doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Help with german Drilling

Hello,

I have got an old german Drilling. IT Has an roux system. Does anybody Know the trademark Rw? From the other marks i trink IT was Suhl about 1910.

Thank for your help

Uwe
Cant add pictures

Hello Uwe
Welcome on your first posting
You can email the pictures to me and I will post them for you
My email is in my profile.

Again, welcome
Mike

uwe_gl,
I don't know that trademark, but maybe others on this site do.
From the way the bore diameter is marked. your drilling was made between 1893 and 1912, so your 1910 date might be correct. It was nitro proofed, if you see the word NITRO in block letters. it was proofed in Suhl, if the word NITRO is in script letters, it was proofed in Zella-Mehlis. It is very likely made in or near the town in which it was proofed. By the way, the drilling seems to be in good shape.
Mike

There is no Word nitro on the Barrel. Only on each n with crown and the Data of the load.

I have a 16/16/8x58R drilling with proof date of 2,07. It likewise has only the crown over N mark & does not say Nitro. Powder charge for the shot barrel is identical to yours but has 28.3gBl (1oz lead). It used 2 grams of Schultz powder as its service load. Mark for the rifle is same style, but I don't offhand recall the exact powder charge for the rifle. With this marking actual bullet weight is not given & was assumed to be standard for the caliber. It was proofed for use with Rifle Flake Powder & a Steel Jacked Bullet. Mine is a conventional top lever opener & was fitted for a scope. I have the mounts but not the scope. Selector for the rifle barrel is via a slide in the top tang (looks like a normal safety) with a side safety. Unfortunately the right barrel was bursted when I acquired it, though it was priced accordingly. It was a WWII bringback. The gentleman who had it was hunting with it one day with a heavy snowfall on the ground & shot at a rabbit. He felt he had likely inadvertently gotten some snow down the barrel.
Went & looked at this drilling. Powder charge is 2.0Gr or 30.86 grains. Caliber for the rifle barrel is marked as 172.28/59. Although the chamber is marked as 1mm longer all other dimensions for it fits the 8x58 Sauer. the 172.28 marking is the gauge size using standard specs for shotgun gauges. This calculates to a .300" diameter. In reality as best I have been able to determine this simply meant the bore would accept this size plug gage but not the next larger one of 156.14 gauge (.310"). I have measured the actual bore & it was very close to the .310" though I forget the exact number. Groove was .321".

The calibers of the Drilling are 16-65(2.5") and 8x57ir..309 and .319grove. IT is a little Bit slower as the 8x57 Mauser and rimmed.

i had wondered if this might be an 8x57IR due to the heavier powder charge. The 2.7 grams would be just under 42 grains. I have no idea what, if any, modern powder would be an equivalent but safe loads can be found for this caliber. Nice & useful combination.

Z-M started applying a date code circa 1903/1904 so I'd hazard a guess it was manufactured in Suhl in the early 1900s. The voluntary semi-smokeless stamps are applied noting powder charge over service loads. I'll look but probably say 1/2 dozen or so mechanics circa WWI with the initials RW.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Crown/N = voluntary Nitro proof for 2 Grams Schultze powder With 27 Grams lead. Schultze powder weighed 42 grains for a 3 dram equivelent load so 2 grams = about 2.2 drams. The 27 grams lead = about .95oz (15/16 = .938oz). Crown/U = definitie proof. The Eagle is for preliminary proof. Crown/S is smooth bore bbl, Crown/W is for choke bored. 16 in the circle shows it accepted a .662" plug in the bore but not a .669" one (16/1). I believe the gun carrying these marks was proofed after 1891 but prior to 1912.

1891-1912
Nitroproof for rifled barrels

Stahl Mantel Geschoss (Steel Jacked Bullet) ( 2,7g GBP,St.m G )