Some of the most beautiful work of this craftsman are in this book “The Francotte Dynasty”.
For more detail see: The Francotte Dynasty
FRANCOTTE Auguste
Here is a small pistol in calibre 22 L, signed
A. FRANCOTTE à
Liège. Grid grips. Trigger called
"Mexican". Opening by sliding button on the left side.
Markings
22L : the
caliber (shorter and lighter than the 22 LR)
R crowned
: canon striped between 1894 and 1968
ELG on
star in crowned oval: acceptance between 1893 and 1968
Perron: inspection since 1853
GP
FRANCOTTE Auguste
Here is a small pocket percussion pistol, called "a coffre", manufactured by the famous Liège house Auguste Francotte and "finished" by the Parisian house Lepage. Bone or ivory stick that has seen better days.
There is
only one marking, the ELG stamp on a star in oval, for acceptance between 1818
and 1893.
It could be Jean Lepage, born in 1779 in Paris and died in 1822.
Or the house Lepage Frères, mentioned in the middle of the text below (very interesting by the way).
http://chrisferon.free.fr/blog-articles/paris-ancienne-capitale-armurerie.php
GP
FRANCOTTE
Percussion pistol Francotte blow of fist with forced ball.
Caliber Ø
9.6 mm
Length
130 mm
Cap box
in butt
Ivory
Crosse
Weight
130 grams
The
stroke of the ball in the barrel: 20 mm.
Given the
powder charge in the breech, the power must have been derisory, but it must have
been smoking and noisy!
Jacques
Pistol FRANCOTTE
Here is a very curious pocket gun marked
AF
and devoid of any stamp of proof. The short barrel can unscrew, the trigger
appears when you arm the hammer.
According
to the applicant, both the system and the shape of the hammer correspond to a
Lepage pistol from the Hermitage Museum. The system is attributed to Forsyth: it
is possible, but I did not find confirmation in my (modest) documentation. On
the other hand, I found, on plate 44 of Lewis Winant’s book “Early Percussion
Firearms”, two photos of a Le Page pistol (from the New Haven Historical Society
Collection) with the same small barrel (the shape of the hammer is, it’s true,
different).
Here is
the page in question:
It is
difficult to say which Le Page (or Lepage) is: either Jean Lepage, 1746-1834, or
his son Jean André Prosper dit Henry (1792-1854).
As for the initials
AF
on this small pistol, one immediately thinks of
Auguste
Francotte, a house active since 1810, which
produced countless weapons for decades (see the recent book “La dynasttie
Francotte” by Alain Daubresse).
The lack
of proof marks will probably remain a mystery.
GP
Pistol FRANCOTTE
Very beautiful pocket pistol, with 4 barrels rotating to the hand with two mechanisms with flint and two triggers under trigger guard.
The small basin has two conduits, the adjustment of the obturator makes it possible to shot with the choice with the higher gun or the lower gun.
A sliding safety on the breech makes it possible to block the two hammers.
The stick in drowning style empire is nicely carved with palmettos and scales of fish.
The barrels unscrewing using the interior stripes and of a key are numbered from 1 to 4.
The weapon carries the punch of acceptance of the proof house of Liege, it acts here of spangled ELG with 5 branches in an oval, it acts of the great model which was used:
a) of the 18.05.1811 to the 14.09.1813.
b) of the 18.08.1818 to the 11.07.1893.
Crowned mark AF is the mark of Auguste FRANCOTTE street Mont St Martin, 61 in Liege. When it is known that the company was creates into 1810/1811, it is noted that weapon presents it is one of the first achievements of the young company, it all the more has value of it.
GG
Pistol Francotte
It acts of a gun with percussion, system with trunk with two barrels and double trigger manufactured in great number in Liege in second half of the 19th century.
The unrifled bores can be unscrewed using a square key which one introduces into the four notches located at the mouth of the guns.
It acts of a system called "to forced ball" the gun being unscrewed, one pours the powder in the small receptacle and one places the round ball “overcalibred” over. It then remains to screw up the gun, to place the starters and to shoot.
The grip known as "banana" is in drowning smooth.
The sides of the trunk are decorated with fine engravings.
The weapon carries crowned punch AF of the famous firm Auguste Francotte street Mont Saint Martin, 51 in Liege and the punch of the bench of test ELG in an oval used of the 08.09.1846 to the 11.07.1893.
GG
Pistolet Francotte
Another with only one barrel.
Photos of "ARSENAL.DE" with my grateful thanks.
Gun of navy mod.1845?
For the armament of the Brig (Duke of the Brabant) which taken row in our squadron on May 25, 1845, it was established a model of rifle, sabre and a gun of navy. Length: 350 mm, weight: 1KG 190, very few known specimens, all dated 1845. A specimen with the museum of the army of Brussels.
Christian
It acts of a gun with back lock with percussion manufactured for the Belgian army in 1845 per Auguste Francotte (crowned AF) final acceptance was most probably made by “Manufacture de l’Etat” as the many military punches indicate it on metal and wood.
GG
Many thanks to Christian for the photos and the technicals details
Gun for the slaughter-houses with betails of Francotte
