Recently I was fortunate enough to come into possession of a drilling, the action of which I was only vaguely familiar with. Since then, I have been engaged in a sort of research project, the results of which I would like to share. The calibers are 16/65-16/65-9.3X72R. It is equipped with a Hertel&Reuss 4x36 scope in claw mounts.


First, I would like to show photos of the actual purchase I made:













Then I offer the results of an email exchange with Dietrich Apel, whose grandfather Franz Jäger, invented the action and actually manufactured the drilling, under the trade name "Herold". Dieter also revealed that the underlugs in question are "chopper lumps", which means that they were an integral part of the barrel blank when it emerged from the forging process. This is the most expensive and strongest method of uniting barrel and underlug.

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This represents my effort at rendering Dietrich's advertisement into English.

"THE SIMSON-JÄGER ACTION

Jäger’s Patent

　

　

The break action with top lever has been universally accepted as the ideal action for hunting guns as a result of its ease of operation, although the actions in use up until now often shoot loose as a result of heavy use. Since smokeless cartridges have gained use more and more this fact has repeatedly been referred to by experts and in technical publications.

The chief reason for such looseness is to be found the arrangement of the hinge portion of the action. Since the actions which have been used to date have an underlug which is located between the two barrels, when the gun is fired from either barrel a lateral pull or leverage is exerted on the underlug, which with frequent use must lead to loosening of the action.

For this reason there has been a good deal of effort spent by experts to reduce this weakness by the use of additional elements to the locking system, but these efforts create a situation where the mechanism is made more complicated without completely eliminating the problem. Such improvements are particularly to be avoided where in addition they cause a weakening of the receiver.

The Simson-Jäger action on the other hand represents a strengthening and simplifying of the action in every sense. The receiver is equipped with two pivots which constitute a solid integral part of it, as opposed to the removable hinge pins used by other actions. The barrels are built with two lateral underlugs, between which the receiver is fitted, and these two underlugs are so arranged that each is directly under the center of the bore of its respective barrel. Be these means the sideways leverage created by the firing of the respective barrels is completely eliminated. The most critical points of the action are the hinge and the angle of the receiver. No other action is remotely as strong in these points as ours.

The locking of the action can be one of a number of options, but on the basis of thorough research and experience the well known and proven Greener cross bolt was chosen."

I would like to invite anyone with additional information about the Simson-Jäger action to comment on my find.

Unfortunately the drilling is still in Germany, where I expect it will be for several months, while I wade through the import formalities, so I can't answer any questions about proof marks, etc.

The previous owner did reveal that he had bought the drilling from its original owner, who managed to keep it in his possession after the War, as a present for his son, who in the mean time has lost interest in hunting.