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freebird
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Comblain "trade gun"
Jan 20th, 2019 at 12:01pm
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Here is one of my favorite military single shot: the Comblain from Belgium.
This one is a "trade gun" assembled late in the XIXth early XXth century with parts for use as a cheap military guns either for shooting or the african colonies.

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this one is based on the stock and mechanism of a 1882 Civil Guard model on which a Beaumont barrel has been grafted. Which is very good because the chamber is in 11x53 Beaumont, and that's an immense improvement for a modern shooter on the 11x50 Comblain...  Smiley

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Details of the operation closed and opened. The falling block is quite unique in that the entire firing mechanism is contained in the small vertical bit that holds the trigger. A very nice and crisp trigger if you put your finger on the right spot -down), quite heavy if you dont.

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Comblain rifle were made by a variety of makers in both full scale military size or reduced "cadet" or "rook" rifles. To keep track of royalties, each one was marked on the right side of the carcass with a royalty number.

  
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freebird
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #1 - Jan 20th, 2019 at 12:06pm
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It's one of the innumerable ".43's" of the late XIXth, meaning a .43ish bore and a.450 groove diameter.
I use a .449 Minie bullet cast from a Lyman mould.
The brass is made from 32 Gauge made by Magtech, that recreate very well the baloon head brass of the day. It is safe to keep within BP pressure, not because of the gun (very strong), but the brass (not so much)

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(should be better with the proper picture...)
« Last Edit: Jan 21st, 2019 at 5:46am by freebird »  
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oneatatime
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #2 - Jan 20th, 2019 at 3:24pm
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While we are on the subject of Comblains, here are my two. The top one is in 50-70 and the bottom one is in 45-70 courtesy of a Martini-Henry carbine barrel.
  
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GT
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #3 - Jan 20th, 2019 at 4:53pm
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Thanks for posting these, learn something everyday  Wink  Can't say as though I've seen one of these before - looks like a fun one to make from a casting???? Smiley or from scratch if I had enough to go off of?
  

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"The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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oneatatime
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #4 - Jan 20th, 2019 at 5:59pm
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GT, it is a fun one to use, and very quick to operate. Jam your thumb in the front bow and the action opens, the case ejects and the hammer cocks. The firing pin is integral with the hammer requiring a slot in the block. That bit that is in the trigger guard with the trigger on it is the lower end of the breech block. It contains the trigger, the v main spring, and the hammer. The block comes a bit forward on closing like a high wall. If you were building one the best improvement would be to remove the recess in the top of the block for the hammer/firing pin and go to a solid block with a firing pin and a reshaped face on the hammer. The Comblain that was made for Brazil was "hammerless", at least the hammer had no spur and was enclosed.
  
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rodneys
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #5 - Jan 20th, 2019 at 9:03pm
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Freebird thanks for sharing the pics. Greg it is on my to do list, Bruce has offered to loan one to copy. There is at lest one long range one made by one of the British firms back in the day.
  
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #6 - Jan 20th, 2019 at 11:15pm
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Grin Grin
  

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk"  T. A. Edison
"The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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oneatatime
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #7 - Jan 21st, 2019 at 12:39am
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Freebird, what is marked above the crown on the left side of the action? Mine (the upper one) is marked AF which expert Jonathan Kirton informed me is for Auguste Francotte of Liege who made most of the 82's. He was also able to tell me to which village's Garde Civique the lower rifle was originally issued which turned out to be the home town of Belgian friends of mine. He also confirmed that the action of the upper rifle had belonged to Frank de Haas and was the one pictured in Single Shot Rifles and Actions.
  
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freebird
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #8 - Jan 21st, 2019 at 2:17am
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Oneatatime, mine has an S in a diamond. I have not yet tried to identify the maker.
Beautiful Converted Comblain by the way. It's a very fun gun to use.
  
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marlinguy
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Ballards may be weaker,
but they sure are neater!

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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #9 - Jan 21st, 2019 at 11:47am
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I had a beautiful little Belgian Comblain rook rifle in .380 Rook once. Very nicely made, and fun to shoot, except for the atrocious trigger pull. Must have been 8-9 lbs.!
It had deluxe wood, and fine cut checkering. Very dainty also, and maybe weighed 4.5 lbs.
  

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oneatatime
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #10 - Jan 21st, 2019 at 1:43pm
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Yes, Vall, since the trigger spring is also the mainspring you definitely know when you are pulling it. The mainspring is pretty strong also with a very short hammer fall. This link has a pic of the hammer at full cock: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) In a custom build the trigger pull might be lowered. Both of mine may have had some trigger work done. I would love to have one of the small action rifles. They're just cute! I also remember seeing a Comblain in Europe that had a bronze receiver. Freebird, this link has pics of a low numbered one like yours with the diamond S. It was also marked Francotte on its original barrel: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) This link shows the internals of the various models of the Comblain, large and small. Note how the entire works drop out by just removing the lever pin: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) And this one has more detail of the works and should be interesting to someone who wants to tackle building one: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) Does anyone have a cartridge headstamped W.R.A. Comblain? These were made by Winchester for Brazil.
  
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freebird
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #11 - Jan 22nd, 2019 at 9:22am
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Oneatatime, the S in a diamond is the mark of the "Syndicat Liégeois des Armes de Guerre" (Liege syndicate of military weapons), which included, among others, Auguste Francotte.
As my gun does not have the original barrel anymore, there is no way (that I found, yet) to determine which one of the syndicate member actually made this gun originally.
I'll keep digging.
  
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Bnelson
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #12 - Jan 22nd, 2019 at 1:49pm
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Here is a quick shot of three different actions.  The top one is a "Hammerless" Brazilian action.  Actually the hammer is just enclosed in a shroud.  The second one is the Belgian hammer version, and the bottom one is the smaller Rook rifle.   
Bruce
  
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #13 - Jan 22nd, 2019 at 2:06pm
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Bruce, I like the Rook!  What caliber is that in?
Greg
  

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk"  T. A. Edison
"The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right" M.T.
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Bnelson
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Re: Comblain "trade gun"
Reply #14 - Jan 22nd, 2019 at 2:50pm
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The rook is in 360-2 1/4, which is a common caliber and a great one.  Very similar in size to the 38-55 to look at.   
That is the action that Rodney has plans to copy.   
Bruce
  
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