse needle rifle mod. 1841, in victorious battles with the Austrians and French, convincingly proved the advantages of using a unitary cartridge.

But it passed

for 30 years, until France decided to acquire its own needle rifle. The designer of the French needle rifle, master of the arms factory A.A. Chasspo, took into account all the shortcomings of the Prussian rifle and, using the latest achievements of design thought, created a system very worthy for its time.

In the Chassepot rifle

A longitudinally sliding bolt is used, locked with a comb behind the shoulder of the receiver, at a rotation angle of 90 degrees. To open the bolt, you must first cock the hammer. The needle system required a good seal, for which Chassepot, following the example of Dreyse, placed several rubber disks on the front of the bolt. A unitary paper cartridge, 11 mm caliber, with a lead bullet, has a primer closer to the breech, compared to the Dreyse rifle cartridge, which had a primer at the back of the bullet.

This is an innovation

made it possible to significantly shorten the firing needle, which had a positive effect on its service strength and increased the reliability of the weapon as a whole. A charge of black powder of 5.5 grams accelerates a 23-gram bullet to 430 m/sec. The sight is adjusted to 1800m. The length of the rifle is 1313 mm, the barrel length is 825 mm, the weight is 4100 g. The rate of fire of the rifle reached 19 rounds per minute, despite the fact that no more than 5-9 bullets per minute could be fired from the Dreize rifle.

After just 8 years,

After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, a new system was adopted by the French army - the Gra rifle chambered for a cartridge with a metal sleeve. The rifle of the captain of the Gra arms factory also had a caliber of 11 mm, an initial bullet speed of 450 m/sec, with a weight of 25 grams. The shutter of the Gra system is based on the Mauser shutter design, surpassing the latter in strength, functionality and ease of use. Barrel length – 820 mm, total length 1350 mm. The target firing range is up to 1800 m.

French "frolovka"
model 1866

After adoption

in 1874, rifles of the Gra system, the French, in order to use the stocks of Chassepot rifles, converted the latter to the Gra cartridge. The bolt was redesigned, to which a combat cylinder and ejector were attached according to the Gra model, and the chamber was redesigned.

Rifle

as a result, it received the same rate of fire as the Gra rifle. As a result, both the combat effectiveness of the army and the country's economy benefited. A reworked model of the Chassepot rifle was adopted by the French army under the name “Chassepot-Gras rifle, mod. 1866-74." and, along with the Gra rifle, small quantities could be supplied to Russia from the end of the 19th century.

Further,

When designing new models, French gunsmiths used the Chassepot-Gras bolt group design as the basic design, which makes the subsequent Lebel and Berthier systems visually similar to the “ancestor”.

to the gun
...
The gun,

shown in the photographs, in terms of its emotional impact on the delicate psyche of a gun lover, falls under a rather specific category - “no words, only emotions.” First of all, of course, the barrel of the gun is impressive. Or rather, its “killer” length. The thick-walled long barrel of this “twenty” somewhat disharmonizes the overall silhouette of the weapon, which, however, in no way diminishes its uniqueness and peculiar charm.

Confusing

truly exorbitant barrel length
- 920 mm!
Such an unusual length, plus the atypical filing of the breech of the barrel, as well as the amazing thickness of its walls at the muzzle, speaks of a clearly “non-native” origin. Whether this is a homemade barrel, or bored out at a factory from some machine gun barrel like Hotchkiss, in France or Russia, in the 19th or 20th century, it’s hard to say. What is clear is that this is not a rifle barrel, because... The barrel length of French infantry rifles did not exceed 820-825 mm.

In the hands of a “French woman”

extremely clumsy. The “crowbar” of the barrel strongly resembles Varmint’s forged thick-walled barrels, and not the barrel of a hunting shotgun. The barrel length is 92 cm, with a total length of the gun of 140 cm (!) and the presence of a long 1-mm muzzle constriction, turns this gun into a kind of “anti-goose”.

