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4 comments

Date Votes
  • cbyerly
    Shotguns are seldom found with rifle sights and bayonet lugs. It has probably been rebored to smoothbore by a gunsmith, not an arsenal job.
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  • rufe-snow
    It's a Model 1874 Gras. They were chambered for a 11 mm center fire BP cartridge. The way the front band is entirely gone, looks like bubba has had his hands on it. If you could get a replacement front band, it might have some value to a collector, at least as a decorator/conversation piece.
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  • fishbone3d
    I agree the front band is gone, and am currently looking for one. It says 20 on the top of the gun and is chambered for a 20 gauge. I have a paper shell that fits in it. It is smooth bore. Here is a pic of the number. I am just a little confused on that, because 11mm is way smaller than a 20ga shell, and the serial matches on the barrel with the rest of the gun.
    http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r68/fishbone3d/DSC00347.jpg
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by fishbone3d
    I agree the front band is gone, and am currently looking for one. It says 20 on the top of the gun and is chambered for a 20 gauge. I have a paper shell that fits in it. It is smooth bore. Here is a pic of the number. I am just a little confused on that, because 11mm is way smaller than a 20ga shell, and the serial matches on the barrel with the rest of the gun.
    http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r68/fishbone3d/DSC00347.jpg


    These rifles were surplused out of the French military after they adopted the Lebel in the 80's. Not uncommon for them to be passed down to the police in the French colonies and made into a shotgun, so that the natives couldn't turn rifles on their colonial masters. As the breech pressure generated by a BP 20 gauge is so low, reboreing the chamber and barrel for 20 gauge wouldn't have been dangerous. I definitely wouldn't be shooting any modern high pressure 20 gauge shells in it.

    If it had been sold to a surplus parts dealer, it would have been sportized to a much greater degree, with the front portion of the barrel and stock cut off.
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