I have a Sauer Sidelock similar to this. Mine was made for the American market & was sold through von Lengerke & Detmold, New York & is so marked atop the right barrel. On the left barrel is "the Knock-About gun". Sn is 87,934 which puts it around 1900 per the chart. Left lock plate is marked von Lengerke & Detmold / US agents New York while right plate is marked J P Sauer & Son / Maker & Patentee. The scroll pattern is smaller on my gun & this is a heavier gun @ about 7˝ lbs. Barrels are an even 30" indicating their American destination, generally speaking those made for the European market will be in metric lengths. It has a hole at 8" from the breech where a rear sight has been but is now missing. This gun had a leather covered pad as a cheek piece. The leather is torn & beneath it in the hollowed out stock is what appears to be cork.
It also has Krupp barrels & is chambered for 2 3/4" shells,. The face of the extractor carries a 70 mark. Barrels were assembled on the "Shoe Lump" method. It likewise does not carry smokeless powder proof.
My understanding on this is that smokeless proof became mandatory in Germany in 1912. Prior to this most makers did not submit their guns for the optional Nitro Proof. The problem was that German proof laws were applied the same way for Nitro as they were for black. That is if the proof load was a double charge of black a double charge of smokeless had to be used. Over loads of Nitro run pressures up way out of proportion to what they will with black so most makers would not submit them. Those who did usually specified the gun was built for a very light load so the proof would not be apt to damage it. The proof charges were re-written for 1912 to reflect desired pressures & Nitro-Proof became compulsory.
