Jean Marck No2 Demi-Tier

[AirSupply]

This is an oldie probably made around 1900 plus or minus 20 years. It was made in Belgium by Jean Marck a family business.
It’s gem type which where very common in that period. The Demi-Tier which I think translates to half shot was a target special, featuring adjustable sights and the target stock.

Gems were sized 1 to 5 and got bigger and more powerful as you go up in numbers. This is a number 2, quite small and all Demi-Tier’s were .177

The gun was found by a dealer who thought he was receiving only Belgium shotguns from the same period from a deceased estate.

It would have been used for indoor shooting shooting competitions and Bell target.
It’s a lovely little gun to shoot and accurate!

 

[MDriskill]

Wow that's gorgeous! Even by the standards of those days, that's some high-end workmanship, I don't think I've ever see a "Gem" that looked so solid and refined. The buttplate and sights are little stand-alone sculptures.

Just curious - what kind of velocity does it get?

 

[Bear-of-Grayling]

Absolutely stunning. Little gem to say the least. Thank you for sharing.

 

[AirSupply]

Hi Mike. It really is a pretty little gun. The t-bar breech lock also has some nice details. You can open from the back of the T or push down on the front piece to open the breach. It pivots and is spring loaded. The front has a slight scallop shape for your thumb.

 

[AirSupply]

I’m keen to check the velocity but haven’t yet. I’ll have some time tomorrow.
You can see why the front sight has the protective wings! It’s tiny. I’m amazed it has survived for at least 100 years.

 

[cjtamu]

I have no words. Was going to say, “stunning” but BoG beat me to it

 

[beerthief]

jaw drop to floor ,no sound emitted .

 

[Chuck-in-Ohio]

The hand fitting that must have went into that rifle........ wow.

Picturing a fellow peering through some sort of magnifying apparatus , a Swiss jewelers file in hand, giving a final stroke or two as he fits the sight to its dovetail......

The fit up of the stock to the tail piece probably took an hour.

Thanks for sharing the photos of a real piece of history!

 

[maxtrouble]

Hubba Hubba - Looks like she is ready to shoot.

 

[specie]

Exquisite little gun! Considerable germanic influence in the stock? "Acier" means steel, but "Fine"? You sure do find the great stuff: still mooning over your Anschutz 220!

 

[AirSupply]

This is the Jean Marck catalog (Thank you to the Vintage Airgun Gallery) With the description in Belgian/French. Fine translates as the same as the English word Fine.

 

[KWK]

That's a perty lil Gem. Wanted one for a long time but never bought one. A fellow eBagged one last week for a princely sum. I think I read the first Gems were made by Quackenbush. I'll try n find that. I believe a British publication. Press Reader? Maybe
Where's the nickel plating? Many were plated. Can you imagine one in #3? Loooopy!

 

[AirSupply]

Quackenbush bought the patent from Benjamin Haviland and George Gunn and then went on to produce the No 5. He sold rights to produce the gem to many manufacturers and most were plated. No 5’s are nickel plated.
In the description above from the catalog it states the Demi-Tier is blued. It didn’t translate from google directly as that but close.
I did write the translation down somewhere I post it later on. Cheers

 

[badger5th]

Just lovely. Has a similar aesthetic to a 1914 Stevens single shot 22LR I owned once.