High quality double barrel shotgun by Jean-Louis François Devisme in Paris, France. Breech loader. Caliber: 2 x 16 gauge. The famous French gun maker and inventor Jean-Louis François Devisme is listed in Paris circa 1840-1870. Jean-Louis François Devisme manufactured high grade firearms and edged weapons for wealthy French and international customers. His customer list included members of the royal families, aristocracy and government officials, as well as Confederate general Robert E. Lee and Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Jean-Louis François Devisme is remembered today principally for the highly decorated firearms produced for a succession of Paris Exhibitions, and for the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 at Crystal Palace, for which he was awarded numerous medals. He ranks as one of the most accomplished of the 19th-century French gun makers. The barrels' top flat is engraved, "Devisme 36 Boulevart des Italiens A Paris". Both lockplates also display the gun maker name, "Devisme a Paris". Beautifully scroll-engraved steel furniture. The shotgun features 28.5 inch long twist barrels. Very nice half stock with steel buttplate. The buttplate tang and buttplate screws also show some engraving. High quality diamond checkering at the wrist of the stock, as well as in the front part of the stock. Nicely engraved steel trigger guard. No markings on the barrels under the stock. High quality of machining and metal finish! Overall length is 45.5 inch. The barrels length is 28.5 inch. The barrels' diameter at the muzzle is 0.715. The barrels' wall thickness is 0.040. CONDITION: Fine. 85% of browning finish is still on barrels. Occasional light patina. A couple of spots of light surface rust on the barrels, mainly near the muzzles. Partially fading case coloring on the lockplate, buttplate, barrels's tang and on the trigger guard. The engraving on metal is beautifully preserved. The tubes are free of dents. The hammers are in great shape. Strong and crisp action. Excellent, smooth and shiny bores. The right side of the action bar shows a small fracture (please, see the last picture). Most likely, a flaw in the gun's forging has caused the crack. The stock is free of cracks and shows only some light scratches (mainly on the left side of the buttstock) and some handling marks. The diamond checkering on the stock is nicely preserved. All the internal parts of the shotgun are beautifully preserved with no visible wear. All the markings on metal are also nicely preserved. Beautiful French double barrel shotgun by a famous gun maker! Antique.
