doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Need help identifying Robert Schuler Cape Gun

I have a side by side double barrel with what appears to be a 12 gauge on the left barrel and a rifled barrel on the right. The bottom of the receiver is marked: ROBERT SCHÜLER, CÖLN A/RH. The shotgun barrel next to the breach is marked: CÖLN A/RH and there is a stamp with the word Nitro. The rifled barrel next to the breach is marked: ROBERT SCHÜLER and there is a crown with the letter N and St.m.G. and 12 gr.
Any information about the age, history, specs, value would be appreciated.

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Some pics of the barrel flats & water table would be insightful. I'd guess it to have been sourced from Suhl or Zella-Mehlis. Cöln/Köln/Cologne(am Rhein) on the Rhine River always seems confusing. It appears that in 1900 a decree was order that the name Köln was to now and forevermore be referred to as Cöln but it didn't seem to be to effective. Then Post WWI/circa 1919 I think the tranisition to Köln was made. Schüler of Cöln for the most part peddled upper rung examples and I'm sure sold others also. Sounds like a post 1912 version and the solid projectile for the rifled tube was steel jacketed and had a weight of 12 grams.

Here's a recent Robert Schüler thread: http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=184799&page=1

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Thanks for your response Raimey.
Here are a few pictures that might help.

Thanks again!
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3

I'd 1st guess that the number "9744" is an assembly number as it is in the frame well also. It could be a serial number. The "16. 8x88" stamp is also interesting. The pic is a bit dark and there appears to be additional marks on the underside of the scattergun tube which has the initials "HK" of the mechanic that fitted the tubes to the action. There are multiple "K"s in a rhombus or rotated square which I think notes a forge with a last name which begins with a "K" and also would pass compenstation as well as liability if the situation arose. The Krupp steel stamp may well pair with the forge. I'd say the dual stamp notes that the tube was forge and then some additional effort such as profiling or rifling is covered by the 2nd stamp. It is possible that the mechanic "HK" performed the profiling. Without a chamber cast I'd guess the cartridge to be the 8x57R/360 but it could be any of several of the 8mm rimmed family. The scattergun tube began with more than 0.2 mm of constriction and interesting that it has ejectors, or does it? The chambers will be 65mm unless there is a "70" stamp on the ejectors/extractor barring some later modification.

The Schüler klan, I think, were big into cartridge development as well as weapons design to counter the force of the magnum cartridges. Sure they could have had tooling and manufacturing facilities to make about anything but I think economics would have been againist it and that many of the off the wall designs were put to print but not put into production. Marketing at its best. I really don't see any known Schüler type marks on this example and I think developed an elite client list and was more than likely a master craftsman but was pretty much a firearms merchant.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse