Album: Belgian Maker's Marks

SPECIAL THANKS TO: http://www.littlegun.be/arme%20belge/a%20a%20site%20belge%20gb.htm MARKS FOUND ON US MAKER'S DAMASCUS BARRELS - L.C. Smith: Bauduin Doyen, Heuse-Riga Fils & Jean-Baptiste Delcour-Dupont. Baker: Charles Spirlet, Joseph Joris & Arthur-Delvaux-Heuse. Lefever: Arthur-Delvaux-Heuse, Leon Leclercq, Jean-Baptiste Delcour-Dupont & George Laloux Fox: Jean-Baptiste Delcour-Dupont. Ithaca (Flues): Heuse-Riga Fils. Colt Patent Firearms Mfg. Co.: Plunger-Riga & Heuse-Riga Fils. Sears/A.J. Aubrey/Meriden: Jean-Baptiste Delcour-Dupont/Canons Delcour S.A., Lucient Clement, Heuse-Riga Fils, and Henri Pieper. NAMED PATTERNS USED BY REMINGTON: London (Stub Twist), Twist, Laminated, Boston N. (Horse-shoe pattern), Boston 2 S.J. (2 Iron Crolle), Oxford 2 & 4 S.J. (2 and 3 Iron Crolle in several different patterns), Chain J, Etoile 3. B.P., Legia P. (Herring-bone pattern), Washington N 3. B.P. ("Stars & Stripes" or "American Flag Bunting"), Chine P ('mottled'), Ohonon 6 S.T., and Pieper P. Remington damascus barrels with possible Belgian maker's marks include 'HP', frequently found on Oxford 4, likely Henri Pieper. Oxford patterns are used from the Model 1876 to the 1900 KED. An Etoile pattern 1894 Pigeon Trap has a fused 'JP', possibly the mark of J. Pire & Cie, a large munitions firm established in Liege in 1885 The significance of 'S.J.' (Boston 2 and Oxford 2 & 4) is uncertain, but could be Simonis-Janssen. Albert Simonis, J. Janssen & Dumoulin Fils was established in 1883 and used the mark 'S.J.& D.' Neumann Freres, Janssen fils & Cie, and F. Dumoulin & Cie formed Syndicat des Pieces Interchangables in 1898. The meaning of 'B.P.' (Washington N and Etoile) is unclear. MAKER'S MARKS - CROWNED 'HL' and cursive 'HL' - E. Heuse-Lemoine. Claude Gaier's "Four Centuries of Liege Gunmaking" sheds some light on the connection between US and Belgian firms. Ernest Heuse-Lemoine (1834-1926) from Nessonvaux was a major force in the Vesdre Valley for barrel making. He maintained agents in London, Birmingham, and New York and his firm supplied the Belgian royal court. Every 3 years he would travel aboard and upon his return, would be met by a band in celebration because he always came back with more work orders than his own firm could handle. He would then distribute some of the work to smaller barrel makers in the Vesdre. Gaier states that Heuse-Lemoine supplied damascus barrels for at least 50 years to US makers, and that he invented the names of "Boston" and "Washington" damascus especially for the American market. FLYING SNIPE in an oval, 'HP', 'Crowned HP', 'Crowned P', Intertwined 'EP', or 'EK' with antlers - Henri Pieper c. 1894 Supplied "Finest Damascus" for Remington Model 1894 EE Grade guns and "Oxford 4 S.J." barrels have been identified with 'HP' marks. Henri Pieper received a patent for "Pieper' S Compressed Steel" on December 29, 1897. Anciens Etablissements Pieper, often known simply as 'AEP', succeeded Etablissements Pieper, itself a successor to Henri Pieper & Companie, in 1905. At the time, premises were being occupied at 24 rue des Bayards in Liege, with a barrel making factory in nearby Nessonvaux. In 1907 a new factory was opened in Herstallez-Liege and the operations were consolidated. Pieper & Bayard used a 'Knight on Horseback' trademark. CROWNED 'FD' in a diamond - Ferdinand Drissen. CROWNED 'D' - Jean-Baptiste Delcour-Dupont of Nessonvaux. Found on damascus Smith and Lefever guns. Delcour-Dupont became Canons Delcour S.A. and 'CD' has been found on A.J. Aubrey guns. Jean-Baptiste was the father of Lucien Delcour and had been a manager for Pieper & Cie before opening his own shop specializing in Damascus barrels. 'BD'- possibly the mark of Bauduin Doyen, a Nessonvaux damascus barrel and gun maker. Found on several Smith guns. 