This rifle is a predecessor of Teschner's (father in law of Collath)action. The design started life as Rudolph Berger's, Koethen, Wallstr.19, 1860 needle fire gun. Later this design made the conversion to be built as centerfires,as this rifle. Shortened shotgun paper cases with short lead bullets and black powder, of course, were used.The word "Randschlusspatrone" also points to this fact and warns against the use of needlefire cartridges. Centerfire Berger action guns were known as "Fürst Pless Gewehre". Apparently Heinrich XI, Prince of Pless in Silesia, favoured such guns. The prince is now best remembered as the inventor of the "Fürst Pless Horn", to this day the standard bugle of German hunters. Teschner, followed by Collath, took Berger's slide-and-tilt action and combined it with triggerplate locks and their own unique nail-fire cartridge before 1870. I guess tis rifle was made about 1870.
As a newer member of the GGCA, I have been following the threads here in the German & Austrian sub-forum for a while and just want to say that I am amazed by the knowledge and research available here, especially by Raimey and Axel.
I answer quite a few "who done it" posts on the two hand engraving forums and understand the time and effort that goes into the answers that you gentlemen post.
If I can ever figure out how to post pictures here, I have a few German guns I will be inquiring about.
My thanks to all who do research and post answers to the riddles of Germanic sporting arms on this forum.
Roger
Thanks, C.Roger, but to identify this gun did not take any research. Knowing about the Dreyse-Berger-Fürst Pless-Teschner-Collath actions and relations is just basic knowledge on the development of the German hunting breechloader.
