Baucher Saint Etienne 9.3x74R double rifle

[Whit]

Afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

Greetings from sunny Italy. Just stumbled across a weird make of a double rifle... a Baucher Saint Etienne rifle. That's the only stamp. Digging around the internet ties in a reference to the French military manufacture arsenal 'MAS', but otherwise, no idea who makes this rifle, if they are even still in business, what kind of quality, etc... a bit of a mystery, thought you all might know.

Semper fi -

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

Greetings from sunny Italy. Just stumbled across a weird make of a double rifle... a Baucher Saint Etienne rifle. That's the only stamp. Digging around the internet ties in a reference to the French military manufacture arsenal 'MAS', but otherwise, no idea who makes this rifle, if they are even still in business, what kind of quality, etc... a bit of a mystery, thought you all might know.

Semper fi -

Good luck. I’m sure someone knows something about it

 

[VertigoBE]

Afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

Greetings from sunny Italy. Just stumbled across a weird make of a double rifle... a Baucher Saint Etienne rifle. That's the only stamp. Digging around the internet ties in a reference to the French military manufacture arsenal 'MAS', but otherwise, no idea who makes this rifle, if they are even still in business, what kind of quality, etc... a bit of a mystery, thought you all might know.

Semper fi -

Any pictures perhaps you could share? Of the rifle and the stamps?

 

[Whit]

Photo of the manufacturer/proof stamp coming later..

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Photo of the manufacturer/proof stamp coming later..

Looks really similar to this Gaucher

GAUCHER 9.3 x 74R DOUBLE RIFLE- REMAINS in EXC. COND.- QUICK DETACHABLE PIVOT MOUNTS- KAHLES 2.5 x 20 SCOPE- VERY NICE WOOD- 23 1/2" EXTRACT Bbls

GAUCHER 9.3 x 74R DOUBLE RIFLE- REMAINS in EXC. COND.- QUICK DETACHABLE PIVOT MOUNTS- KAHLES 2.5 x 20 SCOPE- VERY NICE WOOD- 23 1/2" EXTRACT Bbls for sale online.

www.gunsinternational.com

 

[Rubberhead]

Can't help so I shouldn't comment but it's a beauty. Wow.

 

[93marlin]

I have a double barrel shotgun made by the same manufacturer. Very good quality!
I'm not home right now, later today I can tell you what the MAS is the initials for.
Great looking rifle!

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Baucher, Gaucher, are you sure you didn't misread the G as a B?

 

[Whit]

No, it's Baucher. Confirmed - see photo.

 

[VertigoBE]

When @Wishfulthinker580 responded with a "Gaucher" rifle, I immediately wanted to jump into my pen and say that this must be an incorrect interpretation. Because "gaucher" means lefthanded in French. But apparently there really exists/existed a French rifle maker called Gaucher. You learn something everyday on this forum !

 

[Sika98k]

@VertigoBE , I had just added the word “ gaucher” to my French vocabulary recently. I was looking at a Gaucher carbin made by Dorleac&Dorleac. It has a left handed Mauser action made by FZH in Germany. Sweet !

 

[Pondoro]

I own and hunt with a Gaucher double rifle in 9,3x74R....it is very accurate to 100m using RWS factory ammo..

The action appears more massive than for instance a Chapuis..

 

[Pondoro]

 

[93marlin]

The MAS tie-in that is eluded to regards the company name: Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Ste. Etienne
They have made many French firearms including double rifles, double shotguns, military weapons, and started as a bicycle shop if my info is correct.
My 12ga double hammer gun was made by them. Solid gun, well built, good quality, While doing some research on it, I was able to see where they made double rifles under various trade names.

 

[GuttormG]

I have one, a nice little rifle.
So far it has shoot everything I feed it so close on the target that I havent bothered adjusting the scope.
Stock is a bit short for me, but that willl be fixed with a recoil pad

 

[GuttormG]

In its case, with facctory mounted swingmount and a SuB 1-4

 

[Whit]

The MAS tie-in that is eluded to regards the company name: Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Ste. Etienne
They have made many French firearms including double rifles, double shotguns, military weapons, and started as a bicycle shop if my info is correct.
My 12ga double hammer gun was made by them. Solid gun, well built, good quality, While doing some research on it, I was able to see where they made double rifles under various trade names.

Many thanks. This is interesting and helpful - and the mystery is solved!

 

[F. Vaccaro]

It’s a very nice looking rifle.