Hunter-Habib
AH legend
At one time, Belgium was the gun making capital of the world. Great Britain might have built the most expensive sporting firearms, but Belgium was the country whose sporting firearms were exported to far more places across the globe. Indeed, in 1909… there were 195 gun makers in Belgium alone (all based in the city of Liege). Most of the shotguns offered by Sears Roe Buck in the United States prior to World War I, were all built in Belgium. Many English firearms retailers such as W. Richards (not to be confused with Westley Richards) had their firearms made to order in Belgium. Almost every country in Europe had Belgian firearms at their sporting goods stores. Almost every European colony in Africa & Asia had Belgian firearms exported to them for the sporting purposes of the colonists. Before the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, you could bet that every gun shop across the globe would stock a couple of pieces with the words “Made In Belgium” stamped on the barrels.
This wasn’t always seen in a positive light, however. For Belgium was once considered to be the “China” of the firearms manufacturing industry- A place from where cheap quality export grade firearms could be had for selling in bulk (a position which would later be delegated to Spain, and then Japan, and currently Turkey). Truth be told, (like all things in life) country of manufacture alone can never be a lone denominator of the mark of quality. Indeed, in Belgium… we had lower end firearms built by craftsmen who never even bothered to put their names on their wares (i.e those who simply identified as members of the Belgian Gun Makers Guild). And then we had higher end pieces built by the likes of the great Auguste Francotte (Belgium’s most famous gun maker) or Dumoulin or Lebeau Courally (Belgium’s last gun maker to cease operations). And then we had unmarked pieces built by members of the Belgian Gun Makers Guild… which could give James Purdey & Sons a run for their money in terms of fine quality. Indeed the merit of each & every sporting firearm to be built in Belgium… had to be assessed on it’s own individual quality.
Despite the immense popularity of Belgian shotguns & rifles all across the globe… Belgium’s biggest customer was unsurprisingly their own colony in the Belgian Congo. Home to Africa’s Big Five and a wide plethora of plains game, the Congo was to Belgian colonial era sportsmen what British India was to Englishmen in pursuit of exotic fur & feather. In the Belgian Congo, two firms were renowned for exporting the largest quantities of sporting firearms. For the sportsmen of means, there was Auguste Francotte. For the sportsman of more modest budget, there was Janssen Freres. And what you all see below, is a page from their 1939 catalog of Janssen Freres which lists their offerings for big game hunting in the Belgian Congo.
Unlike Auguste Francotte (who offered both double rifles & magazine rifles for their patrons), Janssen Freres exclusively offered their customers four offerings built on the renowned Fabrique Nationale Mauser action with octagonal barrels:
The 7x57mm Mauser
The 7.9x57mm Mauser (also known as the 8x57mm Mauser)
The 9.3x62mm Mauser
The 10.75x68mm Mauser
A sportsman with an exceptionally tight budget could also opt for a sporterized Belgian Mauser Model 1889 chambered in 7.65x53mm Argentine (which was the service cartridge for the Force Publique).
From the looks of things, while Auguste Francotte offered rifles in English Nitro Express calibers such as .375 Holland & Holland Magnum or .470 Nitro Express… Janssen Freres exclusively preferred German metric chamberings for their wares. The 10.75x68mm Mauser was the “Heavy Lifter” of the bunch, while the 7x57mm Mauser and the 7.9x57mm Mauser were more intended for hunting things which couldn’t hunt you back. The 9.3x62mm Mauser was the all-rounder and employed in the Belgian Congo the way a modern sportsman might a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum today for one-gun Safari. Personally speaking, if I had to choose between the 9.3x62mm Mauser and the 10.75x68mm Mauser for all-round hunting or even dangerous game hunting… I would prefer to opt for the 9.3x62mm Mauser all day every day for seven days of the week. The 10.75x68mm Mauser launched a 347Gr .423 Cal bullet at a velocity of 2200 FPS. The poor sectional density combined with the low velocity barred this caliber from ever developing a recipe for success on dangerous game (although the cup & core nickel jacketed bullets of the early 20th century were also a contributing factor towards the caliber’s anaemic ballistic performance. Although the 10.75x68mm Mauser was an immensely popular big game hunting caliber in the Belgian Congo, I suspect that this was more due to the fact that standard length Mauser action rifles could easily be chambered for this caliber without too much difficulty. The ammunition for all of these rifles would have been loaded by Fabrique Nationale.
