doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Waffen - Velser of Nerdlen in the Eifel

I had a few hours to burn in Germany a couple weeks back & Wolfgang Brauchitsch gracefully offered to arrange a visit to Waffen - Velser of Nerdlen, Germany in the Eifel, where B�chsenmacher Velser actually extended his hours of operation to accommodate my arrival. Lovely & insightful visit to say the least. In the small village of Nerdlen, Germany, B�chsenmacher Velser & his sohn make unique modern day offerings of the '98 Mauser utilizing original platforms & components along with some modern elements. Most interesting to see the vintage equipment either used or modified to fulfill a modern demand/task.

http://www.waffen-velser.de/












Retro fitted Mauser stock inletting maching utilizing outer formed blanks/stocks.


B�chsenmacher Velser on the left & Wolfgang on the right, being of some stature?? Deep in discussion about an ongoing project.


Tons & tons & tons of pre-WWII Mauser components lying about. But that wasn't the best part in my book as he had a soft spot in his heart for combos, drillings & vierlings, which he kept in another room. And then there was the room of ammo...... B�chsenmacher commented that I was a spy taking images & examining each & every think in his shop.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

For those wondering, I was enroute to Kroonstad, Free State, South Africa to ground check a few Rocky and Racking Pigeons along with some Spur Wings, Gypos, Nobles, ShelDuck and any other winged creature that passed by.





Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Another image that wouldn't post for some reason in the previous lot. Hum, still won't post?

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Raimey, I�m seeing the image both times.

Sounds like a fun trip.

Thanks Canvas-Back. I used a couple different computers & still couldn't see it, but what you say was apparent on a mobile platform?

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Raimey,
You lucky "Somnagun". Thanks for bringing back old memories of Walter and his shop.
Mike

A few more there Ford:










Vorsicht Lebensgefahr Bei geschlossenem Gesch sind innerhalb der R�ume scharfe Selbstschussanlagn aufgestellt -
I believe that is how it reads?


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Great pics, Raimey. Thanks.

Any more pics of the hunting?

SRH

Do you per chance have a full view of the lathe in the first picture. I love old lathes. I have worked on some old machines similar to some of those pictured which were still hanging around in my early years as a machinist. It's amazing what quality work can be done on old machines once you learn their little quirks.

Sure Stan. We haven't gotten all the images sorted but see the following. Back story is there was going to be a couple film crews along w/ a couple where the fella was a quadriplegic due to a neck injury while play rugby on the weekend while working in England 14 years ago. He & I were both there for the same reason: he had just passed the 50 year milestone & I was about to do the same. Actually I embrace the 1/2 century mark as of today. But the outfitter was wishing to see if he could accommodate hunters w/ physical limitations.


Outfitter noted Eley would allow him to exchange this error for a flat?


Yellow Billed South African Duck


Yellow billed


Swainson's Francolin - Red Faced Francolin w/ lovely spurs.





Orange River Francolin / I harvested w/ the outfitter's Miroku 12 bore O/U.



\
Fulvous Whistling Duck or Fulvous Tree Duck






Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Red Bills & ShelDuck


\
Spur Wing & ShelDuck


Spur Wings I was draggin' to the pile.


Shell Duck & ?


Fella mainly shot from this position where he was positioned as a blocker.


He tried the 4 wheeler while hunting Francolin & Guinea Fowl over GSPs.




Cheers,

Raimey
rse

GREAT adventure !!
Thank you for sharing
Mike

Glad to do it. For Spur Wings, Gypos, etc. the fella had a chair & landed up just being positioned between the blind & a roll of peanuts. Yes, a roll of peanuts. You would not wave the geese off from coming in......






Sunset on the 1st day looking across a field of sunflowers, the field type to attract more doves & pigeons that you can bare to shoot. I had mentioned the film crews, but all bailed and it was just the couple from Georgia & myself on the adventure.


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Sure, I do, sort of:




Then full image of another machine:






Antlers from Czech area in shop....