To this

I am also impressed by the results of shooting with large shot at 50-60 m. The thickness of the barrel in the breech reaches 30 mm, and the box - 37 mm, which, I must admit, was very reassuring before shooting with cartridges with smokeless powder. The barrel has a slight protrusion, the wall thickness at the muzzle is 3.7 mm (!).

After that

the muzzle sections of my 28 caliber “frolovka” with a reed barrel and the unforgettable IZH-18 no longer seem, in this regard, something special...

gun stock,

apparently made of walnut, blackened and cracked in places. The shape of the stock is typical for rifles of that glorious time, only the forend is too short, which negatively affects the ergonomics and aesthetics of the weapon. The length of the stock is 66.5 cm, the distance from the buttplate to the trigger is 34 cm. The thickness of the stock in the forend is 43 mm, in the neck - 37 mm.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, side view

Receiver

with the barrel are attached to the stock quite simply: the long shank of the receiver and the cast trigger guard are tightened with a screw passing through the neck of the stock, and the barrel is pressed against the stub of the stock with an original stock ring, which is held in place only by friction and, at first glance, a happy an accident. Holy simplicity, all that is needed for a complete ambience is traditional copper wire and blue electrical tape.

Maximum width

steel butt plate - 47 mm, which is unusually large. The butt plate is made of thick steel and has a traditionally elegant shape for 19th century guns. Although, in comparison, the butt pads of Berdan rifles are much more elegant and thicker-walled.

Upon examination

for some reason, you begin to estimate the number of skulls broken by this old piece of iron. The height of the butt plate is 120 mm, there is no release and cheek piece. Weapon height – 17.5 cm.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, powerful butt plate

The gun can hardly be called practical,

and the disgusting balance with a total weight of 4.5 kg, a tiny low front sight in the absence of a rail and rear sight, and a trigger force of 4 kg, out of habit, do not allow any precise aiming from the hands while standing. The descent, in addition to being a lot of effort, is also not ergonomic in terms of the vector of force applied.

Stroke length

the trigger is about 8-9 mm, without idling. When you press the trigger, your finger normally selects about 6 mm of travel with an acceptable force, after which a “warning” follows that the entire hand, or even the shoulder, is involved in the process of releasing the trigger.

Walking

in all directions, the inert “varmint barrel” also does not contribute to the correct handling of the trigger. The shot comes unexpectedly and brings a peculiar feeling of deliverance. At least, such incidents occur during the first shots, then you quickly get used to it.

Bolt group,

with meticulous research, may raise some difficult questions. For example: the receiver and bolt stem with trigger are clearly Chassepot systems. The bolt cylinder, upon closer examination, is made of a different metal and has the appearance of a completely new, albeit already worn-in, part.

Basically,

this is how it should be, because larvae were fitted to the bolts of Chassepot rifles later. But again, only ten years later. And in our sample, the battered stem and bolt trigger are very different from the very neatly made and visually new larva.

The receiver looks, of course, depressing, but this also has its own charm. Due to the powerful box, overall dimensions and unique magazine, the outline of the gun somewhat resembles an anti-tank one.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, bolt

Larval shape and ejector,

as well as the method of attaching the larva to the stem, are very different from the shutter of the Gra system. At the same time, the bolt stem, in terms of the configuration of the grooves in the lower part, is very similar to the Berthier system bolt.

Yes and

The bolt handle in our sample, along with the comb, have a somewhat strange shape. In principle, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that everything works great. The bolt does not have a safety catch or a safety cock; at least, there is only a cocking groove on the lower part of the trigger.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, bolt, cylinder compartment

The barrel is locked by the shoulder of the bolt comb

behind the cutout of the receiver, the locking is subjectively tight and very reliable. The bolt cylinder does not rotate during locking. For the ejector, a groove is made in the upper part of the receiver, on the breech side.

Ejector

similar to Berdanov's, but its spiral spring has a slightly different arrangement. The ejector is fixed with a pin. The ejector itself does not inspire confidence - a narrow hook and a rather weak spring are not the best solution for reliable cartridge case extraction.

