doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Johann Fanzoj (Ferlach) 1946 Side by Side

Thanks so much! That's funny that they say they don't make firearms until 1955. I guess my final question is, is it a good gun? I paid $1000 USD for it. Is that a good deal?

Fanzoj did not say that they "don't make firearms until 1955". They said that they were not allowed to make weapons til circa 1955. What Fanzoj did between the end of the war in 1945 until the war's allied victors allowed them to begin commercial production of firearms in 1955 is unlikely to be recorded history by the British and their allies for a number of good reasons at the time. For you old guys like me who remember radio it might be said: "....only the Shadow knows."

Bushveld is most correct as the occupying force did not allow the manufacture of weapons till much later. Like the Mongrel klan, they aren't allowed knives(an sometimes forks) at the dinner table as they might just stab one another so they eat with a spoon or chopsticks.

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

I think it is a whale of a deal for a Fanzoj if it works. That repair worries me a bit but others may give it a pass??


Serbus,

Raimey
rse

I enlarged the image of the "repair" on the bottom rib and it doesn't resemble any sort of welding I've ever seen. It looks more like a soldering job that didn't go too well, and that some peening of the solder was done. Hard to tell, but I'm guessing the entire short section of rib behind the forend loop may have been missing, and someone decided to just fill the gap with solder. I'm betting that if you were to forward that image to Classic Arms, they likely would not want to take credit for it.

It may not affect anything, and it is hidden under the forend... but I'd want to repair it properly, and check the integrity of the solder joint on the forend loop. It would really suck to be out hunting, and have the forend loop pop loose, and possibly lose it and the forend. Finding replacements would be near impossible. You may find the current Thread on rib relaying interesting.

I'm glad a new guy like you was able to post images here without any apparent problem. Some guys who have been here for years find it to be a daunting or impossible task. A few more pics of the complete gun might make it easier to get an accurate valuation.

I am satisfied that firms like Fanzoj likely build guns during the post war period at the directions of occupying forces for the use of those forces and for others. There had to be all kinds of off the record activities happening.

Sure, there very well may have been records, but Fanzoj doesn't want to own up to them so maybe the Brits have the records? Fanzoj, like most other Ferlach makers, prefer to be known as mechanics to Kings, Lords, Princes, ect. and they may not want to openly admit that they were making Bread Guns for British Military Officers just to get by..... The same happened in Suhl but the Occupying force was of course the Russians. In both instances, the mechanics were using pre-WWII components and about anything they could get their hands on. In Suhl, the Russians took the newer equipment and even pulled up the rail piece by piece as they were leaving. Also leaving functional equipment out in the elements to ravages of time.

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

There were plenty of "cigarette "rifles built for Americans too, mostly in 30-06, using machine gun barrels. Usually, if not always, without proof marks though.
Mike

Yeah, a Fanzoj forend would run 10k €?? Well, at least 5,000€.

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=494957

Some Tonnes / in^2 to PSI Calculus.


Serbus,

Raimey
rse