Rarely do I find prewar round top Sauer dual sear, ejector guns for sale anymore, so I bought this one even though it was a 7.5lbs 30in barreled beast of a gun. Looks like case colors are original but wood and barrels look like they were refinished years ago. All the screws are great and nice to have original butt plate. Found a listing with same gun but 20ga they called it a grade 30 VL&D.
What model or grade do you fellows think I have?

Can’t help you on the grade but that gun is enough to make me rethink my self imposed ban on buying 7 pound plus 12 gauge. Nicely done!

Thanks. I didn’t expect to have a duck gun like this but wow, I’m sending the DM Lefever down the road for someone else to enjoy hell I already have the bismuth loaded up for this one! Its choked .042 .042!
Pics didn’t do wood justice.

Looks very close in dimensions and chokes to my big Lindner Daly. Damn fine duck guns.

A very nice gun.

The filing of the action body is very similar to the Greener Facile Princeps action, although I see the front of the floor plate is squared off whilst the FP would have a rounded front end.

Does it have Anson and Deeley styled cocking levers or is there a central cocking arrangement?

S&Sohn Model XIV E. Very nice find as few round tops are found with the late date- I have a very similar one , a heavy , long , tightly choked waterfowl or pigeon weight gun, but cataloged by V,L&D as a model 280E , corresponds to a S&Sohn mo. XVII ( 1926 man ), but Not a round top action.
The XIV did not come with the 3-ring “ Spezial “ steel barrels as the XVII model did. V, L&D did catalogue a mo 240 that might have come with the lower grade barrels , but these would normally come with extractors rather than ejectors as your gun has .Might have been a special order for an early round top action and fitted with the lower grade barrels with ejectors to expedite ??
Looks to be in very nice condition, wonderful find . I prefer the looks of the round tops, but no difference in performance. Mine has smote a fair number of green heads the last couple of years!

Best Regards,
JBP

Let us know what Abercrombie and Fitch says about this great gun.

Bob Beach still has access to the records but G&H no longer provide a service of purchasing photo copies of sales books.
Mr. Beach kindly sent me some images of the record entries for my last 1929 mo 300e ( round top) I picked up this Spring.
His email is:
Beach@griffinhowe.com

Best Regards,
JBP

Please excuse my ignorance but what is a Sauer “round top”. I haven’t heard that expression before.

The detonators extend over the top of the breech ( kind of like a reinforced Webley and Scott action) on the left example, and on a “ round top” action, the barrel profiles blend seamlessly into the top of the receiver ( gun on right) , like the lines on a Prussian Daly ( as I’m sure you are familiar with 😊)
Best Regards,
JBP

Non ( later production) round top:

Thanks, JBP. I sent Mr. Beach an email. Thought it was possibly a special order? Pretty excited since it fits!

Perfect. Thank you. Especially the pics. Makes it dead obvious. I figured it was something like that. Much prefer the aesthetics of the round top.

This would be my round top Sauer sidelock. I have noticed that compared to many other guns, the top is very rounded.

Some nice wood you got there James! That’s going to be awesome.

Unfortunately Mr Beach has retired. Still working on letter from G&H though

Thanks. Really looking forward to its rehab completion.

Anyone know what this number represents? I found another VL&D Sauer with same date and number in .410 gun looks very similar except missing overhead sears. It was a model 180?

I am not sure but the area is used as a palette for mechanics' marks & sometimes modell numbers. I would hasten to wager it is some process mark or liability mark??

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

My 1927-28 VL&D catalog came in today, gun pic and description is dead ringer for 280 except it came with Krupp special vs this guns Krupp Essen. It’s a 280 next one down was 180 total different gun.

i thought of this thread when i happened to pick up doublegun journal 2010 - #3, and reread jack rowe's article "how to identify & describe fences"; wherein, he identifies four basic shapes of fences.

plain ball, long and short
cutaway
ball and bead
ball, bead and cutaway

article is on page 131 if you're so inclined.

best regards,
tom

Will do. Thanks Tom

my pleasure, sir....also noticed that you had beaten me to the draw on the impressive old 10 gauge gun....from "chicago".

ain't this stuff fascinating?

b. r.
tom

Yes and that 10 was probably what Raimey calls a gestik ( I probably spelled wrong) where the gunmaker bought a kit from SD&G and finished it their way. But if that gun would have been a 16ga I would have paid the asking price, its beautiful!

Please let us know the weight of the gun when received. It looked to be a rather heavy bugger.
Very attractive, but massive by the appearance of the barrel walls.
Best Regards,
JBP

Oh I didn’t buy it. I posted about it in September and let them know in other thread. I don’t like heavy guns. The xive Sauer is too heavy at 7.5lbs for me. I waterfowl hunted with Spanish 10ga sxs for decade or so almost 13lbs, not now I’m 53 and out of shape. No thanks

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=621289#Post621289

JBP your 300e (saw in hunting pics) deserves its own thread here. Wow post some pics that is a very special German made gun!

A few photos of the 300E as requested:













Best Regards,
JBP

Sold to Z.C.Patten in 1929 from the V,L&D records sent to by Bob Beach ( Griffin& Howe)

Original sales ledger entries from 1929 sale to Mr.Patten

Absolutely gorgeous Sauer! I like this one over the game scene engraved guns, it just looks more refined in my opinion. Super nice to have its provenance as well. Congratulations!