doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com Pre-war Heym 7mm Mauser sporting rifle

Looking for info. regarding date of manufacture.
Heym 7mm Mauser sporting rifle serial # 5817 AH. The rifle is in superb condition including the bore. Weight is approx. 7 lbs. Barrel is 21 15/16 " long from the front of receiver ring. Overall length is 43 1/8" . Lyman 48 receiver sight on military action with thumb cutout and magazine charging slot. Steel grip cap and metal engraved/checkered butt plate with trap door. Silver shield in stock, finely checkered pistol grip and forearm, small schnabel forend, barrel mounted sling swivel up front. 5817 AH stamped on Krupp marked barrel and receiver ring. Serial # 5817 is written in barrel channel. (Not sure how to post photos..?)
Thanks in advance for the help.

Regards,
Joe V.

Joe,
When you learn to post photos,be sure to photograph the proof marks,usually under the barrel.
Mike

Apart from the proofmarks under the barrel, please post also photos of the "Heym" inscription. The proofmarks will show us the date or, at least, if before 1912. Over the years, no less then 60 gunmakers named "Heym" were active in Suhl, Friedrich Wilhelm, the predecessor of the today "Heym" company in Gleichamberg being only one of them. The AH-suffix serial number rather points to another Heym, maybe August (2), Albert, Adolf (3), or another.

Here are some photos of Joe's rifle:

Axel may correct me, but my initial impression is that this FW Heym was made between the end of WW2 and the time they moved to Munnerstadt.The "made in Germany", and lack of proofs indicate manufacture for American market,before the proof houses reopened.As always, I may be sadly mistaken.
Mike

Talking about pre-war Heym rifles by Adolph and/or August Heym

From Mike Petrov -

** Friedrich Wilhelm Heym **

This company was founded in 1865 by Friedrich Wilhelm Heym in Suhl, Germany, who specialized in made-to-order higher grade guns. The Heym family had been involved in gunmaking from before 1750. In 1912 the business was taken over by F.W. Heym�s son Adolph and in 1920 the business was passed from Adolph hands to his son August. August Heym was a master engraver as well as a good friend of American custom gunmaker Robert G. (Bob) Owen. Bob and August kept up their friendship via letters and on a least four occasions Bob visited August in Germany. Bob Owen Jr. still remembers the letters from August Heym as being signed Best Loves, Augie.� I believe that some of the parts found on Owen sporters like the hinged floorplate were made in Heyms factory. I have seen several Owen guns, both shotguns and rifles, that I believe were engraved by August Heym. Some are signed with Heym�s name, others are not. At the close of WWII August Heym was imprisoned and tortured by the communists. Within a few days of his release he, along with his family, escaped to the Western Zone, and was followed by a few workers from his old factory in Suhl. August started a new company in Ostheim, Bavaria then followed a move to Muennerstadt, Bavaria. Heym produced air-guns, in West Germany until 1952 when he received permission to restart firearms production. Five years later the town built Heym a factory. Rolf Heym, August�s son took over the business in 1963. In 1996 the company moved to Glecichamberg, Germany, twenty kilometers from the original factory in Suhl.

This gun is very similar to another custom Springfield rifle with serial 5858 AH - same sights, etc. but extensively engraved.

From my limited research - but I still don't have approximate year of manufacture ?
Regards,
Joe V.

Here are two more photos which somehow failed to print with the others:

That is such a nice rifle! Love the lines. I pretty much detest butter knife bolt handles but that one is so well made and fits in so well with the rest of the rifle that I could make room for one!

Thanks to XAUSA for help with photos...

Joe V.

I am certainly no expert but have a feeling that this very nice rifle might be from the 1920s.

With kind regards,
Jani