The >>Vorrat<< effort was a stop-gap measure to include all those historical & antique arms so that they could be conformal under the new German Proof Law effective April 1st, 1893. This provision allowed the aforementioned to be conformal under the new law to prevent their possible destruction when submitted for proof. Remember that the new law was a very progressive stance regarding weapons; tube steel was quickly evolving with leaps in steel technology but all this was coupled with the old methods of pattern welded tubes. Too, there was an idea circulating that just the application of the proof touchmarks was compromise the tubes. Many considered submission for proof of an antique weapon to be a death sentence. In the same vein, most did not want to purchase the >>Vorrat<< arms due to uncertainty of the new law & proof. @ this stage in the game, more than likely a liaison of the Proofmaster was sent with a set of dies to each gunsmith and applied the touchmarks. I really have no idea.......
So between January & April 1st or just for the month of March in 1893, someone applied the >>Vorrat<< touchmarks to all longarms on-hand, or the remainder were submitted for to the local Proof Facility. I will dig a bit more on it.
Again, getting in the weeds, I am just not sure how long it took to create a Lindner Grande Complication, but this longarm was on-hand in Lindner's shop in March of 1893.
Serbus,
Raimey
rse
