16gauge/7.7mm double barreled shotgun/rifle value? - The Firearms Forum

Jerryd57 · 10-02-2012, 11:30 PM

My father has subject that he got from a German town in WW11. It has Lauf on one of the barrels. A lot of intricate carvings are seen. There is a 4 bullet holding area in the stock. It also has the original leather strap. Any idea of its value and if we wanted to sell it what would be the best way - gun dealer, auction, etc.?

Jim K · 10-03-2012, 03:08 PM

"Lauf" just means barrel.

The rifle caliber is probably 8.15x46R, but we would need to see a good picture of the markings under the barrels to be sure.

That type of gun is called a "drilling", the German word for "triplet", for obvious reasons, and it appears to be a very nice one. What appears to be the shotgun safety on the top behind the lever is the selector for the rifle barrel. The safety is on the left side of the grip above the triggers.

Jim

Jerryd57 · 10-03-2012, 10:28 PM

Following up to my first post. I was given some pictures from my father, along with the gun I was describing, BUT I unfortunately put out some wrong information as he has two guns that are similar. One has the 7.7mm rifle and this one, with the more elegant engraving, has a 7.8mm rifle. I took the barrel off and got a better picture with all the markings and the brand is, if I can read the font right, KRUFF LAUFSTAHL, but the "F" could be another letter, but not a L or T so... There is a stamp of Suhl, StmG, 15 gr, 57 , 1138, 5923, & 16/1 along with several birds(eagles?) and other marks. I have uploaded a picture of the barrel and the engraving on the other side.

Jim K · 10-07-2012, 07:45 PM

OK. Let's take that drilling. The shotgun barrels are 16 gauge, the most common gauge on the European continent. The Crown/W is the proof for choked barrels. There should be a mark for the chamber length in millimeters, but I don't see it. The crown/U is the definitive proof. The "Suhl" mark indicates the location of the proof house.

The rifle barrel is indicated as 7.8mm bore size, which is 8mm; the chamber length is 57mm, so the barrel is for the 8X57JR or JRS. The StmG means Stahlmantel Geschoss or steel jacket bullet indicating that the gun can be safely used with jacketed bullets.

The 15 gram is the bullet weight (sorry, in a private message, I said powder weight, which would be absurd) of 230 grains. The 5823 is probably the serial number, the 10 38 is the date of proof (Oct. 1938). The latter date would seem to be confirmed by the general appearance and engraving of the gun; everything points to a gun of that era.

The barrels are made of Krupp Laufstahl or Krupp Barrel Steel, the best quality barrels.

I have little experience with evaluating those drillings, so will defer to others, or you can look up sales by Googling "Drilling" and checking out sale sites.

Jim

10-02-2012, 11:30 PM	#1
Jerryd57 Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Posts: 2	16gauge/7.7mm double barreled shotgun/rifle value? My father has subject that he got from a German town in WW11. It has Lauf on one of the barrels. A lot of intricate carvings are seen. There is a 4 bullet holding area in the stock. It also has the original leather strap. Any idea of its value and if we wanted to sell it what would be the best way - gun dealer, auction, etc.? Attached Images -->

10-03-2012, 03:08 PM	#2
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: 16gauge/7.7mm double barreled shotgun/rifle value? "Lauf" just means barrel. The rifle caliber is probably 8.15x46R, but we would need to see a good picture of the markings under the barrels to be sure. That type of gun is called a "drilling", the German word for "triplet", for obvious reasons, and it appears to be a very nice one. What appears to be the shotgun safety on the top behind the lever is the selector for the rifle barrel. The safety is on the left side of the grip above the triggers. Jim

10-03-2012, 10:28 PM	#3
Jerryd57 Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Posts: 2	Re: 16gauge/7.7mm double barreled shotgun/rifle value? Following up to my first post. I was given some pictures from my father, along with the gun I was describing, BUT I unfortunately put out some wrong information as he has two guns that are similar. One has the 7.7mm rifle and this one, with the more elegant engraving, has a 7.8mm rifle. I took the barrel off and got a better picture with all the markings and the brand is, if I can read the font right, KRUFF LAUFSTAHL, but the "F" could be another letter, but not a L or T so... There is a stamp of Suhl, StmG, 15 gr, 57 , 1138, 5923, & 16/1 along with several birds(eagles?) and other marks. I have uploaded a picture of the barrel and the engraving on the other side. Attached Images

10-07-2012, 07:45 PM	#4
Jim K Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 6,408	Re: 16gauge/7.7mm double barreled shotgun/rifle value? OK. Let's take that drilling. The shotgun barrels are 16 gauge, the most common gauge on the European continent. The Crown/W is the proof for choked barrels. There should be a mark for the chamber length in millimeters, but I don't see it. The crown/U is the definitive proof. The "Suhl" mark indicates the location of the proof house. The rifle barrel is indicated as 7.8mm bore size, which is 8mm; the chamber length is 57mm, so the barrel is for the 8X57JR or JRS. The StmG means Stahlmantel Geschoss or steel jacket bullet indicating that the gun can be safely used with jacketed bullets. The 15 gram is the bullet weight (sorry, in a private message, I said powder weight, which would be absurd) of 230 grains. The 5823 is probably the serial number, the 10 38 is the date of proof (Oct. 1938). The latter date would seem to be confirmed by the general appearance and engraving of the gun; everything points to a gun of that era. The barrels are made of Krupp Laufstahl or Krupp Barrel Steel, the best quality barrels. I have little experience with evaluating those drillings, so will defer to others, or you can look up sales by Googling "Drilling" and checking out sale sites. Jim