Germany | Dogs and Doubles

This week’s 5 doubles you don’t want to miss…

March 1, 2020 by Gregg

Hartmann & Weiss 16 Bore O/U on the Boss System

Hartmann & Weiss 16 Bore O/U on the Boss System : Gun was ordered in ’04 and delivered to my client in 2015! It took eleven years to complete this beautiful example of H&W’s magnificent work. There are hardly enough adjectives to adequately describe this piece; except perhaps, that it is available for immediate delivery! Barrels 29 Inch with Solid Raised Rib, Chokes Light Mod & Mod. Bottom barrel marked 1/4 and 1/2., Engraving Fine English Style Scroll, Stock Best Grade Turkish Walnut, Butt: Checkered, L.O.P. 15 3/8″, Weigh t6 lbs. 8.5 oz, Stock Dimensions1 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 15 3/8 to ctr. of checkered butt. Cast: 1/4 off at heel – 3/8 off at toe. Price: $135,000

HOLLAND & HOLLAND ROYAL 10 BORE PARADOX DOUBLE RIFLE MADE FOR 1900 PARIS EXHIBITION: LETTER FROM HOLLAND IN THE PHOTOS, 27″ PARADOX BARRELS WITH GREAT BORES, WE HAVE LIVE ROUNDS AND DATA AVAILABLE, DOUBLE TRIGGERS, EXTRACTORS, SPLINTER FOREARM, PISTOL GRIP, MAKER’S CASE, UNTOUCHED GREAT ORIGINAL CONDITION, 13 LBS 8 OZ, 14 7/8″ LOP. Price: $59,500

Pre-War MERKEL 202E Over_Under highly engraved and optioned 20ga: 27″ barrels and according to Merkel Germany direct records, manufactured in 1944. A short look at this gun one realizes with the incredible detail and workmanship it absolutely could not be made today. The deep relief hand engraving is really unlike any other you will see in depth and detail. Ivory bead front sight, buffalo horn seamlessly blended in to form the rear trigger guard, and each and every exterior screw hand engraved-even the butt plate screws. Cocking Indicators, Greener crossbolt action, cross relief, Ejectors, with a 14 1/4″ LOP over a beautifully figured walnut stock, 5.9 lbs as shown. Price: $8930

Beretta ASEL 20 ga. O/UBeretta ASEL 20 ga. O/U: 26″ hand-filed vent rib barrels with double ivory beads are choked improved cylinder and full (.009/.024). This late 1950s Abercrombie & Fitch gun features hinged front double triggers, auto ejectors and auto safe. Fully engraved scallop-backed action, elegant special-order long forend, Prince of Wales grip. Nicely figured Tyrolean walnut stock measures 1-3/8″ comb, 2-3/8″ heel, 14-1/8″ LOP over the original wood butt. Made in the same workrooms as the SO guns, certainly the finest boxlock O/Us ever produced by Beretta. The diminutive frame, scaled to the gauge allows this little 20 to weigh a mere 5 lbs, 10 ozs. Honest example. Price: $6,750

Beretta BL4 (BL-4) – 28ga – 26 3/8” Barrels – Like New – ca. 1970 – Sk/Sk Chokes – 14 1/4” x 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” – 6 lbs – 99% Condition: Like New – ca. 1970 – Sk/Sk Chokes – 14 1/4” x 1 1/2” x 2 1/2” – 6 lbs – 99% Condition – Clean! Upland Bird Gun: Price: $3,995

Awesome gun alert: Pre-WW2 Merkel .410 OU, 28″ barrels …

November 16, 2015November 15, 2015 by Gregg

Pre-WW2 Merkel .410 OU, 28" barrelsPre-WW2 Merkel .410 OU, 28" barrels — Pre-WW2 Merkel .410 OU, 28″ barrels

Wow — now here’s a super cool little gun. Most of old .410s I see have short barrels and stubby stocks. Not this one. It has 28″ tubes and a 14″ LOP, so it’s enough gun for most of us to shoot. I would love to get it in my hands and check it out. Check out how the action is filed up. Great work.

