doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com Hammer Drilling with Lefaucheux forend from 1937?

I was looking with interest at an unnamed hammer Drilling last weekend.
Its chambers were 16g, and 6.5x58R with a recommendation for an 8.2gram copper-jacketed bullet on the rifle barrel but no charge weight. Unfortunately (inexplicably?) the 6.5x58R is not an officially obsolete cartridge in the UK.
The engraving was comprehensive and attractive, in a style seemingly influenced by the Art Nouveau movement.
I was surprised, however, to see a proof date of "5.37". Were German makers really producing hammer/Lefaucheux guns that late, or was this an older gun (pre.1890) that had dodged the proof house for several decades?
Regrettably, I couldn't make out a mark that would let me identify where it was proofed.
[img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/fhxke4i4dpffbah/Action%20RH%20side%2001a.jpg?dl=0[/img]
[img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/4erg7atxydtqft0/Proof%20marks.jpg?dl=0[/img]

Zella - Mehlis in 1937. Now considering the platform, all the chicken scratching, etc. I was hazard a guess that it was an early, possibly pre-1893, longarm and the platform was alterered in some way and passed thru the Z-M Proof Facility in the late 1930s. But then again, times were most difficult & these components that compose the platform may have been al the mechanic had on hand. I would like to see the marks in person.


Serbus,

Raimey
rse

I could not find a repair proof, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. It is possible that it was new in 1937, but unlikely. You could have a similar gun made today, if you want one badly enough. I agree with Raimey that a close "hands on" inspection of the markings might reveal something. I'm sure you will find that the bullet is 8.2 grams rather than 82 grams.
Mike

Those pesky decimal points!
(Original post duly amended)

Many thanks for your most helpful reply. Could you explain what "chicken scratching" is, please?

JulesW,
It is also sometimes confusing because instead of a decimal point, they usually used a comma.
Mike

Thanks. The gun does have a replacement hammer on the left-hand lock. Is it possible that when it was taken to a gun maker to have this fitted, was found to be un-proofed, and duly sent to the proof house? I imagine re-proof would not have been required on an already-proofed gun, but perhaps that was the point where legislation caught up with this one?

Regarding the >>Chicken Scratching<<, just a reference to all the overstamps?, errand marks?, scratches, maybe blurred foto, all that prevent one from seeing just what has occurred. The Chaos is akin to a Mother Chicken scratching the ground in an adhoc fashion trying to teach her bitties to hunt for food. Just a lot of noise & such that obscures what the marks actually are...

That lower >>J<< is more than likely for a Jäger mechanic.

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

It could be that the custodian wanted the >>Nitro<< Stamp, but outside of that I am just not sure unless there was some alteration on the platform. Possibly a whole new tubeset was added replacing the pattern welded tubes with which it was originally equipped. But an image of the water-table just might shed some light.

Serbus,


Raimey
rse

Thanks, I wish it were a better photo. Believe it or not, this de-saturated, slightly-sharpened and contrast-boosted version is a lot more readable than the original.