Thanks for the reply.

I guess I just don't know. I've spent a lot of time studying British shotguns. While I do know of a Lebeau-London-maker connection, this wasn't until after WW2.

Birmingham was a huge gun making center- maybe the biggest in the world. Every type of gun was made there, from rifles for the slave trade and the American Civil War to shotguns for the UK's highest and mightiest.

Hundreds (probably thousands) of people worked in the double-shotgun field alone. These people were very specialized and they made everything.

So I guess I don't know why a Brit maker would turn to Belgium for parts when everything was right there in Birmingham. Perhaps they did for certain types of guns like the Martinis or perhaps they did for certain parts on other guns (bbls on low-end shotguns come to mind).

I'll ask around and see if I can dig up some more info.

Thanks again for the reply. I appreciate the info and feedback.

BTW: Francotte made lots of doubles - shotguns and DRs - for a very long time.

OWD