Need help identifying German Rifle
- Thread starter marmot
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Jim Watson
New member
Beats me. There were a lot of small gunmakers in Germany before WW II and even more before WW I. Getting a business report and biography of old Emil and the boys is going to be tough.
What do all those widgets and buttons DO?
What do all those widgets and buttons DO?
Jim Watson
New member
Wow.
John Browning's Thumb Trigger .22 all grown up.
I have never heard of the like.
Show more pictures.
John Browning's Thumb Trigger .22 all grown up.
I have never heard of the like.
Show more pictures.
Here is a few more Pictures.
The barrel has on the side a crown and S.t.m.G. N22gr then in another spot on the side the same thing but 18gr.
Around on the next side down is the letters R G and U each with a crown over them. Then 10.5mm with a 60 under that and 9/28 under that.
More on the bottom B G U and E each with a crown. a serial #
also 10.75 X6Q
8.9mm
74 1/2
2/25
and a gs with a circle around it.
All interesting stuff
The barrel has on the side a crown and S.t.m.G. N22gr then in another spot on the side the same thing but 18gr.
Around on the next side down is the letters R G and U each with a crown over them. Then 10.5mm with a 60 under that and 9/28 under that.
More on the bottom B G U and E each with a crown. a serial #
also 10.75 X6Q
8.9mm
74 1/2
2/25
and a gs with a circle around it.
All interesting stuff
Attachments
Jim Watson
New member
Strange, looks like it is marked for two different calibers, 10.8x60R and 9.3x74R. Perhaps it was rebored, relined, or rebarrelled.
The rest of that stuff is standard German pre-Nazi proof marks.
The rest of that stuff is standard German pre-Nazi proof marks.
The crown/U is the final definitive proof; the crown/G is the proof for rifled barrels, the crown/B means that the proof was done in the finished condition; the crown/E is the proof for express rifle barrels. But the crown/R is the key, as it is the mark for a reproof after repair or alteration; the second set of regular proofs (U-G*) was done at the same time to be sure the alteration did not make the rifle unsafe. The alteration seems to have been reboring and re-rifling the barrel to a larger caliber, done in September, 1928.
The St.m.G means the rifle was proved with a Stahlmantelgeschoss or steel jacket bullet, the number is the weight of the bullet in grams (the heavier obviously for the new larger caliber).
A very interesting and valuable rifle, but I can't come anywhere near putting a dollar value on it. I would think in the medium four figures to the right buyer.
*Edited to note that the second proof set does not include the crown/B or the crown/E. The former was not needed as the gun is obviously in the finished state; the latter was probably omitted because the new caliber was not considered an "express" caliber.
Jim
The St.m.G means the rifle was proved with a Stahlmantelgeschoss or steel jacket bullet, the number is the weight of the bullet in grams (the heavier obviously for the new larger caliber).
A very interesting and valuable rifle, but I can't come anywhere near putting a dollar value on it. I would think in the medium four figures to the right buyer.
*Edited to note that the second proof set does not include the crown/B or the crown/E. The former was not needed as the gun is obviously in the finished state; the latter was probably omitted because the new caliber was not considered an "express" caliber.
Jim
Last edited:
mapsjanhere
New member
Very interesting history just in proof marks, would be great to see a chamber cast, that 10.75x60 is a dozy. My guess would be the old 11x60R with a slightly narrower jacketed round.
The design is generally called a jaeger, i.e. a hunting rifle designed for carrying while actively hunting game. The thumb trigger is curious, I have never seen one like it, although I have seen thumb triggers on other German rifles. And yes, "Teutonic" is the descriptive word for that one. Beautiful!
FWIW, 10.75X60Rmm is indeed a version of the 11mm Mauser. There were two loadings, one for the 1871 rifle (11.15X60Rmm), the other for the 71/84 rifle (which had deeper rifling, hence the smaller bore diameter), with slightly higher pressure and a paper patched bullet (very similar to our own 45-70 loadings in 405 and 500 gr versions). The 11X60Rmm was a very well respected cartridge in its day, and was even loaded in a rimless version after the advent of smokeless powder repeaters. Ballistics are close to 45-70 ballistics, being a 44 caliber 385 gr bullet over 60+/- gr of BP launching at about 1,400 fps (slightly slower in the older version). I shot my 11X60Rmm 1871 rifle for several years, loading it with paper-patched cast 350 gr .429" bullets (designed for 444 Marlin) over 60 gr of BP. Very satisfactory.
FWIW, 10.75X60Rmm is indeed a version of the 11mm Mauser. There were two loadings, one for the 1871 rifle (11.15X60Rmm), the other for the 71/84 rifle (which had deeper rifling, hence the smaller bore diameter), with slightly higher pressure and a paper patched bullet (very similar to our own 45-70 loadings in 405 and 500 gr versions). The 11X60Rmm was a very well respected cartridge in its day, and was even loaded in a rimless version after the advent of smokeless powder repeaters. Ballistics are close to 45-70 ballistics, being a 44 caliber 385 gr bullet over 60+/- gr of BP launching at about 1,400 fps (slightly slower in the older version). I shot my 11X60Rmm 1871 rifle for several years, loading it with paper-patched cast 350 gr .429" bullets (designed for 444 Marlin) over 60 gr of BP. Very satisfactory.
mapsjanhere
New member
In regards to the thumb trigger, since the weapon was custom made shortly after WWI, a war injury seems the most likely reason for the unconventional construction. As fancy as the weapon is made, the special trigger is not a huge extra expense. It would also go with the rebarrel, the 9.3x74R is ballisticly similar to the 9.3x62, and, from my experience, that one has a decent kick. Someone missing several fingers might have trouble controlling such a gun, so cutting down on recoil by using an older slower round might have been the reason for the rework.
BTW it looks like the horn cap on the forearm is missing.
BTW it looks like the horn cap on the forearm is missing.
Jim Watson
New member
Could be. I have a war loot shotgun that came with a vertical handle screwed into the foreend. Neatly done but probably not by the gunmaker. I figure a WW I vet with an injured left arm had it put on so he could keep hunting.
It is a French Verney Carron, no doubt confiscated by the Germans who lost it to the Americans in the Occupation.
It is a French Verney Carron, no doubt confiscated by the Germans who lost it to the Americans in the Occupation.
Mauserlein
Inactive
Emil Martin Bonn
Emil Martin was a well known Gunsmith in Bonn Germany. I knew him personally, he was also a crack pistol shot and member of the German free pistol team at the 1936 olympics in Berlin. He sold his shop about 1966. His hunting rifles with knob trigger (Knopfabzug) were mainly used by handicapped persons. He claim that Kaiser Wilhelm, who had a crippled left arm like his dign.
Emil Martin passed away about 1974.
Mauserlein
Emil Martin was a well known Gunsmith in Bonn Germany. I knew him personally, he was also a crack pistol shot and member of the German free pistol team at the 1936 olympics in Berlin. He sold his shop about 1966. His hunting rifles with knob trigger (Knopfabzug) were mainly used by handicapped persons. He claim that Kaiser Wilhelm, who had a crippled left arm like his dign.
Emil Martin passed away about 1974.
Mauserlein
Stressfire
New member
Better late than never 
Welcome to the forum
Welcome to the forum
Winchester_73
New member
Resurrection!