Some of the most beautiful work of this craftsman, and many others, are in this book “Liège Gunmakers through their Work. 1800 - 1950”.
For more detail see: LIEGE GUNMAKERS
Barbault A.
Here is a
"funny pistol" good, which can be attributed to the genius of A. Barbault,
armourer in Paris, Place de la République, 16, c. 1909. It would have been even
more "funny" if this "precision pistol" had been equipped with the balancing
system which was the subject of a patent application (216132) in Belgium by
Barbault, via mister Stocq of Brussels, on May 10, 1909, which unfortunately is
not the case, as we shall see below.
Markings
FL 22 L:
the Flobert 22 Long calibre.
ELG on
star in crowned oval: acceptance between 1893 and 1968.
A under
asterisk: countermark of a controller between 1877 and 1968.
Peron
(little step): inspection since 1863.
AB in a
fish drawing: the initials of A. Barbault in what is supposed to be a barbar (a
river fish that can reach a metre in length).
It
appears from the attached patent 216132 and from the photographs that the
balance system which must be in the handle does not exist on the specimen
presented. It could have been replaced by a much simpler masselotte with
adjustable front sight.
A.
Barbaut is unknown from Stöckel.
A
Barbault appears in the Jarlier but as a gunsmith in Nogent-Le-Rotrou
(Eure-et-Loir) in 1893-1894.
There is
also the question of the number 1896 followed by the letters AB. This production
figure – if there is one – seems very high... but we know that production
figures are often fanciful (or at least they don’t often start at No. 1...).
One also
wonders which gunsmith from Liège produced this pistol.
GP with the indispensable help of MAX.