The shutter is removed

after pressing the trigger - like in a Mosin rifle. The bolt cylinder, after turning on the stem, is not held in place by anything and can easily be lost. When inserting the shutter into the box, you must press the trigger again.

Shutter lag

The front protrusion of the sear serves as a limiter, which limits the movement of the shutter back. The shutter itself, when opening, is delayed by the protrusion of the sear with the lower part of the cylinder. The reflector is stationary, located at the bottom of the receiver. The shutter cylinder has a corresponding groove for the reflector ridge.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, magazine shaft and trigger

Trigger

The original Chassepot and Gra rifles were simple in design and similar to the Berdan system and other systems of that time - the trigger presses down the sear, which is pressed by a long leaf spring attached to the bottom of the receiver. In our sample, due to the conversion of a single-shot shotgun into a magazine, the long plate sear spring was replaced with a short spiral one, with a vertical arrangement in the SM body. A homemade CM housing is soldered to the receiver, in which the sear axis and spring retainer are attached.

Trigger

, similar, due to its rough execution, to a homemade one, but having the shape of the original one, is pivotally connected to the sear by an axis. The trigger is not attached to either the receiver or the SM body. The lower part of the receiver, in front of the recoil paw (by the way, located in the same place as on the Berdan rifle) has a semicircular shape corresponding to the shape of the upper part of the trigger. When you press the trigger, the rear part of the hook rests against the receiver, and the front part pulls the spring-loaded sear down, releasing the cocked hammer.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, work of USM

Shop

It is a rectangular shaft soldered to the receiver, made of 1.8 mm sheet steel. The feeder is roughly made of a light stainless alloy, the feeder spring looks like a homemade one, it is attached from below to the magazine cover, which in design and method of fixation is reminiscent of the SKS-45 magazine layout, except that the hinge fastening is missing.

Fixing the magazine cover

very reliable. The cartridges are fed through a window machined into the bottom of the receiver. Judging by the fact that only rolled cartridges with a plastic sleeve can be inserted into the magazine on top, the magazine was adapted to this gun already in the era of widespread use of plastic cartridges. When exactly and where – this is already more difficult to say. Although the structural similarity with the SKS store may indirectly indicate the Warsaw Pact bloc. But this is the author’s unconfirmed hypothesis.

Shop work

not entirely reliable - it often warps cartridges; it is easier to load a gun one cartridge at a time, simply throwing the cartridges into the receiver window. After some simple plumbing work to lengthen the box window, the gun could quite reliably feed cartridges with a metal sleeve from the magazine.

Situation

is very similar to the feeding of cartridges from a 4-round magazine in the MTs 20-01 and TOZ-106 - in this weapon, cartridges with a plastic rolled sleeve also feed poorly, while the feeding of unrolled cartridges and cartridges with a metal sleeve is excellent. Seems like a perennial problem...

French "frolovka"
model 1866, store design

Sights

represented by a single tiny brass front sight, about 2 mm thick and 1.5 mm high. The rear sight is missing. There isn't even a slot on the top of the receiver. Moreover, the thickness of the receiver is much greater than the thickness of the breech, not to mention the barrel. Therefore, aiming is done along the line of the barrel, from under the forehead, and requires considerable time to get used to.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, muzzle part of the barrel

Swivel on the butt

attached with two screws, which only causes approval, the front swivel is soldered to the barrel with its base. Everything is convenient and good, but still, the front swivel, soldered to the barrel of a rifle or single-barreled shotgun, subjectively looks less aesthetically pleasing than the swivel on the front of the stock.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, barrel swivel

Let's shoot

Early

I loaded several cartridges into new brass cartridges made in 1953 and 1977, carefully purchased by my father for the “plastic” MTs-20. Considering that the gun is not very new and is unlikely to be designed for modern smokeless gunpowder, the cartridges were prudently loaded with a cowardly minimal load of small old-fashioned “smoke.” This is eternal gunpowder... The weight of gunpowder was 4 grams versus the minimum recommended “dose” on the packaging of 4.5 g.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, chambering a cartridge into the barrel

For gunpowder

2 16-gauge fiberboards were sent. The weight of the "five", again out of caution, was reduced to approximately the standard 28 caliber - 18 grams. On top of the shot, due to the absence of others, a thick 16-gauge powder pad was added. As a result, cartridges with virtually half-loaded loads were received for testing. “Just in case,” I took with me several cartridges of large shot and buckshot. As it turned out later, it was not in vain.

Before shooting

everyone noticed the surprisingly good, even excellent, condition of the barrel. It is a pity, of course, that it was impossible to determine the year and source of its manufacture, but this was no longer important.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, the bore in the light
After studying the materiel,

started shooting. Cards measuring 10x15 cm, which were pinned to a stump, were chosen as targets. The distance was determined to be 20 m, taking into account weak charges and understandable mistrust of the gun.

Honestly,

then before the first shot there were fears that even from such a distance it was unlikely to hit anything. Surprisingly, none of the several shooters ever missed, and from much greater distances.

French “frolovka”
model 1866, gripping the sleeve flange with an extractor tooth

For filming

the target of the author's first test shot was selected, with the worst result, where the card was only touched by the edge of the shot sheaf. This may be wrong, but it objectively and fully reflects the minimum capabilities of the weapon.

During shooting

the gun showed a surprisingly high, even excessive, accuracy of combat. The only drawback is that the scree is not very uniform, but this can be easily fixed. The recoil when firing half-shots turned out to be weak, the sound of the shot was soft.

French “frolovka”
model 1866, shot target measuring 10x15 cm

Shoot factory ammunition

with a charge of smokeless powder, I probably wouldn’t do it without reassuring speeches from the owner of the gun. However, when it was stated to me with full responsibility that they fired almost a “magnum” from this gun, I decided to try it. Of course, I was not as worried as Gagarin was before the flight, but still, it was somehow uncomfortable, to be honest.

Here you go,

We shoot with “Azotov” “double zeros” and buckshot. The sound of the shot is sharp, the recoil, despite the 4.5 kg weight of the gun, is quite harsh. The results are very good, the coarse shot falls even better than from the Saiga-20, famous for its good fighting. A satisfied gun owner talks about his plans to shoot geese at high altitudes.

Also

from his words we learn that at 50 m you can easily shoot down pigeons with this gun, that the bullet fight is simply wonderful - at 50 m all the bullets, when fired from a rest, fall “into the palm of your hand.” I have every reason to trust this man, I can only regret that I did not take bullet cartridges with me.

French "frolovka"
model 1866. Shot!!
By shutter operation

and the store had several comments. Firstly, it is better not to use the store at all, because... Often lower cartridges interfere with case extraction.

From the trunk

Only spent brass cartridges and plastic cartridges with a hard metal “skirt”, such as “Record”, are removed. Foreign cartridges with a soft “skirt”, apparently, are greatly inflated, and the weak ejector is no longer able to remove them.

French "frolovka"
model 1866, magazine feeder

Everyone didn't like it

neither the shape of the bolt handle nor the shape of the trigger nipple. The trigger, due to its unusual, “slippery” shape, is difficult to cock with your fingers, especially in the cold.

It's clear,

that in France Russian frosts are a novelty, but still... The Mosin hammer is incomparably easier to cock and, in comparison with the French “nipple”, is incredibly beautiful. In general, the gun does not look very aesthetically pleasing, although it performs its functions properly.

French "frolovka"
model 1866

French gun of the 19th century in Russia.
How did we get it?
To the people

Those interested in small arms and the history of their development are well aware that there is an incomprehensibly huge number of the most diverse and intricate weapon systems in the world. Small arms began to improve rapidly around the middle of the 19th century.

It was during this period

The development of industry, exact sciences and engineering has caused the emergence of new types of weapons around the world. The appearance of a unitary cartridge sharply accelerated the process of improving weapon mechanics. The improvement of weapons at that time is quite comparable to the modern development of computer technology, when the processor, just six months after its appearance, is already considered obsolete. Also fast in the 60-70s. In the 19th century, the latest weapons systems also became obsolete.

