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
This is an 8mm Lebel pocket revolver. This weapon is one of the many variations of the Bull Dogs revolver system introduced by the English company Webley in the mid-1870s. In this case, it is an adaptation of this concept to the new smokeless powder ammunition invented in 1884 by engineer Paul Vieille and used by the French army in 1886 for the Lebel service rifle.
The weapon, with its bronze finish, also benefits from a modernized design compared to the original British Bull Dogs: with its partially shrouded hammer, octagonal barrel, elegant grips, under-trigger trigger, and oval-fluted cylinder, this small revolver is certainly elegant.
Many craftsmen were involved in the production of these models at the end of the 19th century, which the famous retailer Manufrance had dubbed "Modèles Renforces" (Reinforced Models). This family of pocket revolvers gradually fell into disuse in favor of small-caliber semi-automatic pistols (6.35 and 7.65) in the first quarter of the 20th century.
Excerpt from the 1902 Manufrance catalog
Markings:
D under a star, rear of the cylinder, right-hand barrel and right-hand frame, inspector's mark after January 1877.
Crowned L, rear of the cylinder, marking of one of the two foundries subcontracting the manufacture of the cylinders.
ELG over a star in a crowned oval, rear of the cylinder, proof house mark after 1893.
1762, left-hand frame, serial number.
Crowned R, right-hand barrel, verification mark for rifled handguns: from January 30, 1894, to February 26, 1968.
L, A, left-hand frame, meaning unknown.
Two significant markings unambiguously identify the maker:
AF crowned, left-side frame, and A. Francotte in Liège above the barrel: this is obviously Auguste Francotte, whose work and biography are detailed on the website.
A revolver very similar to this one, except that it has a retractable trigger, is also present on the website.
In conclusion, this attractive
"reinforced" revolver in 8mm Lebel caliber was produced by Auguste Francotte in
Liège after 1894.
Chris
