doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Double Rifles, Paradox Guns & Gauge Rifles @ doublegunshop.com An unusual 24ga W. Collath Double Rifle

Just an hour ago, an awaited and cherished new guest arrived here at home, comfortably expedited from Franconia (no, not Frankonia ;-)):
A Drilling from the incipit of the last century, built possibly after 1912, but likely in the first two decades of the 20th century I would guess; the proof specialists will however be able to date it with more precision. It bears already the more modern calibre designation ("6,3 mm" over "52"), has the standard bullet weight stamped ("K.m.G. 7 gr"), but not the (optional) charge weight.

Mince, elegant, beautifully handling (while some older Drillinge can double as a battle mace), perfectly fitting my build and pointing well, both with the shotgun barrels and with the open rifle sights.

But the most unusual thing, for which I mostly bought it, was its stylish calibre combition: two shotgun barrels in 24 gauge (!) and a rifle barrel in 6,5x52R (the continental brother of the .25-35, with a somewhat milder CIP pressure limit).
All three barrels were nitro proofed in Suhl, but no visible date, nor a ledger ("Beschussbuch") number.

Double under-barrel lugs and Doll's head, locking and cocking activated by a Roux type lever under the trigger guard. Rifled barrel of course with a set trigger.

Quite a beauty, and in this configuration possibly rarer than most Collaths. 😋☺️😂

Carcano

Sounds beautiful. Share pictures if you can.

I shall, preliminarily, share the now past and closed eGun auction with its pics.
Since Ted Schiefelbein had (indirectly) let me know in another thread that linking to an auction is not anathema here - thank you !

https://www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=20130926

Carcano

That is a true beauty. Will be looking forward to its continuing story.

I agree, that’s a beautiful gun. I look forward to hearing more about it.

One - maybe slightly meandering - consideration of mine. More tentative yet, than pontificating... ;-)

The Drilling in its classical and popular configuration was and is often touted as the "universal one-stop hunting weapon", with its shot barrels suited for all kinds of small game on feet or wings (an approximation only for the characteristic German term "Niederwild", which includes roe deer, but excludes capercaillie, eagle, and even the smallest piglets), and the rifle barrel for "Hochwild" (cannot be translated as big game).
The typical "Försterdrillling" in 16/65-16/65 (at times also 12/65) and 9,3x72R or 9,3x82R was considered the affordable and universally useful gun, more modern in its - tempi passati - "small-bore, flat-shooting rifle round" (ha-hah) than the older English-influenced straight express cases such as 11,15x65R and all so-called "Lancasterpatronen".

The double rifle Drilling would be considered a specialized and expensive weapon of discerning choice for the "Hochwildjäger" (today, nigh 100 % of all German hunters are by necessity Hochwildjäger now, since wild boars are nearly omnipresent), or for the African hunter. Still today, a few affluent hunters tote a DBD at driven game hunts, in the way of a double rifle.
Bockbüchsdrillinge are near extinct, since the small barrel's purpose today is nearly always fulfilled by inserts in one shot barrel.

(Vierlinge are a toy - an expensive toy for adult boys. You have it, fondle it, brag around and show off, but you do not really hunt with it)

What we have *here* in my auction link, however, would appear to be an unusual purpose - a "Niederwilddrilling":
Elegant, still reasonably lightweight, not meant for larger game. Shotgun size best for stylish woodcock. ;-)
Rifle barrel to be used for fox, badger, roe deer. A hundred years ago for capercaillie (as still today in Scandinavia and Finland).

Carcano

Carcano,
Can you ID the actual maker of your drilling? I am asking because I have a top lever drilling (also made "for the trade") in 16x16/ 8x57R-360 (rechambered from 65mm to 70mm and reproofed in 1969 in Ulm) that has the same unusual, shaped escutcheon on the right side of the safety. I am wondering if they were both from the same maker.
Mike

I tried, and so far I failed, alas. ;-)
I would have guessed ESHA (Schmidt & Habermann), but the only thing I can see are the initials of the presumable mechanic (tube knitter, Rohrschlosser), namely R.M.

Carcano,
Oh well, Thanks any way for trying.
Mike

Dear Mike Ford,
you sound a bit disappointed. And so was I. My gun is conspicuously devoid of any ciphers, trademarks or texts that could be indicative of the actual (whole or parts) producer. The overall design is what we sometimes find called a "Suhler Einheitsdrillling", although the moniker is a bit misleading ("Einheits....", in German, connotates a given and imposed standard). Also, its locking system (two wedges into the respective barel underlugs, activated with a underlever) is widely called "Roux" in Germany, but old Henri Roux had almost nothing to do with it. I have just learned that the patent for this configuration allegedly went to Purdey already around 1863.

However, you have already indicated that the hint to the manufacturer (or parts deliverer) might frequently be some minute details in the configuration of specific parts, because parts and almost-finished guns were frequently made for the trade by only a few big players. ESHA (Schmidt & Habermann) was one of them.

Now let's look at the other Big Cat, namely at Jacob Römer's "Römerwerk[e]". He changed the spelling of his last name and became Röhmer (with the Röhmerwerk) at some point. The company details have been tentatively (but not really in-depth archivally) researched and hav ebeen partially documented in the "Germanhuntingguns" website, founded by Dieter Apel, rebuilt and mainted by Larry Schuknecht.

And indeed, a quick net.search just provided found pictures of one gun with this selfsame very peculiar escutcheon on the right side of the stock near the grip, in its characteristic claw-like or beak-like configuration. Maybe this is the "Eureka" moment ? ;-)
Here is the link to some pictures (the asking price is about one thousand € too high, by German standards, but that is typical for Buchmiller):

https://www.progun.de/haendlershop~gebu-waffenhandel_georg_buchmiller/filter/ac9195x6_roemerwerke_suhl_drilling_graviert_-_16-65_u_8x57ir.html

Regards,
Carcano