In the Russian army,

constantly in a state of war, a huge amount of weapons was required. Due to the shortage of domestically produced small arms and the inability of arms factories to cope with the production of the required number of rifles, Russia often purchased large quantities of foreign weapons.

French "frolovka"
model 1866,
bolt

Moreover

Often the purchased weapons were outdated and were no longer used by the army of a foreign state. Thus, during the First World War, in the active army of the Russian Empire, in addition to the three-line rifle of the 1891 model, rifles from several foreign countries were in service.

Naturally,

After the World War and the subsequent revolutionary turmoil, the Civil War and intervention, a huge variety of small arms systems, both foreign and domestic, ended up in reserve weapons depots, as well as in the hands of the population.

Shortage

original ammunition for rifles of foreign systems and the great demand for cheap smooth-bore weapons led to the inevitable conversion of combat rifles into hunting smooth-bore guns. Back in the 20s of the 20th century, there were, perhaps, no less conversions of guns of foreign and old domestic systems in the vast expanses of Russia than the legendary “Berdankas” and “Frolovkas”. And these guns, although they were not created by Russian gunsmiths, are of undoubted interest, since they are part of our difficult history.

One of these

one of the reworked foreign models that have successfully survived to this day is the French gun of the Chassepot-Gras system, model 1866-74, which became the hero of this article.

French "frolovka"
model 1866

conclusions

Need to say,

that the author’s summary of this type of weapon may not be entirely correct. And this is because any of my conclusions, despite all the desire for objectivity, will still be clearly subjective. It would probably be more fair and correct to leave the reader the right to determine his own attitude towards the old French gun. It’s too unusual and ambiguous.

Someone

Such weapons arouse sincere interest, some remain indifferent, and for others such “old stuff” evokes genuine contempt. For many domestic shooters, accustomed to the finished aesthetics of the “native” Mosin system, the rather unusual outlines of a rare old gun sometimes cause some disgust and bewilderment. And the “correct” hunters, with rare exceptions, do not even show any interest.

And here

collectors and ordinary weapon lovers can fully appreciate the work of 19th century weapons design, which, despite its 140 years of age, continues to delight its owner. A low bow to him, who has preserved a piece of Russian and world history.

This is a gun

It is unlikely to travel much with its owner to hunting grounds, but it has earned the full right to take pride of place in a safe with a high “ceiling.”

French "frolovka"
model 1866, pay attention to the length of the gun

The article was published in the magazine "Caliber", 2004

Turkish hunting rifle HATSAN OPTIMA SILVER SYNTHETIC

Turkish hunting rifles from the HATSAN concern appeared at the end of the twentieth century, but immediately gained popularity. Despite the insufficiently high quality of workmanship, the price was so low that there were practically no competitors. Currently, the quality has noticeably increased, and although the cost has risen, the HATSAN OPTIMA SILVER SYNTHETIC gun is still the most affordable on the Russian market with optimal build quality.

Characteristics and description of the double-barreled vertical shotgun HATSAN OPTIMA SILVER SYNTHETIC

The HATSAN OPTIMA SILVER SYNTHETIC hunting rifle has a classic look: a break-action rifle with vertically positioned barrels. Unlike other analogues, the butt, stock and forend are made of durable plastic with a special notch made of porous rubber, which adds comfort when using the gun. HATSAN OPTIMA SILVER SYNTHETIC has a selective mechanism, that is, one trigger and a fire switch, which allows you to select the firing order. The trigger itself is gold plated. The gun can be equipped with an ejector, but also with a conventional extractor. Caliber 12, chambered for the powerful 76 mm Magnum cartridge. Weight 3.2 kg.

Advantages and disadvantages of the hunting double-barreled shotgun HATSAN OPTIMA SILVER SYNTHETIC

The HATSAN OPTIMA SILVER SYNTHETIC shotgun is well assembled and, despite the plastic, looks quite presentable. It incorporates modern technical solutions, is very reliable and durable, has excellent ballistic parameters, low cost with good quality. The starting price for the new HATSAN OPTIMA SILVER SYNTHETIC starts from 39,000 rubles