Some of the most beautiful work of this craftsman are in this book “The Francotte Dynasty”.
For more detail see: The Francotte Dynasty
Auguste FRANCOTTE
Here is a semi-automatic pocket pistol in calibre
6.35, manufactured by the house
Auguste FRANCOTTE,
on a patent filed in 1913 by
Emile HERMAN
(who, curiously, does not appear in the “Who is Who of the Liege Armurerie”) and
Charles
PARENT (registered at the BE in 1912).
The
markings:
Patent 19141 : a mystery, because it does not appear
(and for good reason, see below) among the many patents filed by the house
Auguste
FRANCOTTE.
In fact, and thanks to Max's research, it turns out
that this gun was designed by MM.
Emile HERMAN and
Charles PARENT,
who filed patent 257794 on 19 June 1913 for the pistol in question. The house
Auguste
FRANCOTTE is therefore the manufacturer,
but not the inventor. She also designed a handgun around 1912, but it is not the
pistol under review.
Note that
Emile HERMAN
had already filed a patent for a small pistol in 1910 under the number 224179,
but he has nothing to do with it.
It should also be noted that A.B. Zhuk also mentions
the existence of a
HERMAN pistol
(No. 1451, page 182), but it has nothing to do with either the 1910 patent or
the one under review.
GP
with the effective help of MAX
Francotte
Here is a very little known pistol, produced by Auguste Francotte in calibre 6,35 Browning a little before the 1st GM. It is taken up in Zhuk's book p 181, which places him around 1912-1914. Another specimen is already on the site, complete with its grips plates and punches.
On this
one, there is no punch visible on the pictures provided (even if I seem to see
an A on the left side of the barrel, just before a little rust...).
What
strikes you most is of course the single stamped plate of grips.
Why the
presence of a number but the absence of punches and this single plate?.
Personally, I lean towards a weapon of manufacture in August 1914, already
provided with a number of manufacture but not completed and thus not presented
at the Proofhouse of Liege, which was carried by a workman of Francotte at the
first hours of the 1st GM.
How did he get to the States? Who made this stamped plate? Was the second one lost over the years? Mystery. All the theories are plausible.....
I wonder
especially who is the inventor of this pistol, whose principal external
characteristic, as underlined in the already existing leaflet, is the presence
of the gripping grooves of the breech at the front (it is besides very well seen
because it facilitates the gripping of the aforementioned breech...).
Indeed, I do not find any patent of Auguste Francotte concerning such a pistol (as far as he considered useful to register one...). Maybe he bought someone else's patent. Moreover, there is no mention "Francotte patent" on the other copy already examined.
The lucky
owner mentions other examples he has had the opportunity to see. Does he have
the serial numbers?
GP and the whole team.
Francotte model E
It is about a rare Francotte pistol model E in calibre6.35mm, manufactured between 1912 and 1914, and furnished of plates borrowed from Bayard. In theory those should raise an escutcheon with the letters A and F.
It is one of the rare ones - if not only - pistol of this type (and calibre) to present scratches in front of the window of ejection.
Engraved… “Souvenir de Liège Belgique” (To remember Liege Belgium) … amusing! Gift with a good customer?
The chrome magazine is identical to this of the FN 1906.
We are in the presence of the model E from Francotte, but it was also manufactured a practically similar model, and which has the code E J to him, it has also the scratches in front of the window of ejection.
Pistolet Francotte
Many thanks to "HIDAHOGUNS" for the photos
Francotte 4 canons
The weapon
It acts of a gun of pocket of the hammerless type to rotary strikers comprising 4 barrels of calibre 22. The crack of the guns for the loading and unloading is done thanks to a key located above the frame. The block-barrels swivels then on an axis located at the bottom of the carcass. The trigger without trigger guard is folding. The moulded and worked grips seem to be in horn or gutta-percha about it.
The inventor
The weapon is patented by a certain CHUCHU Athanase, Brazilian of BAHIA, which deposited three patents in Belgium, that is to say:
1) in 1883 for a system of gun with repetition
2) in 1886 for a weapon of war with fast fire
3) in 1891, a new system of weapon of war with fast fire.
The manufacturer
The weapon was manufactured by the company Auguste FRANCOTTE, street Mont Saint Martin, 51 in Liege as indicates it crowned punch AF. This company, one of largest of Liege was creates in 1810 and was famous for the multiplicity of its production.
This mark was deposited the 31.12.1880.
The punches
Spangled punch ELG in an oval is the punch of acceptance of the bench of tests of Liege, used of the 08.09.1846 to the 11.07.1893.
The S in a circle seems to form part of engraving and is unknown for us as a mark or a punch.
The dating
We believe capacity statement without much risk of error that the weapon was manufactured between 1883 and 1893.(patent of 1883 and punch ELG in an oval of which the use finishes into 1893)
Various
The catalogue of firm A. FRANCOTTE of 1892, does not contain any weapon of this type, it probably acts of intended specific order abroad and a more particularly South America considering the nationality of the inventor and the decoration of the weapon. This type of weapon would thus not have been marketed in Belgium.
G.G & M.D.
Anoter photo of a CHUCHU
The patent of CHUCHU
