The company was founded in 1885 by Pierre Blanchon and Etienne Mimard.
Their first activity seemed to be the production of cheap pin-fire revolvers.
Later on they produced some bizar revolver-types like the "Le Terrible"- revolver .32 with 16-rounds drum, a model "African" in 8 mm and 10-rounds drum, and the "Redoubtable" in 6 mm with two barrels und a double-row drum for 20 rounds.
Other, somewhow more normal, revolver followed, including the necessarily expected "Velo-Dog" as well as a palm-squeezer repeating pistol named "Le Gaulois".
After the turn of the century the company was not only busy in producing own hunting-guns but was also dealing with longguns and pistols types of the most wellknown companies on the European and US market like Browning, Colt, Mauser, Parabellum. Winchester etc.
Shortly before and during World War I the company started the production of a new designed automatic-pistol, the "Le Francaise", which carried much hope for the company but did not succed as much as expected by many people. Still the production of this series lasted until the late 1960ies.
Today the company is well known for their high quality sporting- and hunting guns, especially shotguns.