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Raimey,
Thanks
2-piper
I'm a "tool junkie" also. It looks like the Magdeburg is used mostly for polishing. I couldn't see the make of the other one, due to glare, but it looked like it was the one they used most of the time.
Mike

Ford:

Unfortunately I don't have any images that show the name. But if I remember correctly, and Wolfgang correct me, the Magdeburg was set up to do some task on the action of the '98 Mauser.


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Thank you, Raimey. Great pictures.

That must have been a super hunt, with all the different species to enjoy.

What guns did you use?

SRH

Stan:

It was an outstanding hunt, and actually hunted, offering the most diversity that I have seen for 8 straight days within 15 to 45 minutes of my accommodations. The initial planning was fluid & I really didn't fully commit until it was too late to complete the paperwork for bringing my own double so right out of the gate I opted to borrow the outfitter's Miroku 12 bore O/U. Slightly heavy, but I had zero issues shooting 7s and on up to 4s but I am not a fan of a single trigger. I'd highly recommend a go before the whole of the property gets re-distributed.

There were some small quail that I didn't show & also a protected dove, of which I did not get an image. I saw several but did not get an image.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Always something different to see:





Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Sounds like you had an outstanding gamebird safari. And as noted, quite an adventure. Gil

Must've been fun getting to use lead (I assume) for ducks, again. Our trip to Mendoza for this coming August had to be cancelled due to lack of participation. We had special pricing for a minimum of 11, and could only get 6 commitments due to various reasons. I'm disappointed, but not overly, as I remember Romans 8:28.

Thanks again for all the great pics and......................congratulations. You're now a half century old!!

SRH

Raimey;
My Thanks also for all the pictures. Looks like a totally fascinating trip all around. I spent over 35 years in machine shops so truly appreciate the shop tools. Congrats on the Big 5 0, I turned 80 in March so you've got a ways to go yet.

50 ain't old (for a tree). Gil

Raimey, Happy Birthday and well done reaching 50. As Gil just noted.....50 ain't old at all. 60 is fast approaching for me, less than a month and a half, and you can't fool yourself about that one. LOL

Looks like a great trip. Glad it worked out so well.

Raimey,
I learned the hard way, if you don't go when you are young, like you, you don't go at all. Good for you.
Mike

Ford:

I took that advice some 20 years back & have not regretted it. I've spent time w/ a Shaman in the Amazon, been down the West side of Africa & driven across the Belgian Congo plus have dropped in most countries from the Texas border all the way down to Argentina. Not ONE regret. All jaunts were adventures of a lifetime, with this one providing me w/ the tools to embrace the 1/2 century mark, i.e. Stan, I too hold w/ Romans.....

Thanks to all the well wishers but I told my Primary Doc today that you know when the Apothecary / Chemist phones to wish you a happy birthday that you indeed on their list and they are courting you for additional business all centred around age.....?

Too I'll have to say that the internet and boards like this, even though there's a lot of to & fro from time to time, but I've yet to agree to meet someone that I've met on this board & similar and be even slightly disappointed by the effort. I have many more appointments to make but this one sort of set the tone. The internet & GPS allow one to travel unabated where one arrives in country, rents an auto w/ the GPS function, have the renter to correctly programme in the address and in short order one pulls up in the driveway. Pretty amazing to me even though it is said that I am one of the foremost GNSS/GPS authorities?

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Stan:

Indeed, lead. But an odd tid-bit of info while I was @ Velser's shop was that an O/U DR made by Velser some years back was back in the shop & due to New German rules on lead bullets, the client wanted the O/U DR w/ 2 calibres to be regulated to new non-lead variants. Was & still is dealing B�chsenmacher Velser some misery.

Also, in South Africa, game-bird limits are 10 per hunter/day or the outfitter generally goes by the number of the squad times 10.

Pigeons(Racing & Rocky) & doves do not have a limit but thus far the most that have been shot is 1500 which was over 5 days. 800 seems to be an average but I only ground checked a dozen doves. Can't say that for the pigeons.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

One last item, the cat from Georgia, the Outfitter & myself all saw the 1/2 century mark w/in the past 6 months. So we are all in the same boat w/ a hole in it????? Pretty Neat.


