Darne Sliding Breech
- Category
- Shotgun
- Barrel
- 686 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.95 kg
- Introduced
- 1897
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Darne Sliding Breech is a French side-by-side double-barreled shotgun renowned for its distinctive fixed-barrel, sliding-breech action rather than the conventional break-open hinge. First patented in the 1890s and produced in Saint-Étienne, the design keeps the barrels rigidly fixed in the receiver; the shooter raises a tilt lever at the rear of the action and slides the breech block rearward to load and eject. This unusual mechanism is prized for fast reloading, light 'between-the-hands' handling, and consistent shot patterns, and the action is still built today on high-end bespoke shotguns and double rifles.
The Darne house was founded in Saint-Étienne in 1881 by Régis Darne, who patented the fixed-barrel sliding breech in the 1890s. The same firm also built thousands of Lewis aircraft machine guns for France during the First World War, but it is the elegant sliding-breech double gun that made the Darne name famous among shooters.
The sliding breech action also appeared on related French makers such as Charlin and Schmidt-Feres. Modern production spans 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 gauge and .410 across various grades.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Darne
- Category
- Shotgun
- Country
- France
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1897
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 686 mm
- Overall length
- 1120 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.95 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 3.05 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Break action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Double trigger
- Capacity
- 2
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Case hardened
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 400 m/s
- Effective range
- 40 m
- Maximum range
- 300 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Fixed barrels
Sliding breech block
Tilt lever locking
Automatic ejectors
Side by side barrels
Engraved action
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 622 12 Gauge shotguns | 2.95 kg | 3.29 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 570 12 Gauge shotguns | 1120 mm | 1150 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 650 12 Gauge shotguns | 686 mm | 711 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 647 12 Gauge shotguns | 2 | 3 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Darne Sliding Breech
How much does the Darne Sliding Breech weigh?
The Darne Sliding Breech weighs 2.95 kg (6.50 lb) empty and 3.05 kg (6.72 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Darne Sliding Breech?
The Darne Sliding Breech is chambered in 12 Gauge.
How many rounds does the Darne Sliding Breech hold?
The Darne Sliding Breech holds 2 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Darne Sliding Breech?
The Darne Sliding Breech is 1120 mm (44.1 in) long overall, with a 686 mm (27.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Darne Sliding Breech?
The Darne Sliding Breech is made by Darne (France). It was designed by Régis Darne.
When was the Darne Sliding Breech introduced?
The Darne Sliding Breech was introduced in 1897.
How does the Darne Sliding Breech operate?
The Darne Sliding Breech uses a break action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Civilian hunters and sport shooters
- France
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/darne-sliding-breech' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "darne-sliding-breech", "name": "Darne Sliding Breech", "manufacturer": { "id": "darne", "name": "Darne", "countryCode": "FR", "foundedYear": 1881, "website": "https://www.fusildarne.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "7d636c71a810ac9957e60cd8905447d57c0582f22e8ed5ee8b1df614c463e6fd" }, "category": { "id": "shotgun", "name": "Shotgun", "description": "Smoothbore firearms designed to fire shot or slugs" }, "country_of_origin": "FR", "year_introduced": 1897, "barrel_length_mm": 686, "weight_empty_g": 2950, "action_type": "break_action"}