I had a chance to handle a new Essencia this past weekend. A friend received his after a year and change of waiting. Beautiful gun. Some very top notch craftsmanship. This particular gun was a special order 30" .410 with a single trigger and very trim beavertail, skeleton buttplate, great looking wood. I shot it at five targets and crushed them all. A really fine gun.
Chuck, They do appear to be pretty darn nice. I've often wondered why there doesn't seem to be a lot of hoopla out there about them. Maybe, it's because they cost $30,000 !! Krieghoff makes fine guns, for sure. I'm very fond of their competition guns, specifically the K-80. With all this in mind, do you think you might need one of those little .410-ers, maybe one with double triggers? Do the locks have intercepting safety sears? Gold plated internals? The one thing about them is they are a back action sidelock, and though I'm sure they are hell for stout, they aren't quite as pleasing to the eye as a bar action sidelock, at least for me. I wonder if they, or are they already making double rifles on that action??
If you like the way they are made, you can order a custom gun directly from the maker. A member of this board (NoDak Scotty) did and was very happy with the result. One example of their work:
Ziegenhahn und Sohn 
Buzz
The lockwork is all gold plated. I thought the same as you about the asthetics of the back action...until I saw this one in hand. It is really a beautiful little gun. Its built on their 28ga frame. But its tiny. The width of the frame at the hinge seems barely over an inch from memory.
I don't know if it has intercepting sears, but would imagine it does.
The gun was 5 lbs 14oz and felt slightly forward balanced which made for a easy to shoot gun.
I've always liked those Ziegenhahn back action guns. The case colors on a new gun can be a bit bright and gaudy, The guns just ooze class though. I'm a bit of an odd ball, I much prefer the look of back action guns to that of bar action. A more distinct classic look, strength, and shape of the action body.
This particular gun was ordered in a blued action finish with the baseline scroll engraving of about 1/3 - 1/2 coverage. It looks really nice. I would not object to a blued finish at all. It's such a small receiver that it comes off very well in blue.
I absolutely love the Essencia's looks and the back action design. Very very nice piece. Steve Barnett has a 20 ga.(
http://www.stevebarnettfineguns.com/asp-bin/Detail.asp?ID=8427) that I had a chance to handle last week and it is just superb.
JR
Blued action .410! I sure would like to see pictures of that one.
Bill,
I should have taken some pix. Unfortunately, I won't see that gun or the owner again until the dove openner in Yuma in September, as he has gone to his summer retreat. He said the action is the 28ga action, but it could not be more appropriate for the .410 as it is a tiny action. The 28ga fences on this frame must look like 10ga fences on a 00 Parker frame.
A 6lb 6oz is pretty heavy for a 20b....abOut same weight as an Englis 12b.
Buzz,
Being a bespoke gun, I'm sure you could specify a weight and they'll tell you if it's within their capability.
That 6 lb 6 oz wouldn't be bad for the last pigeon shoot I did at the pig farm or an Argentina shoot.
A 6-6 20 is just right for me. I shoot a Beretta Gallery SP II 20 ga. w/30" bbls. that weighs 6-4 and I shoot it about as well as any field gun I own, but I would actually like for it to weigh 3 or 4 oz. more.
I dislike a 12 ga. that weighs less than 7 lb. and any shotgun that weighs less than 6 lbs. Lightweight shotguns are highly overrated in my book.
JR
I have an Ithaca NID 20ga that's about 6 3/4 lbs and it's a favorite of mine, but I can do with something 1/2 lb lighter too.
My favorite .410's are around 6lbs even +/- an ounce or two.
Chuck, I believe that the Essencia or an identical gun made under the maker's name could be specified to have the breech balls brought into control to match the .410 barrels. Possibly, your friend's gun was made that way. If he doesn't like it, the balls can be trimmed and reengraved and barrels restruck to conform with a trimmer profile. Of course, it will never be suitable for a 28 gauge barrel set after the modification, but it will look like no other double gun.
Does anyone know if there is a Ziegenhahn dealer in the US currently importing their guns?
No - you need to contact them directly. They are not allowed to compete directly with Krieghoff over here because of the Essencia relationship. If you email Jens, he will respond. His English is not great, so he prefers to communicate by email (unless you can talk gun in German).
I sent an email to Ziegenhahn asking about their boxlock.
Chuck,if you want to know more about Ziegenhahn in English buy the issue Nr 17 (Waffenschmied) from the GGCA and you have the story.
The locks of the Essencia are based on the German Nimrod locks and are know for faultless fonction.
Marc.
I inquired about the availability of their round action boxlock, like you've pictured here, in .410 and provided some basic specs. I have no idea of cost and delivery for his guns. Do you have any information on that?
I inquired about the availability of their round action boxlock, like you've pictured here, in .410 and provided some basic specs. I have no idea of cost and delivery for his guns. Do you have any information on that?
I was quoted a 10-12 month delivery at a cost of 12k Euros ex works. That was for a 16 ga. in the case-colored version, there may be a premium for a .410 and for silver action version (which has a bit more shaping to it).
If you are interested in this, I would definitely suggest that you track down NoDak Scotty, as he went all the way through the process with Jens and can provide a lot more detail.
You can find some more information on this website - though the pricing information is a bit dated I believe
Heirloom
http://www.egun.de/market/item.php?id=4379193Chuck you never gona had better and nicer at this offer, maybe not what you are looking for because it is a 20 gauge but look at the quality bolino engraving and the wood.
Marc.
Marc,
That's a beautiful one. But from my count in my piggybank, I'm not close enought to that number. I'm looking at some other .410's
I've Emailed using the address on the Ziegenhahn website (info@ziegenhahn.de) a couple of times in the last month with no response. I guess I'll keep trying. I've looked at an Essencia but would sure like to know if I can get the same gun significantly cheaper directly from them. I'm in Germany for work usually once a year so could easily visit the factory and perhaps pick it up there if that's legal (I was able to do that in Spain a few years back but I don't know what German laws are).
gw - my first email to Jens got overlooked but he did respond to a later message. I don't know if he could make you an "Essencia" because of his relationship with Krieghoff but he can make you a bespoke gun. And if he makes you something that bears any resemblance to what Marc posted, you done good!
Check out NoDak Scotty's thread on the gun he had made in the DGJ German gun forum.
