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
Delcour-Dupont Jean
Here is a shotgun with two superimposed and hammerless
guns with “top lever” key:
The punches of the Liège proofhouse:
ELG* in a crowned oval:
definitive acceptance after 1893.
12. 70 in an omega:
nominal size and length of the case, in use from June 30, 1924 to the present
day.
PV surmounted by a stylized lion:
smokeless powder test, in use from 04.
10. 1898 to 26. 02. 1968.
P*:
Controller’s countermark, in use from 27.
01. 1877 to 26. 02. 1968.
"f":
Annual letter of 1927.
EL in English letters:
provisional proof, in use from 21.
12. 1852 to the present day.
1 Kg505:
weight of the barrel capable of firing smokeless powders (smooth weapons) to the
nearest gram.
In use from 30. 06.1924 to the present day.
CHOKE 18. 3 – 18.
2:
chocked barrels, calibrated 22 cm from the breech.
Used from June 30, 1924 to February 26, 1968.
V *:
this punch asks me ?? If it is an annual letter punch, it would indicate the
year 1998 which does not correspond to anything in this case.
So the question remains open.
The markings:
D crowned:
it is the trademark of the barrels manufacturers
Delcour Oscar and Lucien of Fraipont-Nessonvaux registered on the
proofhouse from 1930 to 1940.
I don’t know the initials HG, they probably identify a subcontractor ??
In my opinion, the Dutch ’manufacturer' brand refers to the dealer of the gun.
At the time, it was common for foreign armourers to take the title of
manufacturer, which was not the case. The real and unknown manufacturer of Liège
origin admitted this practice as ringing and stumbling currency!
GG
Delcour-Dupont Jean
It is
about a rifle of small hunting to central percussion and top break. The chokes
barrels of gauge 12 are juxtaposed. Locks are of type “ahead” with hammers
external and key “Top Lever”. Locks carry an engraving of the foliage type. The
stick in walnut is worked “pistol”.
This
weapon carries the lawful punches of the proofhouse of Liège, namely:
ELG* in
a crowned oval:
final acceptance post 1893.
Letters
Q * and Y *:
countermarks of the controller post 1877.
12-70 in
an omega:
gauge nominal and length of casing, of use of 1924 to our days.
PV
surmounted of a stylized lion:
test with the powder without smoke, of use of 1898 to 1968.
Peron:
inspection, of use of 1853 to our days.
EL in
English letters:
provisional test, of use of 1852 to our days.
1Kg455:
weight of the barrel which can draw from the powders without smoke (weapons
smooth) except for the gram. In use of 1924 to our days.
CHOKE
18.4:
chokes barrels: gauged to 22 cm of the breech. In use of 1924 1968.
Small
letter “p”:
it could acts of the yearly letter of 1937.
The
weapon also carries the following marks:
D
crowned:
mark of the manufacturer of guns of rifles
Delcour-Dupont
Jean to Nessonvaux then in Liège.
40378:
serial number.
I did
not meet on the weapon any mark allowing to identify any manufacturer of
weapons, that was often the case for the weapons of export. The arms
manufacturer-retailers often affixed their own mark there.
GG
DELCOUR-DUPONT Jean
It acts of an hunting weapon hammerless, gauge 12, with two juxtaposed guns and key top lever manufactured by "THE LIEGE UNITED ARMS C° Ltd Liege Belgium: it acts of a trade mark the 01.06.1923 by the “Fabrique d’armes unies de Liège (F.A.U.L.) street Trappé, 22 in Liege.
Manufacturer of the barrels.
D crowned should be the mark of the manufacturer of barrels DELCOUR-DUPONT Jean, trade mark the 06.06.1921.
GG
Hunting riffle Raick
The R Crowned: rifled bore – mark of the bench of test since 30/01/1894.
AI with star : mark of the inspector of the bench of test of Liege.
PV surmounted of a stylized lion: test with the powder without smoke since the 04/10/1898.
ELG in an oval crowned - acceptance of bench of test since the 11/07/1893
And cherry on the cake
ACIER "SECURITAS" is a trademark deposited by DELCOUR-DUPONT Jean, industrialist in LIEGE, the 06.06.21.
Mark DDN in a crowned oval, although not indexed, should logically be the same one.
GG
