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Need help with a Sauer Sohn 16g

2K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  sharps4590 
#1 ·
Hi,
My dad gave me his old Sauer Sohn 16g SxS and I'm trying to get an idea of when it was built and what worth if any it has. Pictures attached.

Any information would be appreciated.
 

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#2 ·
I can help you some, but information on these old Sauer's isn't easy to come by. I have one if not the same as yours it is very similar. From what I can tell in the pictures, yours is a pre-WWII shotgun. I know the one that I have packed away is certainly pre-WWII as my wife's great grandfather acquired it while serving in Europe in WWII. After he passed away several years back, her grandfather asked me to help clean out "Gramps" garage and we found it in the corner behind the door. "Pops" told me to take it home with me along with a Hopkins and Allen single barrel because he knew I loved firearms.

As far as your gun, I am pretty sure it pre-dates WWII, and precedes the Model 60 which was imported after WWII. The 16 ga. was a preferred shotgun cartridge in Europe. The chambers on your gun are most likely 65mm or around 2 9/16 inches instead of the 2 3/4 inch shells here in the U.S. So, unless you load you own shells, you can not shoot it, so you need to have it check by a competent gunsmith to verify the chamber length prior to firing.

As far as value, it goes to the old saying, "It is only worth what somebody is willing to pay". I checked some previous sales data and these guns fluctuate like the stock market from what I found. Depending on the buyer it could range anywhere from $400 - $1,500, as the data that I found ranges that much! I have no book pricing on these shotguns. I was offered $1,200 for mine a long time ago, but I would never part with it, due to family history. Maybe some one else will come along and provide a better estimate on the value and a little more history. These guys are very resourceful.

As far as the gun itself, I believe it is probably one of the best feeling shotguns that I have ever held. These things were well crafted, graceful and extremely well balanced. By picking up and studying these old guns you have a feel for the pride of craftsmanship that was taken to build it.
 
#3 ·
I believe TyeDye is pretty close and he's correct in the spread of prices. The recoil pad will hurt the value of the piece a bit. I also can't agree with him more about the way they handle and their quality. Between the wars I don't believe the Germans gave up anything to the British in their shotguns and the 16 is a most capable bore size.

If you reload, 2 1/2 or 9/16, (virtually interchangeable), are easy to make.
 
#4 ·
I looked at the recoil pad in the photos and seen the same pad on others so I was trying to figure out if the one pictured is a little newer than mine or if everyone changed out to recoil pads. Mine has a steel checkered or maybe engraved butt plate if I remember correctly. I actually have mine packed up for long term storage as I had only ever used it for quail hunting a couple of times. I also have a couple Manufrance doubles packed away, and they have the same 65mm chambers and balance really well too.
 
#6 ·
There goes what original value is left.

If you can, get some good, legible pictures of the proof marks on the bottom of the barrels. They tell a lot.
 
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