Unfortunately, today the glorious days of Belgium’s once world famous gun making industry are now relegated to but a foot note in history. After World War I began in 1914, several Belgian gun makers were forced to close shop. World War II caused several more to bite the dust. The Europeans losing their colonies in Africa & Asia from the 1940s up to the 1970s meant that fewer & fewer Europeans had access to places where big game hunting could be enjoyed. As such, the market for fine sporting firearms (including Belgian) began to wane steadily. But perhaps the biggest blow to Belgium’s once illustrious gun making industry, came with the independence of the Belgian Congo in 1960. Around two dozen Belgian gun makers were forced to close shop in the years after the Congo ceased to be a Belgian colony. That Belgian industry giant, Auguste Francotte was sold out in 1972 and completely closed shop in 1997. By the mid 2000s, Dumoulin ceased operations. Fabrique Nationale (while still based in Belgium) now has most of their firearms built in either Japan or Portugal. Only the fully custom Browning B25 over & under shotgun continues to be built (to order) in Belgium. Belgium’s increasing anti hunting & anti firearms culture were a massive contributing factor towards the decline of a once world famous industry. Today, Belgium is estimated to be the most anti hunting country in all of Europe (rivaled by Netherlands and Great Britain). But while Great Britain has managed to still keep a fair part of their high quality gun making heritage alive (in the forms of James Purdey & Sons, Westley Richards and a few other firms)… things have only gotten progressively worse for Belgium’s gun making heritage.
The last of the 195 heritage Belgian gun making firms to go… was Lebeau Courally. And in 2020, they ceased manufacture of firearms altogether in order to switch to the production of wrist watches & ladies’ handbags. And today, there is a significant threat of the once world famous Liege School Of Gun Making to close down for good in the near future.
In the secondhand racks of gun shops all across the world, Belgian rifles & shotguns sit (sometimes in pristine condition but often in a state of disgraceful neglect). Living remnants of a once happier time in Belgium’s rich gun making history.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen…
The Author With A Belgium Made Browning 22 Semi Automatic (1972)
An Interesting Janssen Fils & Co. 12 Gauge ( 2 3/4 Inch Chamber) Black Powder Proofed Cylinder Bored Folding Shotgun Built In 1943 For Trade With Local Natives
This wasn’t always seen in a positive light, however. For Belgium was once considered to be the “China” of the firearms manufacturing industry- A place from where cheap quality export grade firearms could be had for selling in bulk (a position which would later be delegated to Spain, and then Japan, and currently Turkey). Truth be told, (like all things in life) country of manufacture alone can never be a lone denominator of the mark of quality. Indeed, in Belgium… we had lower end firearms built by craftsmen who never even bothered to put their names on their wares (i.e those who simply identified as members of the Belgian Gun Makers Guild). And then we had higher end pieces built by the likes of the great Auguste Francotte (Belgium’s most famous gun maker) or Dumoulin or Lebeau Courally (Belgium’s last gun maker to cease operations). And then we had unmarked pieces built by members of the Belgian Gun Makers Guild… which could give James Purdey & Sons a run for their money in terms of fine quality. Indeed the merit of each & every sporting firearm to be built in Belgium… had to be assessed on it’s own individual quality.
Despite the immense popularity of Belgian shotguns & rifles all across the globe… Belgium’s biggest customer was unsurprisingly their own colony in the Belgian Congo. Home to Africa’s Big Five and a wide plethora of plains game, the Congo was to Belgian colonial era sportsmen what British India was to Englishmen in pursuit of exotic fur & feather. In the Belgian Congo, two firms were renowned for exporting the largest quantities of sporting firearms. For the sportsmen of means, there was Auguste Francotte. For the sportsman of more modest budget, there was Janssen Freres. And what you all see below, is a page from their 1939 catalog of Janssen Freres which lists their offerings for big game hunting in the Belgian Congo.
