East German shotguns
- Thread starter MiG25
- Start date
Generally well made, if a little bit crude compared to the pre war stuff. Name doesn't matter much.....the Commies ursurped the Merkel, Sauer and Simpson names and made them all in the same factories. Buy the gun, not the name.
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
Depends on the condition of the gun. Yes, there may be some deals but there are a lot out there that have been rode hard and put away wet and are not worth any more than the asking price.
madtrapper143
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Steep Rock Lake NWO
Spend an afternoon on the I net and educate yourself about German shotguns. Trade Ex has some gems hidden in the inventory for little more than a 1/3 of what they are worth. I picked up a Buhag (Merkle) sxs 16 bore built under Soviet Occupation chambered for 2 3/4" cartridges and ejectors. A beautiful little gun for a bargain price. Guns built after WW2 (under Soviet supervision) ranged from the best of the best to some that were just work horses. Soviet steel used to build these guns was of superb quality and the old German Master workmanship was excellent.
Darryl
Darryl
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
I as well took a gamble on a very low priced German sxs from Tradeex. It's a Christoph Funk boxlock non ejector, double triggers, splinter forearm. It's from before 1923 and possibly before WWl. It has 2 1/2 in chambers (which doesn't bother me) and nitro proofed barrels. From the pics I knew it needed some cosmetic TLC but I had a hunch it would be a nice handling gun. And so it is and it weighs around 6 pounds. The bores are great and I already have the barrels ready for slow rust bluing and the forearm is having the checkering recut. It should turn out to be a nice, no frills sxs at a low price. So there are some decent guns for the money, you just have to know what you are looking at and what type of work that may be required.
Guns made in the surviving occupied Simson works immediately after WWII were made to high standards. A few examples have come to auction were made for prominent generals and politicians.
Once the Soviets consolidated all Suhl shotgun manufacturing, the historic brands of Sauer, Simson and Merkel all came from the same factory lines, with higher levels of decoration on premium guns.
I find that guns made in the Ernst Thalmann Werk, even those bearing the Quality 1 stamp, are just not up to their earlier reputation for fit and finish.
I briefly owned a late manufacture GECO branded Quality 1 gun in 20 gauge from the Thalmann Werk, still stiff with newness, that I just could not work up any affection for. And so, it went down the road.
Once the Soviets consolidated all Suhl shotgun manufacturing, the historic brands of Sauer, Simson and Merkel all came from the same factory lines, with higher levels of decoration on premium guns.
I find that guns made in the Ernst Thalmann Werk, even those bearing the Quality 1 stamp, are just not up to their earlier reputation for fit and finish.
I briefly owned a late manufacture GECO branded Quality 1 gun in 20 gauge from the Thalmann Werk, still stiff with newness, that I just could not work up any affection for. And so, it went down the road.
handofzeus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Trout Creekish Ontario.
I picked up a beautiful 1936 BSW {Simson} 12g SXS with a straight English stock that is of excellent quality. You might have to settle for some blemishes but the materials used in these old guns put todays manufacturing to shame.
I just bought a 1935 BSW and have the same gun as you have.Amazing quality and workmanship.So refined compared to anything I have seen from after the war, and compared to it, my vintage mossberg 500 seems like a mixture of plastic and loosely made junk.
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
I just picked up another. It's a Rheinmetall from 1921. It has 27 1/2" barrels, splinter forearm, cheekpiece, swivels, double triggers, extractors, greener style crossbolt, side clips and cocking indicators. Weighs around 6lbs, 6oz. It is of very good quality and functions perfectly. If one does their home work and keeps their eyes peeled, there are some very decent quality German guns out there at good prices. I gave the Rheinmetall a good cleaning and slow rust blued the barrels. It's good for another 100 years.
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gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
No but it does make him aware of other German alternatives that he maybe wasn't aware of. A number of the guns that he was thinking might be post war East German may not be. A lot of people that might be looking on sites such as Tradeex assume that the German guns listed are all post war East German and that isn't the case.
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I’m fine with the trade ex gamble. It’s my shipping costs. And as a few have noted, there are some gems to be had.
Back into the OP’s question, I would not buy any of the run of the mill post war East German guns. The good ones are exceedingly rare. On the other hand, pre war German guns are among the finest made. Materials and craftsmanship. I have a late 1890’s Sauer sidelock whose interior lockwork finishing compares favourably to Purdey. This is a gun that will always sell for less than $1000 in Canada.
Back into the OP’s question, I would not buy any of the run of the mill post war East German guns. The good ones are exceedingly rare. On the other hand, pre war German guns are among the finest made. Materials and craftsmanship. I have a late 1890’s Sauer sidelock whose interior lockwork finishing compares favourably to Purdey. This is a gun that will always sell for less than $1000 in Canada.
My BSW is a 1935 and is really nice quality.The Greener system is a tight lockup.The pre war guns are the best for workmanship.
