Chapuis Armes create very high quality sporting firearms. Their side by side double rifles are particularly well known for their double hook locking system which enables a clean breech with no top extension to impede access for reloading.
Fast Facts
- Chapuis Armes are a French maker of quality sporting rifles and guns.
- Among Chapuis respected models are their side by side double rifles.
- One of these Chapuis side by side double rifles is for sale by Rock Island Auction at the time of publication. It is chambered for the 9.3x74R cartridge which is quite popular in Europe.
Chapuis Armes: a Potted History
In the late nineteenth century the Chapuis family were involved in the gunmaking trade of Saint-Bonnet-le-Château in France. One family member, Jean-Louis Chapuis, went out on his own and established his own workshop in 1936, in a barn located in his village.
The war years came and Jean-Louis found himself assigned to the National Arms Factory of Saint-Étienne (French: Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Saint-Étienne): but after the war he was able to properly begin making complete guns along with his sons. The business expanded and in that period had around five craftsmen.
In 1966 the company became “Les Établissements Chapuis” and in 1974 created the company’s signature double gun/rifle action with a double hook locking system: the advantage of this being that the locking lugs are all under the breech leaving the chambers free and easily accessible with no top extensions getting in the way of reloading.
There were structural changes to the company as it was transformed to become Chapuis Armes in 1985 under the leadership of René Chapuis.
By this stage Chapuis was making side by side and over/under shotguns, single shot rifles, bolt action rifles, and in 1990 equipped their factory with CNC machinery.
1994 saw the establishment of the Artisanal Workshop which produced the highest quality arms that Chapuis was to become famous for.
Four years later the expanding company created the Chapuis Shooting Arms Manufacture (MATCH) and brought the target shooting and handgun division of MANURHIN in Mulhouse.
The company continued to modernize its production facility in Saint-Bonnet-le-Château with a 3,000 sq. m. factory complete with an underground 100 meter test shooting range.
The company progressively worked to modernize and upgrade its manufacturing expertise which included the use of laser engraving technology, and the introduction of new firearm models, notably the S12 over/under shotgun in 2013 and the X4 side by side express shotgun in 2014. Then in 2019 Chapuis joined forces with the Beretta Group.
The Chapuis Side-by-Side Double Rifle
European double rifles chambered for the 9.3x74R cartridge tend to be light and fast handling, but need to be mounted properly to be comfortable when shooting.
The 9.3x74R is a brilliant cartridge and remains popular in Europe for such things as driven wild boar shoots where the action is fast and furious and arguably the best rifle for the job is one that handles like a shotgun.
The 9.3x74R is a rimmed cartridge that produces near identical ballistics to the 9.3×62 which is also popular in Europe.
Both cartridges are capable medium bores that are a tad less powerful than the 375 Holland & Holland Magnum.
So we might best describe a Chapuis double rifle in 9.3x74R as being a lot of gun in a comfortably lightweight package: easy to carry all day, but having a decent measure of authority to deal with the same sorts of game that a 375 H&H might be expected to.
As always, the hunter needs to do his/her part, and also make sure to use the right bullet for the job at hand.
Professional ivory hunter Wally Johnson carried two rifles; a 375 H&H Magnum, and a 9.3×62 Mauser and used both on a wide variety of game, including dangerous game.
A Chapuis double rifle in 9.3x74R is for sale on Rock Island Auction at time of publication.
The rifle was made in 2000 and is fitted with a Burris Euro Diamond 1-4×24 mm riflescope and a canvas sling.
The rifle features classic open sights with the rear sight mounted on a quarter rib and the front sight on a ramp.
There are those who think that a riflescope is a bit incongruous on a double rifle but I think it to be perfectly sensible, especially if the riflescope is mounted in quick detachable mounts as the Burris Euro Diamond on this rifle is.
In his book “African Rifles and Cartridges” John “Pondoro” Taylor says that his ideal rifle for the “one gun world wide hunter” would be a double rifle fitted with a fixed 2½x riflescope chambered for the 375 Holland and Holland Flanged cartridge.
The Chapuis on sale fits that specification rather closely.
The condition of the rifle is described by Rock Island Auction as follows:-
“Excellent overall, with nearly all of the original blue and casehardened finishes, minor handling evidence, and sharp checkering on the stock and forend. Mechanically excellent. The scope optics clear.“
If you click here you will find the sale page for this rifle.
To see Chapuis Armes website click here.
Picture credits: All pictures courtesy Rock Island Auction.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
