Heres an INTERESTING old gun for you European gun experts...(pic warning!)

Wrong Way

Wrong Way

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Heres what I know: Austrian stalking rifle, dated somewhere in the mid 1800's. Made by H. SCHERPING HOF-BUCHSENMACHER (custom rifle builder to the austrian royalty I'm told) 1 Damascus shot barrel (16 ga) marked HANNOVER and one rifled barrel somewhere between 45 and 50 cal.
Lots of silver, extremely well done fine line engraving on all surfaces, horn and walnut. I have to take it to some experts to find out more (caliber, value, history) but I thought id put it up here first.


Anybody have any insight?

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Very nice sporting gun!..If you ever go to Ottawa, Jason at Gunco would be a good person to show it to. Silver?
 
There is only a brief (and confusing) mention in Carder's Side by Sides of the World:
SCHERPING, HEINRICH: A gunmaker located in Hanover, German 1831-1913. A side by side with the Scherping name was advertised as an engraved boxlock made in about 1924. No other history or description available.​
Sharptail might be by soon. He may have more detailed resource information that me.

Very interesting gun though and looks to be a very good condition considering its age.
 
RobSmith said:
Are there any stamps/proof marks under the barrels ?
Click to expand...

Nope, not a one.

Couple other interesting things.....a flip up rear sight, as well as the fold up tang sight. and there is a pop-up gold front bead as well.

The gun functions 100%, the only flaw I can find is some pitting in the SG barrel, but the rifled side is perfect.
 
I am guessing the gun was made after the 1870's because it appears to have rebounding hammers. I am guessing that the shotgun barrel is probably 16 guage x 2 5/8" shells since that is a fairly common european guage. You would have to mike the bore and the chamber to confirm. Also would suggest casting parafin wax into the rifle chamber and beginning of the bore to give you shell and slug dimensions. Compare those numbers to Cartridges of the World for a best guess on what cartridge. Measure the rifling twist and use the Greenhill formula (150 x diam squared/twist = length) to get the longest bullet you can shoot.
Should be a fun gun to shoot.

cheers mooncoon
 
It is interesting that the locks appear to be rebounding, yet also have the safeties. Sort of belt and suspenders approach. It is really unusual for a European gun not to have proof marks. Note that the right trigger is a single set for the rifle barrel.
 
I don't think Germany used proof marks until about 1890 or so. I believe the laws were introduced in 1890, passed in 1891 and made public in 1892 --- reference is Wirnsberger.
20 guage is unusual in a german gun, in my experience.

cheers mooncoon
 
It is indeed a Cape gun, and a nice one at that. Stalking safeties, Lefaucheux action, looks like original tang sight, nice wood and engraving and unusual combination of Damascus and fluid steel barrels. I know nothing of Scherping, except I vaguely remember something about an 11 m.m. Scherping cartridge. The value of a gun like this could easily reach 4 to 5 K$.

To find out more about the maker, there are only two places to go:

1) http://www.germanguns.com/

2) http://gunshop.com/

Sharptail
 
Wrong Way said:
You are half right:)
The shotgun side is a beautiful Damascus, but the rifle side is fluid steel.

Ryan
Click to expand...


Wow! that's real attention to detail, it makes sense when you think about it, the damascus might delaminate under rifle pressures.....

Such lovely smoke-poles you have!:eek:

(so much envy!)
 
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