'GDH'- Gilles Delcour Herket de Fraipont. 'P' - Jules Pirard-Ancion de Foret. 'CC' - Lucient Clement, also shows marks as 'CC AA' & 'CC LC'. On some guns made for Sears. 'JP' fused - J. Pire & Cie, on an "Etoile" pattern Remington Model 1894 Pigeon Trap. 'J' superimposed on a 'D'- Jean Duchateau. 'J.L.', usually on the wings of a ladybug, was one trademark for Joseph Janssen. Jean Lejeune of Nessonvaux known to supply 'Oxford Superfine' and 'Boston' damascus. 'LD'- Dumoulin-Lambinon (1860-1879) or L. Drion? CROWNED 'GL' in an oval - George Laloux - common on Lefevers with serial numbers 2XXXX range. Bee with G L on wings after about 1910. 'JJ' in an oval, two letters one with the top of the other and being separated from a horizontal bar and Crowned 'JJ'. Joseph Joiris of Nessonvaux. On a Twist Baker Gun & Forging and Damascus R grade. 'H.R.F.' - Heuse-Riga Fils Ithaca Flues and Meriden Fire Arms Co./Sears. 'ADH' and a diamond - Arthur-Delvaux-Heuse de Fraipont. On Lefever, Baker (Twist BG&F and Damascus Batavia), and Syracuse Arms. 'HB' - Heuse-Bovy? CROWNED 'SC' - possibly Charles Spirlet, who also used a Crown over 'CS' and Crown over 'S'. On a Baker. 'L&T', 'TAT', 'TT&C' - Theate-Lambin.

STEEL BARRELS 'LLH' - Laurent Lochet-Habran- Smith, Lefever, Fox & Ithaca (esp. the Lefever Nitro Special) Smith hammer guns have been identified marked both London Steel and LLH. A Baker Standard grade has both 'ACL' & 'LLH' and is marked "Nitro Rolled Steel." A Folsom Baker is marked "Fluid Temper Steel." THREE LOBED CROWN over 'D' - Jean Delcour-Dupont and Canons Delcour S.A. (barrel makers) Likely the source of steel brls so marked on L.C. Smith, Fox, and Ithaca Lefever Nitro Special A-grades. Canons Delcour S.A. was registered in 1921, and remained in business until 1968. Canons Delcour also used a 'Crowned DDN in an oval' and 'Acier Securitas' 'LB' in an oval lying - Lambert & Bruyninck. 'L' under a five point star - Manufacture d'arms Lepage (c. 1790-1918) Primarily a manufacturer of revolvers, rifles, and later, automatic pistols. SYNDICAT LIEGOIS POUR LA FABRICATION DES ARMES DE GUERRE, The Liege Trade Union of Gun makers. Its members were: Jules Ancion and Co., Laloux and Co., Auguste Francotte, and Pirlot & Fresart. "Deposit on March 31, 1884 the logos of 'SL', 'SL' in an oval, 'Sl' in an oval, 'S' in a rhombus, 'S' in an oval, 'S' in a square." 'ACL' - Acier Cockerill Liege Cockerill Sambre was the major Belgian steel maker, equivalent to Krupp or Vickers. "Seraing is in Liège province, Wallonia region, eastern Belgium. It lies along the Meuse River, 6 miles upstream from Liège. Seraing is a historic hub of Belgium's iron, steel, and machine-building industries. In 1817 the English industrialist John Cockerill (1790-1840) founded in Seraing what was to become one of the largest ironmaking and machinery complexes in Europe, Cockerill-Sambre, and was the first to use the Bessemer process in steel production (1863)." Acier Universel was the trademark for John Cockerill S.A. Acier Cockerill was the trade mark of Cockerill of Ougree-Liege. The Manufacture d Armes à Feu liégeoise used this steel almost exclusively. Some Browning patent Fabrique-Nationale-Herstal very early versions of the A5 shipped to the U.S. between 1903 and 1909 are marked Cockerill Steel. 'ACN' - Neuprez Freres. 'ACM' in a circle, Acier special between two ovals containing a Crown over ML, Acier Universel Cock-erill, and Acier Excelsior - Manufacture Liégeoise d’armes a Feu. 'CAP' and 'Acier Comprime' - Joseph Cap. Compressed Steel, Acier Special, Hammered fluid steel with 'C.J.C.J' or 'C.C.C.L.', Acier Fondu, Acier etoile, Acier Liegeois extra fin - Charles Clement et L. Neumann Freres. 'Crowned JF' - Jean Falla 1931-1953. Also on Antoine Cordy guns.