March
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 298 guests, and 2 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums10
Topics38,373
Posts543,977
Members14,389
Most Online1,131
Jan 21st, 2024
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#389449 01/05/15 07:19 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28
Boxlock
OP Offline
Boxlock

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28
I have a German made 16 gauge SxS shotgun with 2-1/2 chambers. The name on the gun is BSW - Suhl. I read the history of this company, but I have never seen anything regarding the quality of these shotguns. Does anyone know anything about them? General value?

Last edited by texasbilly; 01/05/15 07:19 PM.
texasbilly #389451 01/05/15 07:30 PM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,373
Likes: 6
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,373
Likes: 6
You may want to check with the folks at the German Gun Collectors Ass'n website. I passed up on a chance to buy one a few years ago and still regret it. Subject to the rule about buying the gun and not the maker, BSWs were well made and reflect the quality of German making at the time.

Posting some pics (including the proof marks) will help elicit some more specific comments.

Last edited by Doverham; 01/05/15 07:31 PM.

Such a long, long time to be gone, and a short time to be there.
texasbilly #389458 01/05/15 07:46 PM
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 2,862
Sidelock
***
Offline
Sidelock
***

Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 2,862
It was originally Simson, one of the larger companies in Suhl. (if not the largest) They were jews, so they sensibly left Germany, I think in 1934 or thereabouts. The company name then changed to BSW. As I recall, the name was then changed to Gustloff-Werke in 1944. From what I've read, the quality was similar to the other German firms. The ones I've actually handled were pretty standard for pre-war German guns, the quality was excellent. Not a lot of'em around, you might see what Simpson's Ltd. is asking for theirs, they usually have a few.

The Simson name was also used on post-war guns.



Last edited by Ken61; 01/05/15 07:52 PM.

I prefer wood to plastic, leather to nylon, waxed cotton to Gore-Tex, and split bamboo to graphite.
texasbilly #389460 01/05/15 07:54 PM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 9,718
Likes: 94
Sidelock
*
Offline
Sidelock
*

Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 9,718
Likes: 94
61: sadly, not all of the simson family escaped the nazi menace.

tragically, some were murdered...simson were makers of fine sporting arms in suhl for generations.

latest original simson sxs i have seen was date coded 1936, as i recall.

here is some more history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simson_%28company%29


keep it simple and keep it safe...
texasbilly #389488 01/06/15 12:45 AM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954
Likes: 12
Sidelock
***
Offline
Sidelock
***

Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,954
Likes: 12
texasbilly, it is usually hazardous to your wallet to judge a gun's quality by the brand name. Most makers/vendors made/sold a wide variety of Original Quality grades of guns; OQ grade depending on price point. You will be far better served in developing your ability to judge quality on your own; remembering it is independent from the name on the gun.

I value vintage guns reasonably accurately by combining Original Quality grade (OQ), Brand Value level (BV), and Current Condition level (CC). So, I'll assume this was between a second and third grade OQ gun (OQ6 to OQ7); say, 1/3 good engraving coverage, good figured wood, and good fit and finish. The brand value level for BSW is level four or BV4 (lessor known Continental makers, often associated with modest quality guns). Assume the Current Condition is between CC3 (significant use) and CC4 (heavy use, but no abuse). BV4-OQ6-CC3 = $1160, BV4-OQ6-CC4 = $883, BV4-OQ7-CC3 = $810, and BV4-OQ7-CC4 = $616. See if you can fit the gun as you see/remember it into that matrix. Comment welcome.

Questions?

DDA

texasbilly #389490 01/06/15 12:56 AM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,438
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,438
I have one of their 16 gauges that was made during the Nazi overtaking of this Company. The quality remained excellent.
Jim


The 2nd Amendment IS an unalienable right.
texasbilly #389503 01/06/15 11:05 AM
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 11,372
Likes: 103
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 11,372
Likes: 103
BSW became Simson again after the war, although they were made in the same East German plant as Sauers (also called Fortuna) and Merkels. Sauer is probably the most confusing, because they were being made simultaneously in both East and West Germany. The West German ones were always marked West Germany. Quality seemed to be pretty good in all of those guns.

L. Brown #389506 01/06/15 11:21 AM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,373
Likes: 6
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,373
Likes: 6
This is the one I shoulda bought - it was a lot cheaper than a Merkel and looked just as well made (and those are not cracks on the stock wrist for any eagle-eyed viewers).





Last edited by Doverham; 01/06/15 11:22 AM.

Such a long, long time to be gone, and a short time to be there.
texasbilly #389510 01/06/15 12:04 PM
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,857
Likes: 384
mc Offline
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,857
Likes: 384
being an ejector gun would have sold me is that a GDR gun?

mc #389511 01/06/15 12:18 PM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,373
Likes: 6
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,373
Likes: 6
No - it was prewar, late '30s. And 2 3/4" chambers . . . .

Last edited by Doverham; 01/06/15 12:19 PM.

Such a long, long time to be gone, and a short time to be there.
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Link Copied to Clipboard

doublegunshop.com home | Welcome | Sponsors & Advertisers | DoubleGun Rack | Doublegun Book Rack

Order or request info | Other Useful Information

Updated every minute of everyday!


Copyright (c) 1993 - 2024 doublegunshop.com. All rights reserved. doublegunshop.com - Bloomfield, NY 14469. USA These materials are provided by doublegunshop.com as a service to its customers and may be used for informational purposes only. doublegunshop.com assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in these materials. THESE MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT-ABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. doublegunshop.com further does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these materials. doublegunshop.com shall not be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including without limitation, lost revenues or lost profits, which may result from the use of these materials. doublegunshop.com may make changes to these materials, or to the products described therein, at any time without notice. doublegunshop.com makes no commitment to update the information contained herein. This is a public un-moderated forum participate at your own risk.

Note: The posting of Copyrighted material on this forum is prohibited without prior written consent of the Copyright holder. For specifics on Copyright Law and restrictions refer to: http://www.copyright.gov/laws/ - doublegunshop.com will not monitor nor will they be held liable for copyright violations presented on the BBS which is an open and un-moderated public forum.

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.0.33-0+deb9u11+hw1 Page Time: 0.076s Queries: 35 (0.056s) Memory: 0.8424 MB (Peak: 1.8987 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-28 10:10:55 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS