I have been intriqued by Darnes since I was a kid and am probably going to scratch that itch. Have you had or do you have one? What are your experiences?

I share your interest in Darne shotguns, and have been looking at them for quite a while. I missed the boat and they are quite expensive now, plus there are many different models and you have to be "in the know" to figure out which one to get. They are light, but many models have the English stock whereas I like a pistol grip stock. One of our members lives in France and he might be able to guide you and give you some insight as to prices.
Peter.

I have never had the opportunity to shoot one, but every time I see a Darne I pick it up and look it over. Interesting guns. The one thing I have noticed, and this is with an unloaded gun, is that you can really feel the weight of the action sitting up high. It is a little off-putting, and I would think it would be even more pronounced when loaded.

Not sure if you would notice it in the field, just my one and only observation about the Darne.

Well, I decided to indulge my curiosity, and found a 16-gauge for a price I could not pass up.

The Darne arrived and I took the Darne thing out chasing preserve birds (a.k.a. plastic pheasant) last Saturday. What is unusual about the gun is that it is the first Darne that I have seen with a blued receiver that does not appear to have been refinished. I shot at two chukar and one pheasant, killed one chukar and winged the pheasant, which the dog found for me. Not bad considering they were the first shots I have fired from the gun. The gun weighs just under 6 pounds, and is easy to carry. It has a straight stock, unlike most Darnes, which have what is to my eye the ugliest excuse for a Prince of Wales grip ever seen on a gun. The safety is definitely different being a small tab on the left side of the receiver, but it is easier to disengage than a darn Greener safety. The jury is still out on whether this one will stay or go after I have fully scratched my Darne itch.

Would love to buy a Darne. Was in France and saw a wonderful V19 in 16ga...fit like a glove. But getting one from France to thr US appears to be a nightmare. So will have to keep looking here.

I lusted after them since I saw a 28 gauge in Gun Digest while in college. Looked at a bunch but never pulled the trigger, so to speak. My biggest problem seemed to be that no matter what the length of pull, they didn't seem long enough. After 30 years, I thought I had found a really plain 16 ga at Kittery Trading post. It turned out to be a Charlin (now we are really talking scarce). I bought it on the spot. Turns out they have something the Darne doesn't. They have ball bearing races on the sliding breechblock. One of the smoothest and easy running guns I have ever seen. If you can find one, give it a look.

Kittery Trading Post....love that shop!

Dave, so glad you got to scratch that itch. I saw one in a former lifetime at an Abercrombie and Fitch store. Fascinating design.