value of shotgun

Question
I have a 16 ga double barrel shotgun . French made ,markings - national de arms,chatellerault, acier special, 21/2 in chamber,nickel chrome barrels, pretty good condition. I'm trying to sell it and have no idea of its value and can't find much about it. My ffl hasn't found anything on it , not in his book. Can you help me out?

Answer
Hello Steve. The English interpretation of your shotgun markings is "National Weapons Manufactory of Chatellerault". The word "acier" is French for "steel". The Chatellerault Arsenal was established as a military weapons manufacturer in 1819 with the manufacture of swords. In 1822, it began manufacturing military firearms. The factory continued manufacturing firearms up to 1968. I do not know when they changed manufacture of military weapons to commercial firearms, but since your shotgun has nickle chrome barrels it would have been manufactured after 1900. The chambers being only 2 1/2", can put it's manufacture anywhere between early 1900's and 1968, since many European countries used the 2 1/2" shotshell for shooting game birds. I cannot appraise it with the limited information I have been able to find, but I would consider it a very well made piece. You might try some of the double-gun web sites for comparison pricing. I hope this helps and thank you for asking for me. Charles Gage