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

A couple more images of B�chsenmacher Velser:





Thanks to Wolfgang on the image effort.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Great pictures both of the hunt and of the shop - a surprisingly neat and organized place. I guess that goes without saying for Germans. Very interesting and thanks for posting them!

I you see any more Guinea fowl please shoot them too.
Stupid noisy pesky things. Not even real good in the pot either.
O.M

I will comply & not only for that but my last South African meal prior to departure was a lovely Guinea Fowl pie much like a chicken pot-pie. It was complimented w/ beet slices. I'm thinking about rounding up some Dunghill Guinea Fowl here in Alabama and attempting a pie???

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Wild Guinea may not be so tasty, but I've eaten plenty of them growing up and iirc they were pretty good. You couldn't catch them like a pullet, but had to shoot one out of a tree for the pot...Geo

They make a good gumbo too.
Mike

Ford, that gumbo sounds tasty. Have you a recipe?


Just returned from Bolivia capping off the 1/2 Century Mark World Tour where I shot more than my fare share of pigeons. Doves were in the mix also. But I was afforded the honour & privilege of handling the owner's Olympic & Pan-American games Perazzi MX4 Oro 12 bore full / full, with what I think was a game grip? Never really been a Perazzi fan but even with 30"+ tubes & being a bit heavy @ say 8.5 pounds, or maybe near 4 kg, it was a wand. I was told it was trained and no lie a couple times I didn't even look & just swung thru & a dove fell. Also I was fortunate to shoot a 20 bore stacked Perazzi.














Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Great pics. Love the MX4. Perazzis have a special feel that defies their weight, in the heavier models. My old MX8 weighs 9# 3 oz., AIR. I love to see shooter's faces and hear their remarks when they ask to shoot it. They cannot believe it weighs what it does.

SRH

You are most correct Stan & I'm not sure how they hide the weight.




Cheers,

Raimey
rse

I�m curious what outfitter you used in Bolivia? I�m planning a trip to South America next May/June to shoot decoyed pigeons and am looking at places in both Argentina and Bolivia.

Bolivian Adventures and they run a well oiled machine. There are only a couple in the whole of Bolivia. In the May / June time frame you don't have to drive too terribly far to the fields. But you do have to purchase a 10 year visa. Tell Felipe I sent you.

Or for either or both Bolivia & Argentina contact John Wiles @ BestWingShooting. Also tell him I sent you and hopefully they won't throw too many rocks at you?


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Thanks Raimey. Much appreciated. I've been to Argentina twice. Once for doves and once for ducks. But I haven't done decoyed pigeons. It looks like a whole lot of fun.

Decoyed pigeons in SA reminds me of dry land duck hunting in prairie Saskatchewan. Great sport. The posed dead bird pics always bothered me though. I have a pic around here somewhere of me in front of a pile of eared doves as big as a Volkswagen...Geo

If so, then you probably want to hunt in and around Cordoba or go to the mountains for a pigeon only hunt. Now I am hearing rumblings among outfitters that the dove numbers are going down. Seems some are now running the numbers to see a best guess of how many are taken each year by the say 20k - 30k hunters??


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Too a little bird told me that Frontera Wingshooting has an owner that is AWOL touring the world and that the managers of the individual compounds are not under tight control & the quality of the experience has dipped. Some hunters vowed not to return via Frontera?


Cheers,

Raimey
rse

I used Detail Company both times and had a great experience both trips.

Sier Safaris, i.e. Luis Sier, is rock solid. Differing from so may others he owns much of the land himself, as opposed to leasing the hunting rights. He has several lodges, and importantly, no trip from the lodge to the shooting fields, that I have ever experienced, is over 10 minutes. You return to the lodge after the morning shoot, and you can nap or whatever until the afternoon shoot.

We were supposed to go early this month, but could not get the required number (11) of shooters to secure the deal we negotiated. We could only get six. So, no dice.

I can't imagine shooting with anybody else in Argentina.

SRH