doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com Need help evaluating a Franz Sodia firearm

While looking over an estate I came across this Franz Sodia Ferlach Austria firearm, Bohler Stahl is on the shotgun barrels and Bohler Spezial is on the 30-30 rifle barrel. I'm looking for any information and a value. The front bead sight is missing and I'm doubtful about the recoil pad, looks to be a basic recoil pad covered in a black leather. Should it be a steel butt plate?
[img]http://www.chandlers.us/miscpics/resizeP1080319.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.chandlers.us/miscpics/resizeP1080323.jpg[/img]

It experienced proof in 1954 & wears some of the best tube steel and it is for a Southpaw. Odd that the safety is on the left? Sodias tend to hold their value well.


Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

OK - a couple of my thoughts.
1. Sodia is a topnotch maker, a "Name", if you will. There's some value there.
2. Really nice shape. Screws unbuggered.
3. This is a drilling, which I'm sure you knew. To determine what the details on the gun are, we'd need to see ALL the markings, many of which are on the barrels. From what I've read, I've seen that 30-30 was a moderately popular cartridge in drillings made in the late pre-war period, and maybe post-war. The nice thing about having a 30-30 in a drilling is you are not limited to lever-action loads with roundnose bullets and can load any pointed bullet into it.
4. This is a left-handed gun. From cruising the internet, it seems to me that for every hundred German guns with the "baecke" cheekpieces set up for righties, there's one for lefties. That makes it simultaneously both a rarity and something that appeals to a thin market. FWIW, this is not a "true" left-handed gun as the triggers are set up for righties, but the mechanisms for drillings are complicated enough that I can see the makers passing on trying to make a "true" left-handed drilling action. All my doubles are set up for righties and I'm about as left-handed as they come, and it makes no difference to me which side the triggers are on.
5. Nice stick. And in excellent shape. Whether it was refinished, can't tell from the pictures.
6. As to the hole in the rib, it may be that some prior owner had Bubba drill a hole to put something into the rib other than the "factory" blade sight. I'll speculate a glow-bead or Raybar sight or something. You're better off without it, but at some point that hole will need to be closed off and cleaned up because it's an access point for water. It's a tricky place to solder or TIG because of heat control and the presence of the regulating block within an inch or so. Just for legalities' sake, be glad it wasn't an ivory bead there.
7. The leather pad may, or may not, be original to the gun. A lot of these drillings, particularly from higher-end makers, were bespoke. Still, it looks to me like it might be an after-market addition. The leather appears a little proud to the wood.
8. Need more pictures, particularly re the rear rifle sights. Also need to know whether it's the flip-up rear blade sight or what. I don't see any bases for claw mounts.

Overall a nice find. I'll wait on the experts to weigh in before I get around to throwing a dart at the price/value board, though I do have an idea.

My own 1954 era Franz Sodia 16/16-8x57IRS has a whiteline recoil pad( the style, at the time), since Dave observed that the leather is "proud" of the wood, I opine it was added later to cover up an older whiteline pad. When I can get to the vault, I will check the front sight of mine for a screw. For whatever it's worth, I like mine so much that if I was told I had to kill a deer this afternoon or the world would blowup; I would choose the Sodia to do it. It is possible the recoil pad is "factory", but highly unlikely. It is likely the pad is an aftermarket addition, earlier than the leather covering. As always, I may be wrong.
Mike

I checked my Sodia (serial number less than 200 away from this one)and it doesn't have the screw. It may be that a new front sight was made to allow sighting in with specific ammo, the rear sight would be the common flip up leaf.
Mike

It has the rear flip up sight. Any suggestions on value?

I don't usually estimate the value of someone else's guns I haven't seen myself. I suggest you research the actual sell price of other similar guns, Auction sites are not much help( one site has had the same gun listed 7 years that I know of).
There are some retail sites on line, such as Simpson Ltd, and several that advertise in the Trade Directory of WAIDMANNSHEIL.
Mike

The current front sight appears to be a current Recknagel product or it could be an early version of similar design. The hole in the rib may have been drilled to remove a loose piece of solder rattling around in there. I once had a W&C Scott with a rattle that drove me nuts. I would simply drill and tap and install a small metric setscrew for the hole in the rib. I would also put some light oil in the hole first to prevent corrosion inside the rib. I'd be willing to bet a lot of change that the recoil pad is aftermarket.