doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Krieghoff Essencia

I had a chance to handle a new Essencia this past weekend. A friend received his after a year and change of waiting. Beautiful gun. Some very top notch craftsmanship. This particular gun was a special order 30" .410 with a single trigger and very trim beavertail, skeleton buttplate, great looking wood. I shot it at five targets and crushed them all. A really fine gun.

Chuck, They do appear to be pretty darn nice. I've often wondered why there doesn't seem to be a lot of hoopla out there about them. Maybe, it's because they cost $30,000 !! Krieghoff makes fine guns, for sure. I'm very fond of their competition guns, specifically the K-80. With all this in mind, do you think you might need one of those little .410-ers, maybe one with double triggers? Do the locks have intercepting safety sears? Gold plated internals? The one thing about them is they are a back action sidelock, and though I'm sure they are hell for stout, they aren't quite as pleasing to the eye as a bar action sidelock, at least for me. I wonder if they, or are they already making double rifles on that action??

If you like the way they are made, you can order a custom gun directly from the maker. A member of this board (NoDak Scotty) did and was very happy with the result. One example of their work:

Ziegenhahn und Sohn

Buzz
The lockwork is all gold plated. I thought the same as you about the asthetics of the back action...until I saw this one in hand. It is really a beautiful little gun. Its built on their 28ga frame. But its tiny. The width of the frame at the hinge seems barely over an inch from memory.

I don't know if it has intercepting sears, but would imagine it does.

The gun was 5 lbs 14oz and felt slightly forward balanced which made for a easy to shoot gun.

I've always liked those Ziegenhahn back action guns. The case colors on a new gun can be a bit bright and gaudy, The guns just ooze class though. I'm a bit of an odd ball, I much prefer the look of back action guns to that of bar action. A more distinct classic look, strength, and shape of the action body.

This particular gun was ordered in a blued action finish with the baseline scroll engraving of about 1/3 - 1/2 coverage. It looks really nice. I would not object to a blued finish at all. It's such a small receiver that it comes off very well in blue.

I absolutely love the Essencia's looks and the back action design. Very very nice piece. Steve Barnett has a 20 ga.(http://www.stevebarnettfineguns.com/asp-bin/Detail.asp?ID=8427) that I had a chance to handle last week and it is just superb.
JR

Blued action .410! I sure would like to see pictures of that one.

Bill,
I should have taken some pix. Unfortunately, I won't see that gun or the owner again until the dove openner in Yuma in September, as he has gone to his summer retreat. He said the action is the 28ga action, but it could not be more appropriate for the .410 as it is a tiny action. The 28ga fences on this frame must look like 10ga fences on a 00 Parker frame.

A 6lb 6oz is pretty heavy for a 20b....abOut same weight as an Englis 12b.