This rifle started out as a French Fusal Robust 16 gauge with pitted bores, no stock and a great price of $60.00.
I bought it years ago when I had just opened my gun smithing business and was doing some repair work for a gunshop in Corena Maine. The owner of the gunshop did not like my quote as to the cost of restocking the gun so I got it for what he had in it. My plan was to turn it into a double rifle but back then I did not know quite how to go about this. I thought about sleeving the barrels and other such measures, which are not the right way to do things. As with so many projects the little 16 ended up in a drawer, not forgotten but on the back burner. Time past, and I read as much as I could find on building double rifles and kept the 16 project in the back of my mind.
Over the years more and more we got into building bigger caliber rifles and a few for people who hunted Africa. Several of these people, very happy with the bolt guns I had built for them, kept pestering me to get into building double rifles. Since I have always loved doubles and finally convinced my wife that this was a good idea the project started.

The Fusal Robust had all the features one looks for when evaluating an action for a double rifle. It had double underlugs, a third fastener, (hidden) one piece mono block and small diameter firing pins which would not require bushing. Where it was a 16 gauge I wanted a low pressure cartridge and after some investigation found that the .450 # 2 Nitro Express is about the lowest pressure cartridge going. (25,000 C.U.P.) By figuring out the head area of the 450 compaired to the 16 ga shell and compairing this to the origional proof loads I found that the 450 would be far pressure then the proof loads so in theory I should be safe. Even with this in mind when I re proofed the gun it was a tence moment!!!! It was proofed with a 500 grain bullet with 18 grains over the max for a 465 grain bullet.