doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com Double Rifle Drilling - 9.3X74R/16ga

This is a bit OT but since you mentioned the NitroExpress Forum: why do I see everything there in small letters, hard to read at all, same with pictures? Everything was fine a month ago or so... Thanks.

With kind regards,
Jani

B�chsemann,
as far as I know, all modern Makers as Merkel, Krieghoff, Heym a.s.o. offer to shoot and proof their DR Drillings with slugs. I nearly can`t imagine, that a Bernhard Merkel Doppelb�chsdrilling, whenever much older, wasn`t proofed with Brenneke slugs as well...

But of course I may be wrong .

Gunwolf

Gunwolf,

It's not that the shot tube isn't "proofed" for slugs, Kuduae (Axel) is saying that the shot tube on a DR drilling is not usually set-up/aligned for use with slugs when using the fixed rifle sights.

Here are Kuduae's exact words:

"regarding double rifle drillings: As you intend to use slugs in the shot barrel of your Bemesu dr-drilling, thoroughly check point of impact before using it on game. You already have two rifle barrels on hand, so the lower barrel was intended for shot use only, in case some shootable fur and feather offers an opportunity. A dr-drilling usually has no rear sight folding out of sight automatic. So many of them are regulated to throw a hasty shot pattern above the line of open rifle sights. At least my Lovena dr-drilling does this. Consequently it shoots a slug high too. As Bernhard Merkel was an avid hunter besides one of the best gunmakers, he likely regulated your drilling this way also to make the shot barrel really usable."

I'll be shooting the Bemesu DR drilling with the scope when working up my load for the rifle barrels and when shooting the Brenneke slug. Based on what Kuduae says it may just be a spot of luck if the slug hits close to the rifle barrel group, we'll see. After reading Kuduae's NE reply I am giving the idea of bringing along another drilling (conventional configuration - probably my Richard Knopf/Suhl � 16ga/8X57JRS)for a second boar, if available, should the Bemesu shot tube place the slug too far outside of the rifle group at 50 yards. I really want to get out and use the new Brenneke slugs on game and this boar hunt may be my only chance prior to next winter.

Do you use the 16ga 65mm Brenneke slugs in Germany? If so, what is your opinion of their performance?

Mark

Jani,

I'm sorry to hear that NE is not working for you, it looks normal to me. Have you contacted John?

Mark

Buchsemann,
Looking at the stockwork I feel that the untypical features may reflect the ideas or wishes of the first owner, and this gun was "bespoken" in every detail.
By the way, what is the length of pull? Looks loong on the photograph!
Everything is "top notch" in this gun, engraving included - money was no concern when the gun was ordered.

Regulation of the barrels might be "as ordered by customer" as well and you have to try and find out.
But my first concern there would be to find a good load for the rifle barrels.

fuhrmann

Mark,

I have no own experience with slugs to share.
All I can do is to sum up what I've heard and read.
In one word: controversial...

The general canon is that slugs are an "emergency thing", in case you have no rifle barrel at hand, and a rifle bullet is the preferred thing for a big boar.
Then there is some fear that slugs may ricochet more than a rifle bullet, so they are prohibited in many drive hunts (you know, the owner and organizer of the hunt has the last word..). But this may well be a prejudice.

Slugs were widely used in the former DDR / GDR and older hunters there still say they worked for them, within their limits. But I think they are quite happy now to be able to use a rifle.

16 gauge, especially with a 65mm case unfortunately is "dead as the dodo" in modern Germany. Hard to find somebody who still uses the caliber.
My brother has a prewar Czech Lovena double rifle drilling 8x60R and 16/65, but as far as I know he never bothered with slugs. This is a heirloom piece from our grandfather, my brother invested lots of effort just to make the rifle barrels shoot together, including a new regulation in Ferlach, and he still calls it "a mimosa".

Regards, fuhrmann

The exaggerated "Kaisergriff" makes me wonder if the original owner suffered from the same kind of physical impediment as Kaiser Wilhelm II, for whom that type of pistol grip was named. I have a hard time imagining why someone would otherwise choose such an unaesthetic feature for an otherwise elegant weapon. Fortunately, there is plenty of material available, if the new owner should decide to have the stock altered to a more elegant form.

Wilhelm II apparently shot with the right arm only, see here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H619OMr8VqI

I doubt this will work well with a 9 pound double rifle drilling (edit: unless you always have somebody carrying the tripod for you..it seems that Wilhelm favored light rifles and small calibers such as 6 mm).

Impedimented or not, it seems the original owner spent quite some thought on his rifle stock, to improve his shooting.
And he valued his ideas and the hoped-for results more than good looks.
Typical rifle nut behavior, I think.

fuhrmann

Fuhrmann:
I'd love to see y'all's Lovely Lovena DR Drilling. Don't know that I've viewed a DR drilling.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Raimey,

sorry, my brother has the gun and I have no pictures of it.
I remember a rather hefty piece, not really "lovely".

Regards, fuhrmann