A Nice Tribute to Belgium’s Most Prominent Gun Maker

[Hunter-Habib]

To most younger generations of hunters, the name “Auguste Francotte” probably doesn’t mean much, but to those of us sportsmen who are of a certain age… the name is synonymous with a firm who was arguably Belgium’s finest manufacturer of sporting rifles & shotguns.

I found this really interesting article written on “The American Rifleman” which paid tribute to this great company.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | A. Francotte: Twilight Years Of A Fine Gunmaker

For nearly two centuries, the firm of Auguste Francotte of Liege, Belgium, was in action as one of the finest gunmakers on the planet. Even into the late 1990s, the company was at work creating bespoke sporting arms the same way they did in 1805.

www.americanrifleman.org

The Belgian city of Liege was once one of the most prominent gun making capitals in all of Europe during the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Hundreds of Belgian gun makers (both prominent AND small scale) crafted their wares for export to the Belgian Congo and India and French Indochina. Unfortunately for them, the second World War spelt the doom of the Belgian gun making industry. With India becoming independent in 1947, French Indo-China becoming Vietnam in 1954 (along with the subsequent Vietnam war) and the Belgian Congo becoming independent in 1960… most Belgian gun makers had already closed shop by the 1960s. Auguste Francotte lingered on until 1973, when the Francotte family finally sold the company to external owners who managed to keep the dying company still going until 1998. A last ditch effort by a Dutch entrepreneur to save the company in 1998 also culminated in failure and the company finally closed up shop for good by 2000.

Much like the Webley & Scott action became the basis for several English double rifles & shotguns… the Auguste Francotte action also became the basis for several Belgian double rifles & shotguns over the years. I personally had the good fortune to hunt a Cape buffalo in Tanzania in 1978 with a double barreled boxlock ejector in .458 Winchester Magnum which had been built on a Auguste Francotte action by a member of the Belgian Gun Maker’s guild. Craftsmanship was absolutely unrivaled.

Growing anti hunting sentiment in Belgium has not been kind to the sporting firearms industry there. The last of the heritage Belgian gun makers, Lebeau Courally ceased building firearms during the 2020 Chinese Virus outbreak and they never returned to gun making again since (nowadays only manufacturing watches & leather products). Today, the only sporting firearm that is 100% manufactured in Belgium… Is the Browning B-25 Superposed over & under shotgun.

If you own an Auguste Francotte rifle or shotgun, never part ways with it. Know that you truly own a piece of art & history. A relic from a distant time (although not too distant for some of us) when Belgium was a firearms aficionado’s paradise.

 

[grand veneur]

Rifles built by Auguste Fancotte are still regularly offered on the used market in our countries, especially double guns. My DR caliber 600 Nitro Express was also built by Auguste Francotte in 1926. It is a boxlock working rifle and due to its condition, it has most likely also seen the Belgian Congo.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Rifles built by Auguste Fancotte are still regularly offered on the used market in our countries, especially double guns. My DR caliber 600 Nitro Express was also built by Auguste Francotte in 1926. It is a boxlock working rifle and due to its condition, it has most likely also seen the Belgian Congo.

Would you happen to have a picture of the .600 Nitro Express ? And is it for sale ?

 

[grand veneur]

I have to make pictures, but I don't want to sell it.

 

[VertigoBE]

Thank you for sharing this article @Hunter-Habib. I'll be reading it with a lot of interest.

There are still a few small independent Belgian makers, often one-man show's, that will build fully bespoke rifles and guns. Usually on the basis of an action in the white they have sourced elsewhere (as far as I can tell at least, I have found no traces of actions being built by anyone in Belgium in 2023).

Two that come to my mind are Alexandre Hanssen:

Alexandre Hanssen Armurier - Fabrication d'armes fines

L'armurerie Alexandre Hanssen. Fabrication de votre arme fine de chasse artisanale sur demande et sur mesure, fabrication d'armes dans un style alliant larmurerie belge et britannique à Bonnerue - Houffalize (Ardennes - Belgique)

www.armureriehanssen.be

And Paul Pletsers:

Paul Pletsers « Paul Pletsers Cal. 416Rigby - 3655

But there a few more still out there. I've tried to create a list out of them in the thread, to which you also contributed, but we did not get very far. https://www.africahunting.com/threads/belgian-gunmakers-still-active.73057/#post-1011726

However the world famous Liège école d'armurerie (gun maker school) is still going strong. Each year a few young men graduate from it and usually immediately get to work as a journeyman in one of the big gun maker houses (H&H, Purdey, WR, Lang, etc.) I was last in my usual gun store, talking to these young 20 something year olds. So they told me they are capable of building a gun from scratch. But there is just no time, (nor demand) for this, as they are being kept fully busy doing small repairs, installing optics etc. on existing rifles or doing modifications on new ones. It is rare they get to be creative.

It is a tragedy for the Belgian gun making industry. Once so renowned, now almost gone into oblivion.

Best regards,

V.

 

[geoff rath]

I have to make pictures, but I don't want to sell it.

Understandably so. A rarity nowadays.

 

[flatwater bill]

@Hunter-Habib Another very informative and well written post. I am always interested in the firearms of yesteryear, so enjoyed your post and the attachment immensely. I have one Belgian gun......a 10 ga double shotgun. And, as you said, it is very well made. I have read a lot on the gun making history of Austria, Germany, UK and the USA, but little about Belgium. Thanks for posting.................FWB

 

[AN.87]

a long time ago I was able to buy an SxS based on a francotte base, finished by L Tilman. one of several independent makers in Belgium at the time. it was a boxlock with "faux" side plates. a very aimable rifle. and fantastic balance. found at a dealer while I had time to browse recovering from appendix surgery.

Since I can only shoot a shotgun left-handed for any mentionable result, I eventually exchanged it for the purchase of a Dumoulin SxS 9.3X74R. one of the other great Belgian houses.