Darne (weapons manufacturer)
| Darne (hunting weapons) | |
|---|---|
| legal form | one-man business |
| founding | 1881 |
| Seat | St. Etienne , France |
| management | Paul Bruchet |
| Branch | Weapons manufacturing |
The company Darne based in St. Etienne, France, is a manufacturer and distributor of hunting weapons , such as shotguns and rifles . The side-by-side shotguns and rifles outwardly resemble conventional break-open rifles, but are characterized by a swivel-bolt lock that is located behind the pair of barrels and that is operated by means of a lever attached to it.
history
The company was founded in 1881 by master gunsmith Régis Darne in St. Etienne. In the beginning, double-sided shotguns were manufactured with slides that could be swiveled out to the side, opened to the rear, or with slides running back parallel to the barrel axis, with only the latter being the most popular.
During the First World War, Darne was involved in the production of Lewis machine guns on behalf of the French government , after which the company developed machine guns (gas pressure loaders, with belt feed) for arming the French armed forces with aircraft.
Today's production is not limited to hunting weapons based on the classic Darne principle. Over and under shotguns, rifles and triplets are manufactured as break-barrel weapons, since the Darne system is not suitable for weapons with barrels lying one above the other.
Locking system Darne
Outwardly, Darne side-by-side shotguns and rifles resemble classic break-open rifles, but they cannot be bent. Its lock rests on a plate-shaped barrel extension firmly attached behind the barrel and slides back in a guide milled on it parallel to the barrel axis. It is operated by a lever attached to the top, which, when raised and pulled back, unlocks the breech, cocks the ignition pins and brings the breech block into the loading position. Swiveled forward, the slide is brought back into the firing position, locked and the weapon is ready to fire. The double locking is done by a swivel bolt attached to the bottom of the locking block, which is supported in an abutment in the barrel extension, and additionally by a bolt that engages in a corresponding hole in the locking piece attached above between the barrels.
Darne shotguns and rifles are manufactured individually according to the wishes of the buyer on a handcraft basis in all common hunting calibers. They have selective ejectors, i. H. the cartridge that has not been fired is not ejected. Although they are of a high build quality, they are rare. The reason may be that they cannot be worn bent and that conventional break-open weapons are subjectively viewed as safer than the rear-opening breech.
Models
- DARNE Model R , the best-selling side-by-side shotgun to date, introduced in 1881
- DARNE Model V , further development, additional fall protection
- Carabine Express DARNE , reinforced locking system, all common hunting cartridges up to caliber .375 Holland & Holland Magnum
- Darne over and under shotguns , single shotguns , rifles