Funny. "Wilhelm" sure sounds German; however, "a" could be French, signifying that the maker was from the town of Piest, while "Piest" itself looks too much like "Pest", the city which, together with Buda from the other bank of the Danube, comprised modern Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Without pics it is difficult to say anything, but, given that Hungary was a part of the Austrian empire back then, and if "a Piest" is inscribed in Gothic script, I'd be inclined to think that the rifle is actually Austrian. Austrian makers, incidentally, are famous for joining two rifle calibers in one gun, for mountain hunting; two different rifleings could be a variation of the same principle.
Last edited by Humpty Dumpty; 07/02/13 01:04 AM.
