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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 50 Likes: 4
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 50 Likes: 4 |
I've got it in my mind that I want to add a drilling to my gun safe. This despite never actually shooting one and only handling a few of them. I don't have any special need for a shotgun/ rifle combo gun, I just think they are super cool and I love the complexity of the mechanisms and craftsmanship in their construction. I've read a bit on the subject and believe I have a vision of what I want. I'm thinking a hammerless 16ga double over a standardized but traditional rifle caliber. By standardized, I mean made recently enough to be in a commercially available cartridge such as 7x57R etc. I want to avoid the older doubles in which rifle calibers may be unknown and require a research project and require custom dies. I'm also enamored with German scopes in detachable claw mounts- even if I've never looked through one and hope I don't get turned off once I actually experience the lack or cheek weld. Frankly I'd probably use it primarily as an shotgun only for stocked pheasants at my club versus ever having it loaded with shotshells and rifle simultaneously.
My point in posting this here, is where do I shop for specifically for drillings? They are an obscure area of interest, so there isn't a big selection at any local shops to handle. I know that I want to avoid any loose or damaged guns.
I listened to a couple podcasts about an outfit called Save the Fine Guns or German Gun Imports which is supposed to be importing unwanted drillings for Germany and Austria at attractive prices. Yet I can't find any reviews about them online and can't find an easy way to contact them through their website. Does anyone have any experience in dealing with them?
Or any other recommendations on where to best look for drillings?
Jason
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,560 Likes: 233
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,560 Likes: 233 |
Jason , German Gun Imports is a pretty new company with nice owners. The German partner, I believe, locates the guns and arranges export to the us. At the present time, Germany seems to be having a harder tine with Covid 19 and are undergoing stricter lockdown than we are. This may , for a short time, result in fewer guns "in stock". You can contact George Inge at 1-251-377-4304, or ginge10216@aol.com. If you call him, I'm sure he can give you up to date information. For info, 6.5x57R, 7x57R, 8x57IR/IRS, 7x65R, and 9.3x74R are all reasonably available in the US at the current time. Mike
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 50 Likes: 4
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 50 Likes: 4 |
Mike, Thank you for the reply. That’s just the information I was looking for. Jason
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11,096 Likes: 226
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11,096 Likes: 226 |
>>Young Guns<< in South Dakota, did have few lying about. But is sounds as if you are searching for a Post WWII version or even a 1970s Sauer, with many of those in 30-06.
Serbus,
Raimey rse
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11,096 Likes: 226
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11,096 Likes: 226 |
Too, although I have never been a true fan nor thought I would be of sub-gauges, but the Austrian drillings in 20 bore are spectacular. I had preferred the 16 bore to the 12, which is bulky for the most part & Ford can give a dissertation on my the original design of the drilling platform was centred around the 16 bore. Kansas pheasants were as easily harvested with the 3" bore bore vs the heavier 70mm 12 bore I typically tote.
Just some empirical data on my end....
Serbus,
Raimey rse
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,560 Likes: 233
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,560 Likes: 233 |
Jason, In answer to Raimey's comments, I offer the following. I agree that a 12 ga. drilling is too heavy and bulky, noticeably so. Also, I would never consider a drilling in 30-06, even though it is one of my favorite calibers in a bolt gun. Not only would it add to the weight, a rimmed cartridge works much more reliably with a drilling's extractor. I have been hunting with drillings regularly since the mid 1960s and have reached the following conclusions : I prefer 16 ga 2 3/4" chambers and 60cm( about 23 1/2" inches)barrels. A scope is necessary to get full value from a drilling. For general use, i prefer a 6x42 with bright optics( I also have 8x56s for special use, but they add too much weight for general use). I prefer well fit "claw" mounts, but "swing" or "slide on" are also reliable. For the reticle in the scope, I prefer the typical German 3 post , but I used a heavy 4 post with x hair for many years and like it too. After those, any heavy reticle that can be seen in dark, deep woods is ok. You don't need to worry about "cheek weld", which is very important when target shooting, to get the smallest multi- shot group. Here, the idea is to be able to place one bullet where you want it. You shoot a drilling from a head up position usually. A drilling is stocked like a shotgun, because it is a shotgun. While harder to find, there are "Dural" ( aluminum) frame drillings, which are lighter than the steel frames. They hold up, because they have steel inserts in high stress locations. A "sling" is necessary, but never used for shooting( alters the point of contact). I prefer one of the quick shortening slings, that can be shortened in the stand to be out of the way. A rimfire insert barrel ( einstecklauf)( EL) adds to the utility, but should be considered "nice to have", rather than necessary, like a scope and sling. To sum up, I think you are looking for a 16 ga drilling with 60cm barrels, chambered for 6.5, 7, or8mm x 57R , with a 6x42 scope in quick detachable mounts. A proper sling can be bought later. There will be a lot of disagreement from others but you can have short chambers lengthened, and chokes modified to suit yourself. If the drilling is for your use, not for resale, and not an especially rare and/or fine one , there is no reason not to make it useful to you. In my experience, if you sell it later, there will be complaints regardless of whether it has been modified or not. This is usually an effort to have you reduce the price, or as an excuse for not buying it. Mike
Last edited by Der Ami; 04/13/21 11:05 AM.
