triple barrel shotguns

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Oh, yeah, a Luftwaffe survival drilling is a real prize.
If you have one in the typical German overbuilt case, it is worth a lot of money.
You have to wonder what kind of game they thought they would be living off of in their area of operation. From what I can google, they were issued in North Africa from 1941 while they were still winning.
 
The Luftwaffe drillings were made by Sauer and were 12-12 9.3x74R. I've had chances to buy them, but they are just too heavy to me, to make a good hunting gun.

All 12ga drillings i've ever owned or handled were on the heavy side, and i prefer lighter guns...

DM
 
That's the Hummingbird - that is an amazing double rifle - and only weighing 2.2# total

Hofer, Ollendorf, and several other small shops in Austria produce some of the finest custom guns there are
 
9.3x74R is a heck of a round to be throwing at something. I mean, rough math/gu-estimation says that is around a .40 cal, right? I'd have to assume they weren't worried about firing at enemy troops with it, since I'd think you would think they would have just thrown in a few 98's in there if that was the case???

Nonetheless, I want one, just doubt I'll ever have the cash for one.

-Eric
 
4 barrel shotgun

http://www.nramuseum.com/the-museum...boss/lancaster-four-barrel-shotgun-28-ga.aspx

The above is a link the the NRA Museum's Petersen Collection. This is a 4 barrel 28 gauge. There are a number of multibarrel shotguns and rifles in this collection. This must be the finest private collection of firearms ever owned by a single individual. The collection was donated to the NRA Firearms Museum last year. If you get a chance to visit you will find it amazing.

Tom
 
Eric, the 9.3X74 round is roughly analogous to the 35 Whelan.

A surprising number of German/Austrian Drillings were made in Winchester calibers, 30-30 and 25/35 especially. The shotgun parts were more often 16s than 12s.
 
DM~ said:
The Luftwaffe drillings were made by Sauer and were 12-12 9.3x74R. I've had chances to buy them, but they are just too heavy to me, to make a good hunting gun.

All 12 ga drillings i've ever owned or handled were on the heavy side, and i prefer lighter guns...

DM
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The majority though were made in 16 bore...I find that drillings in 12 bore just not balanced properly to my tastes unless they have a very thin under barrel like 5.6x35R (.220 Hornet) or 5.6x52R (.22 Savage HiPower).

Some other very popular Western calibres were the .303 British and the .30 WCF (.30/30 Win) and .32 WCF (.32/40 Win)

Jim Watson -- They were for the air crews who were flying from North Africa to the far fjords of Norway and were designed to cover all types of animals in that territory from "Elg" in Norway to lions in Ethiopia and weren't really designed for pitched battles since they only came with two 10-round boxes of 9.3x74Rmm H-Mantel (Half Metal Jacket, i.e., Soft Point] rifle cartridges, 20 rounds of 12-gauge Brenneke solid slugs and 25 rounds of 12-gauge shotshells loaded with 3 1/2mm (#3 bird) in 2½" husks...Says so right on the interior box label.

9.3 = .36614 and in many African counties it will be allowed to be used on Cape buffalo etc. where they have the .375 H&H Mag minimum regulation...9.3x62mm would be equivalent to a .35 Whelen while the 9.3x64mm is a heavier charge yet brought out to compete with the British .400/360 Nitro Express...The 9.3x74Rmm is the rimmed version for break action rifles and is equivalent to the 375 Flanged Nitro Express.

I have a c.1920s Ferlach 9.3x72Rmm single break action and a a c.1930s French made drilling over 16 bore that are quite decent for moose and black bear...My wife's favourite rifle is a between wars Belgium made 16x16 over a 7x57Rmm because it fits her like a custom gun and she's deadly with it on flying game.

Surprised that no one has posted Drilling Hotline yet.

Also a great info forum is Nitro Express -- Dealing primarily in double rifles and drillings in NE calibres.
 
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Ironically a friend from high-school posted a couple of pictures of a nice example from the Three Barrel Gun co, on Facebook, the other day. Although it was marked Wheeling, not Moundsville.
 
I am getting on late but the WV drillings were also marked Hollenbeck, the family name. Teddy Roosevelt suppossedly carried one off to his ranching adventure he describes it only as 16 bore over .40.

I also favor the 16 bore. In my case a Suhler Fortuna sporting a 7X65R. Unfortunately in TN we can not have mixed ammo in the field e.g. lead/steel or small game/large game.
 
three barrel gun company

Yes...the gun I have by my Great Grandfather is exactly like that one used by Teddy Roosevelt. Also, the Three Barrel Gun Company was at one time in Wheeling WV and also Moundsvile WV.
 
Love the look, style, and all around usefulness this gun has. Would love even more to own one. Where can one be had at a modest price? Are there any manufacturers to steer clear of? Any other do's/dont's when looking to purchase a dreiling?
 
The 9.3x74R is an excellent round and still very useful today, it is now loaded by Nosler and Hornandy among others.

These are factory Nosler loads,

orig.jpg

It has very good penetration/killing power with only medium pressures, wish i would have had that combo (DR and 286NP's) when i was hunting brown bear regularly!

DM
 
A gentleman I go to church with has a 12 x 12 x 7.57J that his father said came from one of Herman Goering's hunting lodges in Nazi Germany after WWII. He has no proof that Goering owned it other than his fathers word. Does anyone have any idea where to track information like that down?
 
RIATAC45 said:
A gentleman I go to church with has a 12 x 12 x 7.57J that his father said came from one of Herman Goering's hunting lodges in Nazi Germany after WWII. He has no proof that Goering owned it other than his fathers word. Does anyone have any idea where to track information like that down?
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That is very easy to check out--contact the maker, who's probably still in business and they'll check their records as to who bought it and when.

Just because it came from one of Goering's schuetzehaus doesn't mean it was his--all of his foresters (jaegers) would have owned a similar rifle that they would have left behind fleeing before the American forces.
 
DM~ said:
The 9.3x74R is an excellent round and still very useful today, it is now loaded by Nosler and Hornandy among others.

These are factory Nosler loads,

orig.jpg

It has very good penetration/killing power with only medium pressures, wish i would have had that combo (DR and 286NP's) when i was hunting brown bear regularly!

DM
Click to expand...
DM - That is an absolutely beautiful rifle you have there. I'm afraid to ask whats the going price on one of those, but I already have a feeling I lack the funds to place one in my gun cabinet.

-Eric
 
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drilling for sale

If anyone is interested I have a friend who has 2 drillings for sale. I saw one this past weekend. It is a pre-WW2, German of course, 16x16x8mm, and is in very nice shape. Still has the original Zeiss scope. He's asking $1900 which I think is a very reasonable price. If anyone is seriously interested send me a note. Tom
 
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