Gentlemen: I do think this is a Prussian-made, J. P. Sauer & Son gun (Would the manufacturer's name-stamp be in-part "Sohn" rather than "Son" if not intended for export, I wonder?) because there is every indication it is exactly that. We are agreed on that point. My above comments dealt with the indisputable fact that the subject gun significantly bears the "Made in Prussia" stamp on its water-table and not on the sides of the action body as some earlier lower grades evince, which would indicate that it was imported post-mid-1921 into the United States due to the required presence of the stamp as worded after that date by U.S. customs regulations. Otherwise, that particular wording for the country of origin would not be present on the water-table. That the stamp is impressed into the water-table of the subject gun is telling. I am unaware of examples that would inform me such is not the case, or that such a stamp ("Made in" such and such country) was present on the water-table of U.S.-imported guns prior to mid-1921. If there are contradicting examples of that very language being present on an import's water-table prior to 1921, I would very much like to know of it / them.
We will want to keep in mind that we are all conjecturing on this matter, in order to benefit the questioner, presumably, as well as add to our knowledge base overall. To me, the idea behind this means of worldwide communication is to share and thereby gain knowledge, present ideas and voice opinions civilly, not overbear, irritate the participants, or attempt to dissuade them from participating altogether.
That the subject gun may have been manufactured before 1912, in accordance with the decipherment of certain proof marks and other indicia present, is not in question. Although, because of the presence of the post-1921 stamp on the water-table, such might also suggest it was inventoried for some time and subsequently completed before being exported from Germany to the United States. (Would the gun need to again be proofed, say post-1923, before being exported to a non-proof country like the U.S., is unknown to me without performing more research--Though somehow I doubt it.) Because it may have been in inventory and, therefore, would neither have been available to be finished contemporaneously by H. A. Lindner nor its completion supervised by him prior to its later exportation to the United States, I posited that this gun was not a 'Golden Age' gun, which would seem a logical and reasonable assertion. Nor is the assertion contradicted by the foregoing dating indicators. As well, I do not recall remarking the presence of Lindner proprietary marks or persuasively Lindner-defining characteristics anywhere.
It was not and is not uncommon today for English or the German / Prussian gunmakers or manufacturers to inventory guns for later completion, sometimes for many years, or to await orders for particular types of guns before their completion, which awaited orders may take years before they are received. One type of sporting gun awaiting an order may have been that for a gun with an unusually or even uniquely long barrel, such as that affixed to the subject gun (I think the 32-inch barrels were not intended for pigeon but for wildfowling.). I could give a number of examples based on my own collection of this business practice, but as everyone here knows of the practice, it is hardly necessary to further elaborate.
Whether the subject gun was made before some date or touched by the master's hand is of little matter in terms of the ultimate enjoyment of this gun by its eventual owner. Provenance is just an additive to the appreciation of a particular gun, but not a necessary. And here is an excellent vintage gun in need of purchase and for use as intended. I wholeheartedly wish the buyer well and good sport.
Regards to all,
Edwardian
