doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hollenbeck drilling with new German rifle insert

Ginge
I like some of the work you've had done to your gun; but for whatever my opinion is worth (very little I'm sure), the finishes you have on the frame and barrels are not appropriate to the original article itself, and negatively impact its appearance. Hollenbeck frames were color case hardened, not silvered; and barrels were finished black and white, not copper brown. The frames on my Hollenbeck gun have "silvered" with age as the original case colors faded; but there is no record of a Hollenbeck having ever been finished in a silver format. As one who really appreciates your wanting to preserve this old Hollenbeck, I'll hold my tongue and not express my actual thoughts regarding barrel finishes; but those "copper toned" barrels are just plain awful, and I hope you consider having them redone by one of the gunsmiths on this forum.

Well thank you topgun and I do appreciate you being gentle with me. I�m glad that you like some of the work I did on my gun, my number one goal was to have a functional safe weapon that hopefully could be used for hunting for another 100 years. My German gunsmith did a wonderful job and I am so pleased with the outcome. I love the golden brown color of the barrels and it is very unique though your comments are well received and l appreciate them. I hope more of us who only�s wonderful weapons will work to restore them. They are truly amazing, strong and safe weapons and I intend to hunt with mine and humanely kill just as many animals as I possibly can. I hope I can report some good accuracy from my .25-25 Stevens and 30-30 insert when coupled with my detachable Zeiss scope. My vision is no longer able to use iron sights. I only hope my ancestors can look down and feel like I�m being a good steward of their weapon. I Love it that my German gunsmith has come up with the name �old gold number 35� since the barrels definitely match it with their golden brown color.

Well, I have received my refurbished and refinished Hollenbeck drilling, see the pictures above. It was easy to get the drilling back into the United States but shipping and handling alone were over $400 for the return trip. My German friend and gunsmith also visited and we shot the gun, all barrels firing, however a number of things have humbled me with respect to the rifle: .25-25 Stevens. Trying 18 grains of IMR 3013 smokeless powder resulted high pressure signs: a split case, and primer with cratering. I also succeeded in breaking the tiny spring that retracts the rifle firing pin. As an experienced reloader I should�ve known better and have learned some lessons. I certainly had been warned to be careful about this but luckily I have not caused any serious damage to my weapon or myself. After I replace that tiny spring, I will resort to greatly reduced loads and Dacron filler or black powder, as originally designed. My German gun Smith does not think he will have any trouble finding the tiny spring, anybody on this forum know where I can get one? Once I sight in my rifle .25-25 Stevens to my Zeiss scope pivot mount, I can sight in the 30-30 insert and use reduced 30-30 loads,similarly I plan to use the RST light shot shells.
On a brighter note, I did buy Hollenbeck number 236 from Cherry�s, shot it but found out the tiny spring to the .32-40 rifle is missing, this must be a common problem in these Hollenbeck drillings. Also, I�ve made really good friends with Tobi Nisse, the German gunsmith,who is also in German gun dealer. I have applied for my FFL type eight to import and Tobi and I plan to bring in our first shipment of 50 drillings the summer. The liberal German government is destroying German hunting weapons by the thousands and we are going to save as many as we can! If things go as planned we will have a table at next year�s southern side by side full of drillings and I plan to bring old number 35 and number 236 Hollenbeck�s along too. Hopefully I�ll have them sighted in and functioning by then and will have used them successfully hunting.

ginge,
Thanks for the updates/reports on your Hollenbeck. You have spent a lot of time and effort with this gun and getting it to the configuration and serviceability you want. Thanks for sharing your reloading experi Nace and trials as well. Great educational thread.

Well, as I sit in my ole man tree climber with my ancestor�s 1902 Hollenbeck drilling on my lap, I�ve about given up on my goal of taking a mature white tailed buck with her and reporting the accomplishment on this thread. I can report some more minor gprogress. I finally worked up an accurate load for my.25-25 Stevens: 25 grains,by volume, Black Horn 209, black powder substitute. The 86 grain cast alloy bullets were accurate but so was the Sierra 87 grain soft point, with under one inch groups at 50 yards, only with unclean bore ( welcome to BH 209!) I get very consistent velocities at over 1700 FPS with the Sierra and have settled on that. With my 1.5x6 Zeiss scope with pivot mount sighted into my .25-25 Stevens, I was able to work up my 30-30 Winchester insert and sight it into the scope . I settled on leverevolution powder, 35.5 grains ( identical to Hornady Leverevolution factory load) and found the Hornady 160 grain FTX bullet most accurate, 1 1/2 inch group at 100 yards, 2505 FPS with my 28� insert! Both rifles hitting a little over an inch apart at 100 yards. I was able to take a 100 # doe at 65 yards with the 30 30 Winchester which my Techel (German wire haired dachshund) tracked about 60 yards through brush. Then I took an 80 # boar hog at 40 yards with the .25-25 Stevens, it also only ran about 60 yards. Both shots with clear exit wounds. Finally I shot at but did not recover a large coyote using the .55-55 Hollenbeck ( that�s when both rifle barrels go off simultaneously! Opps)
Otherwise I did obtain my FFL type 08 to import and I plan to help Tobi Nisse, German Gun dealer/ gunsmith and good friend , import 200 German hunting guns per year, mostly drillings! �Save the guns!�

Well I spoke too soon, I was successful this afternoon at shooting a mature 11 point Whitetail buck with old number 35 Hollenbeck drilling and the new German insert in 30 30 Winchester, Waidmannsdank I will post pictures of these harvests once I figure out how to upload them.

Ginge:

Forward them to me & I'll gladly post them. I was born in Mobile & lived @ Tillman's Corner(Theodore).

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

I recall several conversations w/ Hi(Highsmith) that he talked about a drilling following around Mobile, Alabama where they engaged drillings to hunt deer, turkey, etc. around Mobile.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

ginge,
I share your and Tobi Nisse's sentiment-"Save the guns". Please don't limit it so much to drillings, many old BFs, BBFs, KLBs, DB, BDBs, etc., deserve saving as well. Don't forget the hammer guns.
Mike