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When you can't decide..... Springfield-Mauser :-).

Michael, could you possibly elaborate a bit, or a lot, on that rifle.

It reminds me of the Sedgley-Springfield-Enfields a little.

This is the second one I have seen over the years, both were G&H. What we have here is a Mauser that has had a 1903 Springfield cocking knob added. I've only the picture and have not taken it apart. It's embarrassing how long I had the pictures before I realized it was a Mauser I was looking at.

They should have added a Springfield triggerguard and floorplate while they were at it.

When it's well done it's hard sometimes to catch the improvement or modification. I looked at a G&H Winchester Model 54 one time and did not notice until later when I saw a picture that they had used a 1903 trigger guard.

I used one on a Mauser and was very pleased with the way it turned out. I think it was in Dunlap's book where I read about doing it and decided to try it. If I'm not mistaken Koshollek used them on 17 Enfield actions also. I think Linden's book on the 17 Enfield shows one being used.

It helps to review/reflect from time to time to see what you didn't know and still don't know. But Robert Schlegelmilch seems to have been a principal in Suhler Waffenfabrik Schlegelmilch & Metzner. And I guess Metzner to be one of Albin, Georg or Max or the possibility exits that he was Albin Georg Max Metzner and there were a couple generations. At any rate Suhler Waffenfabrik Schlegelmilch & Metzner was dissolved in 1901 and Suhler Waffenfabrik Robert Schlegelmilch emerged and existed till 1923. The 2 Louis Kelber forge marks(K in a jagged circle) have to be about the best I've ever viewed, evidently with a large amount of effort in application or very little wear from the tube being profiled/worked. Those are typical forge marks and the "R.S." set of initials, or the other set, completed the firearm. This example looks to be a WWI or possibly post WWI example and hints at the fact that an example with a tube or tubes stamped "R.S." could be valid for Robert Schlegelmilch of Suhler Waffenfabrik Robert Schlegelmilch up till 1923, with a proof date being in 1924 or possibly later.

SDH: I hope it is all right to post these pics on other threads.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Fine with me Raimey.
I gestimated this rifle to be pre-1910 proof(?)
What's a "Suhler"?
I caution myself to be very careful with attribution(!)

Best,
Steve

Here's another Kelber barrelmaker signature, Wilhelm Kelber, quite possibly the son of Louis. My understanding is the K inside the W indicates he fitted the barrel to the action and submitted it to the proofhouse in September 1928. The information I have is that Wilhelm was the last of the barrelmaker family in Suhl.

Art

With the "mm" stamp, I'd say it was post 1910 if thru the Suhl proofhouse and possibly during WWI, but of course there are exceptions. I'd say Suhler is that of Suhl; i.e., Weapon's maker of Suhl.

Art:
I'm just not confident on the heart shaped/encircled "K" by a "W" being the mark for the bolting of the tube to the action as noted by Axel Eichendorff, who is/was a Forester in Germany and was born in 1948 I think. Almost all other forges/tube makers had a double stamp noting the tube was forged in their shop. Early on the initials denoting the craftsman who bolted the tubes to the action were closer to the action and as mechanization played much larger role, the initials migrated toward the forend lug and became script. Axle Eichendorff and I have been and are in discussions and of course I would default to him if he had a reason. There are certain tasks performed in making a tube such as forging the tube, drilling a pilot hole, cutting the rifling, and finally profiling the tube. A specific stamp may have denoted each process. Also, sometimes the rifling was cut at the very last. At present, I'm leaning toward the caveman stamp on the flats being associated with profiling/finishing the tubes. But something had to denote cutting the rifling.


The following is Suhler Gewehrfabrik in 1892 and depicts a few tasks:



So if there was an example and an order form, by viewing the marks we might just answer the question of what stamp meant what. Then again we may never know???

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse