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browningguy
November 21, 2007, 12:13 AM
Appears to be a typical German Drilling, with an untypical stock, the style looks very 1920-30ish to me. Many were made by Guild craftsman up through WWII. The name following Gewehrfabrik (rifle builder) is the manufacturer, and as you noted probably for someone with a severe eye dominance problem, perhaps a lost eye.
It's a better than average gun with the engraving, although it looks like it has a missing and a replaced screw, mounts for a detachable scope are also a good thing.
BEARMAN
November 21, 2007, 12:17 AM
Probably made for a right handed person who maybe lost his right eye or had a dominant left eye. And it is a DRILLING ,not a Driller. A DRILLING is a three barrel , a VIERLING is a four barrel.
SDC
November 21, 2007, 10:04 AM
The cross-over stock is (as mentioned above) made for someone who has cross-dominance problems or who's lost an eye, so they can hold the gun to their right shoulder but AIM with their left eye. This was an available factory option on most high-end shotguns before WW2, and you can still get them today if you've got plenty of money and are willing to look.
Your pictures don't really have enough info, but from what I CAN see, it looks like this drilling was made by Wilhelm Muchler & Sons ("Wil. Muchler Sohne"; the U has an unmlaut ("..") over it, making it sound more like "Mookler" than "Muckler") of Neuenrade, Germany; Neuenrade is located in western Germany, in the area known as Westphalia ("Gewehrfabrik" is "gun factory"). Muchler was in business during the 1930s in Germany, so it's possible that this is either a "bring back" from WW2, or a pre-war custom job. There SHOULD also be some definite calibre markings on it, probably on the bottoms and sides of the breech, that you can see when you take the barrels off the receiver. If it's like most drillings, it should be chambered for 2 16 gauge shells over a rimmed rifle cartridge; the shot of the butt trap shows a 30-40 Krag cartridge, which IS a rimmed cartridge, but the proofs on the barrels would definitely show you what it's actually chambered for. I'd also want to see what's on that paper in the butt, but it's likely pretty fragile by now, so be careful.
Fish Miner
November 21, 2007, 10:21 AM
Thanks for the great info- I did take the paper out- it was not very old, I think my FIL's mom wrote some notes about it and put it in there.
The story that came down was this was for a German military pearson and that he had lost an eye so had this gun custom built. Don't know when or where and none of us know german. I will post more pics of the breach when I see my FIL in a day or so. But it is for 16 ga.
Jim Watson
November 21, 2007, 11:15 AM
If you wanted to throw money at it and actually use it; it could probably be restocked straight. The tang looks straight. I have seen pictures of British crosseyed guns which actually had the actions curved so as to start the bend as close to the barrels as possible. No way to alter them, short of just putting the barrels on a new gun.
Fish Miner
November 21, 2007, 12:10 PM
Don't think that this will be used- nor would my FIL want it re-stocked. It is just an interesting gun that we want to find out about.
Skoghund
November 21, 2007, 02:07 PM
Nice Drilling. Horn trigger guard and a Greener side safety and cocking indicator. I see it has a set trigger for the rifled barrel. The bases are for claw mounts. the only way to mount a scope on a quality drilling. The engraveing is typical German with roe deer. Whats engraved on the other side? 16 bore was very popular in drillings. Was looking at a Merkel drilling on Monday that was 16 bore over 7X65R. Most drillings are sold as 12 or 20 these days.
Fish Miner
November 21, 2007, 05:51 PM
The engraving on the other side is a hunting dog and birds, and it is 16ga over 30-40 Krag. The horn trigger gaurd is the same horn that is used as the butt piece on the end of the stock.
Clipper
November 21, 2007, 09:26 PM
If you want to try shooting it, be advised that many of those old European guns were bored for 2 1/2" shells, not the US standard 2 3/4".
Skoghund
November 22, 2007, 05:09 PM
The horn trigger guards and but plates are normaly made of Buffalo horn. Drillings are still very popular in Germany and in skandinavia. We hunt a lot of driven game with dogs so you never know if it a hare ,fox or a deer the dog is hunting. With a Drilling or combination weapon your ready for everything. Enjoy That quality weapon.
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