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1 member likes this:
oskar |
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 696 Likes: 61
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 696 Likes: 61 |
I have three drillings that I hunt with quite a bit. I wouldn't be afraid of a nice hammer gun. This is a 1907 no-name drilling 16ga/16ga/9.3x72R I picked it up with the head of the stock shattered and put it back together with some new pieces that were missing and re-inleted it. It is now a nice shooter. I killed this coyote in the morning and then shot a nice round of trap with it in the afternoon. I've made low claw mount rings for one of my drillings from Weaver high rings, tedious but not overly difficult. JP Sauer 16ga/16ga/7x57R, 1970's vintage with low mounted scope, it also has a 6x48mm Nichols scope that I can swap in if I should ever need the larger magnification. Even odd cartridges can be interesting this is my goto coyote hunting rig in the thick stuff, Wilkes(retailer) 16ga/16ga/6.5x58R Sauer with .260 bore so I swage .264 bullets down but it will shoot .257 well also. This one was kind of butchered and I had to repair the extractor legs and some one had drilled the rib so I put a set of weaver bases on for a low scope, it also has the original Hensoldt 4x scope for the claw mounts. They are fun, interesting and very useful. After reading Mikes post, I was typing while he was posting. Different styles of hunting dictate some of the requirements of a gun while Mike finds a high mounted 6x scope practical for his style of hunting, a low mounted scope with a large FOV works for me hunting called coyotes in heavier cover, still hunting whitetails in the northern forests and still gives me fast acquisition close in and MOA rifle options out to a couple hundred yards for those ones that hang up there aways. I have taken ducks and pheasants on the wing with 1x scopes on the way back from coyote stands.
Last edited by oskar; 04/13/21 11:27 AM.
After the first shot the rest are just noise.
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 165 Likes: 2
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 165 Likes: 2 |
To J. Dubois In case you have deep pockets and you contemplate to empty these at least partially for a fusil-de-vitrine here are some routes to pursue 1. DGJ summer 2006 had my article on "K & K Hoflieferanten" and on page 62 the photo a Joh.Springer's Erben sidelock drilling. It still belongs to the son of a late hunting buddy of mine as per my check few minutes ago. It is one of 2 genuine sidelock drillings built by J .Springer. Page 60 of this article is featuring another Springer "sidelock" drilling of imperial-family origin. It turned out it is a "simulated" sidelock / actually a disguised Anson with simulated pins/ My guess: This imperial chap did not pay the gunmakers bill and this Fake-SL is the revenge of the gunmaker for the never paid/outstanding money. (If you read R.Beaumont book on Purdey's you will find out that ordering a gun without paying has been as well an English aristo sickness). 2. On same page the photo of a Joh. Springer hare gun which originally built for and paid by the same Hungarian aristo. It was on the market few years ago 3.Joh. Springer had in their auctions more than one J. Kalezky sidelock drilling ( see my ariticle Kalezky-ana et al) 4.Dry comment of an Austrian gundealer: I do not know any one who hunts with a drilling , if some one buys it he will just put it to the other guns in his safe Cheers F.N.
Last edited by felix; 04/14/21 11:50 AM.
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,560 Likes: 233
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 4,560 Likes: 233 |
felix, I frequently hunt with a drilling, and usually when not with a drilling, with either an O/U or SxS combination gun. Mike
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 696 Likes: 61
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 696 Likes: 61 |
After the first shot the rest are just noise.
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