Unlike Auguste Francotte (who offered both double rifles & magazine rifles for their patrons), Janssen Freres exclusively offered their customers four offerings built on the renowned Fabrique Nationale Mauser action with octagonal barrels:
The 7x57mm Mauser
The 7.9x57mm Mauser (also known as the 8x57mm Mauser)
The 9.3x62mm Mauser
The 10.75x68mm Mauser
A sportsman with an exceptionally tight budget could also opt for a sporterized Belgian Mauser Model 1889 chambered in 7.65x53mm Argentine (which was the service cartridge for the Force Publique).
From the looks of things, while Auguste Francotte offered rifles in English Nitro Express calibers such as .375 Holland & Holland Magnum or .470 Nitro Express… Janssen Freres exclusively preferred German metric chamberings for their wares. The 10.75x68mm Mauser was the “Heavy Lifter” of the bunch, while the 7x57mm Mauser and the 7.9x57mm Mauser were more intended for hunting things which couldn’t hunt you back. The 9.3x62mm Mauser was the all-rounder and employed in the Belgian Congo the way a modern sportsman might a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum today for one-gun Safari. Personally speaking, if I had to choose between the 9.3x62mm Mauser and the 10.75x68mm Mauser for all-round hunting or even dangerous game hunting… I would prefer to opt for the 9.3x62mm Mauser all day every day for seven days of the week. The 10.75x68mm Mauser launched a 347Gr .423 Cal bullet at a velocity of 2200 FPS. The poor sectional density combined with the low velocity barred this caliber from ever developing a recipe for success on dangerous game (although the cup & core nickel jacketed bullets of the early 20th century were also a contributing factor towards the caliber’s anaemic ballistic performance. Although the 10.75x68mm Mauser was an immensely popular big game hunting caliber in the Belgian Congo, I suspect that this was more due to the fact that standard length Mauser action rifles could easily be chambered for this caliber without too much difficulty. The ammunition for all of these rifles would have been loaded by Fabrique Nationale.
Unfortunately, today the glorious days of Belgium’s once world famous gun making industry are now relegated to but a foot note in history. After World War I began in 1914, several Belgian gun makers were forced to close shop. World War II caused several more to bite the dust. The Europeans losing their colonies in Africa & Asia from the 1940s up to the 1970s meant that fewer & fewer Europeans had access to places where big game hunting could be enjoyed. As such, the market for fine sporting firearms (including Belgian) began to wane steadily. But perhaps the biggest blow to Belgium’s once illustrious gun making industry, came with the independence of the Belgian Congo in 1960. Around two dozen Belgian gun makers were forced to close shop in the years after the Congo ceased to be a Belgian colony. That Belgian industry giant, Auguste Francotte was sold out in 1972 and completely closed shop in 1997. By the mid 2000s, Dumoulin ceased operations. Fabrique Nationale (while still based in Belgium) now has most of their firearms built in either Japan or Portugal. Only the fully custom Browning B25 over & under shotgun continues to be built (to order) in Belgium. Belgium’s increasing anti hunting & anti firearms culture were a massive contributing factor towards the decline of a once world famous industry. Today, Belgium is estimated to be the most anti hunting country in all of Europe (rivaled by Netherlands and Great Britain). But while Great Britain has managed to still keep a fair part of their high quality gun making heritage alive (in the forms of James Purdey & Sons, Westley Richards and a few other firms)… things have only gotten progressively worse for Belgium’s gun making heritage.
The last of the 195 heritage Belgian gun making firms to go… was Lebeau Courally. And in 2020, they ceased manufacture of firearms altogether in order to switch to the production of wrist watches & ladies’ handbags. And today, there is a significant threat of the once world famous Liege School Of Gun Making to close down for good in the near future.
In the secondhand racks of gun shops all across the world, Belgian rifles & shotguns sit (sometimes in pristine condition but often in a state of disgraceful neglect). Living remnants of a once happier time in Belgium’s rich gun making history.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen…
The Author With A Belgium Made Browning 22 Semi Automatic (1972)
An Interesting Janssen Fils & Co. 12 Gauge ( 2 3/4 Inch Chamber) Black Powder Proofed Cylinder Bored Folding Shotgun Built In 1943 For Trade With Local Natives
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