Merkel Brothers 301E .410 Bore: Rare 1920s Merkel Brothers .410 O/U ejector. A.F. Stoeger import. 28-inch barrels with solid rib and two ivory beads. M&F chokes. 2.5″ chambers. 14″ LOP to original Merkel buttplate. Single trigger. Scroll engraving. Round grip. About 50% of blacking remaining on trigger guard strap. Nicely grained wood with minor handling marks and overall excellent condition. Price: $12,900

Serial Number: 14746

Pre-WW2 Merkel .410 OU, 28" barrels — Pre-WW2 Merkel .410 OU, 28″ barrel

Bore: .410
Chambers: 2.5
Ejectors: Yes
Condition: Excellent
Metal Condition: Excellent
Wood Condition: Excellent
Bore Condition: Excellent
Action: Kirsten cross bolt
Triggers: Single
Stock Dimensions: 14″ LOP

Good gun alert: 12g Imman Meffert SxS shotgun …

June 26, 2015June 26, 2015 by Gregg

GREAT CONDITION!!!! 12ga Inman Meffert, Suhl SxS shotgun

Raise your hands if you think this Immanuel Meffert shotgun is an Anson & Deeley boxlock.

That’s what I thought at first. But as I looked closer, a few things kept telling me I was wrong: the single pin in the side of the action, the wide top-strap under the toplever, the cocked indicators on this top strap, and the position of the triggers (they look too far back for a boxlock). Very odd, and not very A & D boxlock.

After I poked around online a bit, I figured out what was going on: This shotguns is made on a “Treff” Action – a unique design built by Immanuel Meffert from 1912 to 1929. On a Treff, the lockwork is mounted on the topstrap. That’s why it’s so wide. The barrels cock this lockwork when they drop, and that pin in the side of the action secured the cocking rod.

GREAT CONDITION!!!! 12ga Inman Meffert, Suhl SxS shotgun: Extractors and Cocking Indicators. With 29 1/2″ Full & Full and has Bright Shiny Bores that are 100% ReRust Blued barrels with sideclips. 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 13 3/4″ LOP Nice wood. 16ga frame weighing only 6 1/2 lbs. Well Balanced and fun to shoot sporting clays. Great Price For A Nice SXS. Price: $1095

Decent double alert: 12g J.P. Sauer Royal Grade SxS …

June 13, 2015June 13, 2015 by Gregg

Here’s a decent looking double that would surely get the job done in South Dakota and Montana. Even if it’s not the prettiest SxS in the world, it sure is priced right. With its ejectors, straight stock, original 2 3/4″ chambers, and slick looking long forend, I don’t see how you can go wrong.

JP SAUER ROYAL GRADE – 12 GAUGE – EJECTORS: Here is a JP Sauer Royal Grade with all the options. Straight grip with long trigger guard tang. Ejectors. Cocking indicators. Side clips. Solid wood – no cracks. Tight on face. Auto safety. Case colors in protected areas. Made in Suhl in 1961. Barrel is 28 1/4″. Chambers are 2 3/4″. No loose ribs. Bores as original. Right at .726 with 36/1000 choke (Full). Left at .724 with 48/1000 choke (Extra Full). Weight of gun is 6 LBS 14 3/8 OZ. Shipping is $40. Stock dimensions: LOP – 14 7/8″, Drop at Comb – 1 5/8″, Drop at Heel – 2 5/8″. Price: $950

Good gun alert: A great looking 16 gauge Merkel O/U…

March 28, 2015March 27, 2015 by Gregg

If you’re looking for a nice O/U, here’s a 16 gauge German double that deserves your attention. This Merkel was made in 1951, and even though it’s 60+ years old, it looks pretty much new. These older Merkel over-unders are solid and incredibly well made. Even though they look a little beefy, they are surprisingly nimble shotguns.

This one weighs just over 6lbs — lighter than a lot of modern 20s — and with 28″ barrels, double triggers, and high dimensions, it would be perfect for upland hunting.

I think Merkel introduced their 200-line of O/U shotguns right after WW2. The 200s were built on triggerplate-style, Blitz actions and used double Kersten locks (with no underbolt) to lock up. The E in 200E stands for Ejectors. Even though the 200 were one of the least expensive O/Us Merkel offered, they were still pricey. Comparable models offered in the ’20s cost as much as a new 12g A.H. Fox XE. Personally, I think the Merkels were the better shotgun.

Merkel 16 Gauge 200E O/U Shotgun: Circa. 4/51 Proof Date. Overall in Excellent Condition.
Both blue and case color remain at 98-99%. Bores are in perfect condition. Chokes at Mod and Full with a weight at 6 lbs. 3.3 oz. make this an easy to carry pheasant gun with the performance to take care of the task.

Gauge: 16 gauge

Barrels: 28″ w/orig. 2 3/4″ Chambers & Solid Rib

Chokes: Mod & Full

Action: Merkel-Kersten Lock

Stock: European Walnut

Butt: Packmayr Pad with Leather Face

LOP: 14 1/2 to hinged front trigger

Weight: 6 lbs. 3.3 oz.

Stock Dimensions: 1 3/8 x 2 3/8 x 14 1/2 with 3/16 cast off

Good gun alert: a great 10g V. Chr. Schilling hammer shotgun…

April 26, 2013 by Gregg

10 gauge Schilling Double Barrel Side by Side Hammer Shotgun

Here’s another hammergun that’s making me crazy: 10 gauge V Chr. Schilling. I love old double barrels like this one, especially ones with color and finish like this Schilling has. Check out the arrow-head drop points, too. Awesome.

This is a big 10 gauge, probably made in the 1880s as a waterfowler. I would love to buy it, but my bank account (and wife) say I can’t own them all.

V Chr. Schilling was a European gunmaker based in Suhl, Germany. Founded in 1816 and around until the 1920s (I think), they were major players in that region’s gun trade, and they made all grades of sporting guns along with military weapons and other firearms. They also made doubles for the American firm Charles Daly.

Here’s more info about the one you see here one from the seller:

10 gauge Schilling Side-by-Side Double Barrel Hammer Shotgun: 30″ bbls, 14″ LOP to a butt plate, double triggers, 8lbs. 10z., with case. Price: $1,799.99

Gorgeous engraving on a Max Ern O/U double rifle…

January 22, 2013January 22, 2013 by Gregg

Engraving can make or break a shotgun. Done right, it adds to a double’s overall elegance and beauty. Done wrong, its gaudiness screams “look at me” and ruins the entire gun. On this Max Ern O/U double rifle, I would say that the engraver got it right. You can see more examples of Max Ern firearms here.

Check out this crispy, 16 gauge F.W. Heym over/under…

April 20, 2012April 20, 2012 by Gregg

I’m always amazed by the doubles people have squirreled. Judging by the condition of this 16 gauge over/under, this F.W. Heym has been hiding under some bed, or in some back closet, most its life.

F.W. Heym was a German gunmaker founded by Friedrich Wilhelm Heym in July 1865. This shotgun was sold through the Sloan’s Sporting Goods back in the roaring ’20s. Sloan’s used to be a big player in the fine firearms world. They had a store in NYC and Ridgefield, CT, and back when this o/u was bought, it was probably just another one of the fine doubles on the shop’s racks.

The shotgun itself is a mid-grade boxlock ejector with sideplates. The scrollwork is very well done, even though there isn’t all that much of it. I think the single trigger is original. The gun locks up on the Kersten-style system and I bet it closes with a bold KERCHUNK! Judging by the serial number, I think it was made around 1924.

A few things I love about this gun:

-The wood. It looks like real French walnut.

-The horn inlays on the stock.

-Its 28″ barrels.

-All its original condition. Not many shotguns make it past their 80th birthday that way. Fortunately, this one has.