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
Manufacture Liégeoise d’armes à Feu
This is a truly
remarkable revolver in European .320 caliber black powder, revealing its unusual
and complex mechanism. It truly deserves the label of "system weapon", a term so
often misused and inaccurate.
The object is
clearly very well made and undeniably stylish, with a silhouette reminiscent of
the finest Lefaucheux-type revolvers. Its nickel plating has withstood the test
of time without any noticeable deterioration, as have its high-quality wooden
grips. The internal mechanism is free of corrosion, the trigger is retractable,
and the octagonal barrel features a drift-adjustable front sight mounted on a
dovetail. Everything demonstrates meticulous and highly professional
craftsmanship, as well as preservation in excellent condition.
Markings:
Number 35
(internal parts, barrel): serial number. This relatively low number suggests
that this series remained limited due to the complexity (and high cost) and
practicality of the system, the idea being to provide a revolver that could be
disassembled by hand without requiring any tools.
Cal. 320 (barrel):
caliber indication.
ELG on an oval
star: proof mark from September 8, 1846 to July 11, 1893.
V under a
crown: from December 30, 1853 to January 26, 1877.
Mre Liégeoise
Liège-Belgium: manufacturer's signature, namely the Manufacture Liégeoise. This
company, which produced numerous shoulder and handguns, is well documented on
the website.
The site also
features a revolver of the same type; see:
https://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identifies%20b/a%20bronne%20gb.htm
Note that the
revolver does not bear the "classic" logo of the Liège Firearms Factory
(Manufacture Liégeoise), which consists of the initials ML surmounted by a
crown. Furthermore, this is the first time this type of font has been
encountered for ML (Manufacture Liégeoise d'Armes à Feu - Liège Firearms
Factory). The weapon is actually derived from patent number 034359 filed by
Gustave Bronne on March 27, 1874. The Bronne revolver was also the subject of a
full article by Guy Gadisseur in the Gazette des Armes (No. 389, pp. 54-56,
July-August 2007). This article can be viewed on the site; see the link above.
The various known
examples have either a trigger guard for large-caliber weapons (.450, 12mm) or a
retractable trigger for small-caliber weapons (.320 as seen here or .380 as
indicated in G. Gadisseur's article). Unless otherwise stated, both options are
protected by the same patent.
Note: A team
member points out that despite the revolver's fine craftsmanship, it is fitted
with a recoil spring that is far too thick, too strong, and also crooked, which
is prone to breakage or damage to the trigger or hammer. According to him, this
is a replacement by a previous owner.
In summary, this
revolver with its original and complex mechanism, chambered in .320, was
produced by the Liège Firearms Factory between 1874 and 1877, based on patent
no. 034359 of March 27, 1874, issued by Gustave Bronne.
Chris, Alain, HPH, Max, Marcel
