doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com Double rifle drilling by Lovena, Prague

In the past these forums discussed several shotguns signed by the Czech coop "Lovena", both sidelocks and boxlocks. All these guns showed Czech proofmarks of the 1960s, but most of them also show much older, prewar markings that point to a German or Belgian origin, at least of most parts. Here is another, different "Lovena", also featuring much older barrels.
For about 20 years by now I own this doublerifle Drilling, 24" barrels in 7x57R - 7x57R over 16-65, #9438. Though it is of rather standard design, "Blitz-" triggerplate locks, double underbolting with Greener crossbolt and Greener type side safety, it is extensively engraved and carved. Some finer features are a rolled-edge triggerguard, trap buttplate and a magazine for 4 rifle cartridges in the underside of the stock, probably added later. It is mounted with a 4x Zeiss Zielvier scope of post-WW2 GDR make in Bohemian claw mounts. All three barrels are made of Krupp-Laufstahl and so marked. Both rifle barrels show, very faintly and half covered by the lower ribs, the German Eagle/M mark, used from 1940 to 45 for preliminary proof. Apparently the barrels are of German pre-45 make and the gun completed much later only. According to the only visible proofmarks it was proofed (or reproofed?) by the Prague proofhouse in 1963, ledger number 1802.63. Other visible markings are rather crudely stamped caliber designations on each barrel, a script Z , 17.1 and 1920g under the shot tube and a tiny 1.0 under each rifle barrel. On top of the rifle barrels it is engraved " Lovena/ Praha" in script.



















No, I don't believe the "TR" on the buttplate trap may stand for Teddy Roosevelt.

Axel:

Very nice indeed. I don't know why, but Lovely Lovena would be one of the last places I would expect to find a drilling. What's the stamp after the bullet at the end of the Krupp steel stamp? I'd guess the 1920g stamp to be the weight of the tube set. Does it weigh about 4 1/4 pounds? If that stamp is for the weight, I'd say it was sourced in the white from Suhl and finished by a Lovena craftsman. Any stamp on the standing breech?

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Receiver finish looks to me as Nickel-Velour - post war design in Tula/Russia and overall it looks like redone German gun.

Yes, 1920g is the weight of the barrels.
The mark behind the Krupp "bullet" is completely unreadable. I tried in vain to photograph it.

On assembling the barrels it was filed over and then covered in part by the soldered on lower ribs. The eagle/M stamp was treated the same, only the M and one wing visible on the left rifle barrel, even less on the right. Of the other stamp only a few scratches are visible.

Axel:
Near the 1963 datastring, is that the abstract rampant Bohemian Lion used by the Czech proofhouses up till 1932? Also does it have a 1 on the breast of the Bohemian Lion?

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

No, it is the "lion/N" in use since 1931 for Nitro proof of rifled barrels. Below it is the "N in shield" mark for smoothbores.
BTW, I could identify the mark mentioned above, besides the "Krupp bullet": It is the 1940-1945 German "eagle/M" provisional proofmark for rough barrels. But this does not point to the barrels being bought in from Suhl or Zella-Mehlis: All the time this mark was in use, Weipert as well as Brno, Vienna and Ferlach were part of the Third Reich, so the 1940 German prooflaw and proofmarks were used there too.

There seems to be some confusion as to how long the Czech "lion", "lion/N" and "N in shield" proofmarks were in use. The Czech authors J.Gargela and Z.Faktor in their 1985 book "Zeichen auf Handfeuerwaffen" state that the design of these proofmarks was changed very slightly in 1962, bolder lines and different lion's leg and tail shape, but they continued in use "up until today (1985)".

A very similar script "L" on dougk's Funk: http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=227855#Post227855


It may be that the tube maker's marks after the steel type/bullet are similar.



Axel's Lovely Lovena


Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse