Info on an old German gun... - The Firearms Forum

rowdyredneck · 08-14-2005, 09:58 PM

I'm just curious about an old gun I saw and had the privelage of holding one time. My neighbor is a WWII vet and saw lots of active duty. He fought in the Normandy invasion and also the Battle of the Bulge. One of his most prized possesions he brought back from the war was this really unique gun he had found in an abandonded castle, apparently left behind by the fleeing Germans. This was back when there were no laws preventing soldiers from taking items left behind. It was a break action side by side double barrel 16 gauge shotgun with a 9mm rifled barrel centered on the bottom side between the two shotgun barrels. It only had two triggers and two visible external hammers, I believe to fire the 9mm you pulled back the right hammer and squeezed the right trigger but I can't remember. It also had a large scope that appeared to be original to the gun, perhaps by the same manufacturer. It was very high quality but was showing its age at the time but still in good working order. My neighbor used it to hunt with for several years until he became too old to go out much. About ten years ago they had a household auction and he decided to sell the gun and has since moved away from this area. He's now in his 90's but still living. My dad had told me for years about how unique this gun was and how he wished he could have it and when it finally came up for auction I went to try and bid on it. But to my dismay it sold for an astounding $7500. Its been so long ago I can't remember the manufacturer but I'm almost 100% sure it was German made. I was wondering if anyone has ever seen anything like this or may know who made them or what the value might be? I would be very interested to know more about it. A friend of my father's said the reason they built them that way was because the Germans only allowed one gun per household, and this way they could have both a rifle and shotgun as a combination.

stash247 · 08-14-2005, 10:39 PM

The German folk called such an arm a Dreiling, (like, in three= drei), we call them drillings. Caliber was likely 16x16 x 9.3x57mm, or 16x16x 9x57R, and could have been built by a number of makers, many in the Suhl region.
One really nice piece, at that money, or a very well heeled, poorly informed buyer.

08-14-2005, 09:58 PM	#1
rowdyredneck V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 215	Info on an old German gun... I'm just curious about an old gun I saw and had the privelage of holding one time. My neighbor is a WWII vet and saw lots of active duty. He fought in the Normandy invasion and also the Battle of the Bulge. One of his most prized possesions he brought back from the war was this really unique gun he had found in an abandonded castle, apparently left behind by the fleeing Germans. This was back when there were no laws preventing soldiers from taking items left behind. It was a break action side by side double barrel 16 gauge shotgun with a 9mm rifled barrel centered on the bottom side between the two shotgun barrels. It only had two triggers and two visible external hammers, I believe to fire the 9mm you pulled back the right hammer and squeezed the right trigger but I can't remember. It also had a large scope that appeared to be original to the gun, perhaps by the same manufacturer. It was very high quality but was showing its age at the time but still in good working order. My neighbor used it to hunt with for several years until he became too old to go out much. About ten years ago they had a household auction and he decided to sell the gun and has since moved away from this area. He's now in his 90's but still living. My dad had told me for years about how unique this gun was and how he wished he could have it and when it finally came up for auction I went to try and bid on it. But to my dismay it sold for an astounding $7500. Its been so long ago I can't remember the manufacturer but I'm almost 100% sure it was German made. I was wondering if anyone has ever seen anything like this or may know who made them or what the value might be? I would be very interested to know more about it. A friend of my father's said the reason they built them that way was because the Germans only allowed one gun per household, and this way they could have both a rifle and shotgun as a combination. --> Last edited by rowdyredneck; 08-14-2005 at 10:20 PM..

08-14-2005, 10:39 PM	#2
stash247 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Central Texas Posts: 2,815	Re: Info on an old German gun... The German folk called such an arm a Dreiling, (like, in three= drei), we call them drillings. Caliber was likely 16x16 x 9.3x57mm, or 16x16x 9x57R, and could have been built by a number of makers, many in the Suhl region. One really nice piece, at that money, or a very well heeled, poorly informed buyer. __________________ Don't start no s**t and there won't be none, Terry