Help on Scheutzen Rifle

[Art Eatman]

My father brought back a war souvenir from Germany in 1945. It's .22 rimfire. Scheutzen (spelling?) rifle, single shot, falling block. Octagon barrel, tang-mounted peep sight. Lotsa drop in the stock, with a "curlicue" buttplate. The operating lever is rather complex. Two triggers; one to cock and one to fire; adjustable. Not a lot of engraving, but what there is is fairly complex and quite attractive.

Proof marks, but no maker's name visible--and I haven't taken it out of the wood.

Highly accurate. My father and my uncle, after winning 10 of 11 turkey shoots, were told that they could come back but not with that gun.

Anybody have any idea what this sort of animal is worth? Roughly? "Horseback guesstimate"? I'd call it somewhere around NRA 40%-50%...

Art

 

[Harley Nolden]

Art:
Many of these rifles were large bore rifles, that were converted to smaller calibers after the war, due to the restrictions of the treatry. Many of the bores were sleeved to the smaller caliber to enable them to be shot indoors. They were then called Zimmer (room) Schutzen (shooting) riflesand allowed under the treaty.

These rifles are a fine piece of art, (not to be confused with Art Eastman ) In their original state they were "Free Rifles" used in compitition and many were special made. I owned one many years ago, wish I still had it. Mine was an 8.15X46R converted to 17mm sleeved bore, which only went about 1/2 way down the barrel. This is not to imply that your rifle is one of the conversions, because I am sure that when the conversions hit the market, many had them built in the smaller caliber.

Flaydermaj's 7th Edition shows that V.H. Stevens made a several Schurtzen rifle that resemble the one I had. It is the Stevens Ideal Schuetzen Special Rifle #54, minus the weak hand palm rest.

HJN