Mystery .22 - Can you help identify it?

Deutsche Werke model 1.
Not terribly valuable but a neat little 22, I would stick to low velocity if you plan on shooting it.
 
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Incredible! Thank you so much! This forum never ceases to amaze me.

Sadly, it's missing the front sight and I see there are none at Numrich. So, it may be headed for the Equipment Exchange.
 
I have one here with same on the hinged breech cover - is says Deutsche Werke - Werk Erfurt on the barrel top. Some posters on Internet describe that logo as a "Recumbent Lion". Rear sights are different though - on this one it appears to be formed from that hinged cover metal - not adjustable, except maybe with a file - on yours, appears to be windage adjustable - is installed into a dovetail on that barrel?

Some pictures of this one that may or may not interest you to see:

The words stamped on top of the barrel:

D12730FE-961E-4232-B6BA-B1AC63320910_1_201_a.jpg

The rear sight on this one:

7D9E7275-E21C-4560-9A3F-5F7967FC5220_1_201_a.jpg

There is also a medallion insetted into the right side of the butt stock - same logo as used on top of the hinged cover.

8FD300A0-D737-44B9-8C4E-E826B0871AC6_1_201_a.jpg

And, finally - this is the front sight on this one - as if it is taper post - might have had a "ball" on top at one time - someone, at some time, might have filed the sides to make it look like a "sourdough" type sight from the shooter's point of view.

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Potashminer said:
I have one here with same on the hinged breech cover - is says Deutsche Werke - Werk Erfurt on the barrel top. Some posters on Internet describe that logo as a "Recumbent Lion". Rear sights are different though - on this one it appears to be formed from that hinged cover metal - not adjustable, except maybe with a file - on yours, appears to be windage adjustable - is installed into a dovetail on that barrel?
Click to expand...

This one appears to have some adjustment to it. I added a couple more photos in the Google Drive link above if you're interested.

But, as I said above, the front sight is missing and I can't see a place to get a new one, so I don't think it's much use.
 
Mine has the seperate adjustable rear sight too. Premium version!
Apparently they were often brought from Germany by immigrants in the early 1900's. I'd love to know more about them.

It should be very easy for Proline or Calgary Shooting Center to dig through their parts bin and find a front sight that will fit the dovetail with a little filing. It doesn't need to be the exact match just the right height which they should be able to figure out.
 
The story of these little guns is quite fascinating, after WW 1 Germany was in dire need of cash flow and there was a Canadian seed company in western Canada that contracted with the manufacturer to make these little guns. Here's the deal, if you were a little boy and sold "so many" seed packets, you got a rifle, little girls got a doll. Judging by the number of those little rifles that were out there, a whole lota seeds got sold!

When the long gun registry came out, hundreds of these guns got turned in or sold (For next to nothing) to various gun dealers who then resold them. They are a very unique piece of Canadian and especially western Canadian culture and history.

I hunted partridge as a boy, with a kid who used one of those to great precision on Ontario partridge in northern Ontario around Sundridge, South river area. I never asked him how he came to have his, maybe his dad or grand dad sold a lot of seeds!

Scott
 
I love mine.

I have a couple. I love how simple they all are.

Honestly have thought about getting a short barrel made and it would be a cute little guy to take out.
 
tokguy said:
Spooky units to let a newer shooter loose on.
Click to expand...

I was getting many times it would fail to fire - a decent imprint on the cartridge rim - always "went off" on the second try - I must have had the thing apart 10 times to try to figure that out - might be from wear, might be from design - but this one wants a "firm", complete trigger pull for that striker to hit that rim hard enough to fire it - if you are "dainty" or try to stop your trigger pull as that sear releases, it is as if something slows down the striker enough to make it's strike to be weaker than it needs to be. It has already been too long since I had it apart - that sear rides on a rounded surface on the cocking piece, after the thing releases the striker - that "drag" appears to be enough to slow down the striker speed - and cause those misfires. So, what I have been doing with it is an aggressive trigger pull - all the way back - not a "dainty" pull as short as I can make it - and it seems to fire each time that way.

As alluded to in an earlier post - I have no clue what pressure levels these old ones were designed to handle - they were likely made (or at least designed) at a time before SAAMI existed in North America. I presume from the lower velocity that CCI Quiet are less breech pressure than other .22 Long Rifle - so I have been using those in this rifle. I have never fired less expensive "High Velocity" ammo in it, nor any "shot loads" - I simply do not know what it is capable to handle, after 100 plus years. I also have a couple of the Stevens Favourite single shot "Boy's Rifles" - the bore on one of them like this Erfurt - probably totally ignored for many decades - much rust and crap came out of them when I cleaned them - but they go "bang" and for what they are, that might be "good enough".

And there are two Stevens Favourite that were originally chambered as 25 Stevens - the both have had Redman .22 liners installed. I have never yet fired either - likely, they are about as good as those rifles could have been. It seemed to be appropriate to get an empty box for 25 Stevens Long, and another empty box for 25 Stevens Short - CIL "Canuck" brand boxes - the rifles are still stamped as "25 Stevens" on the barrel, except that round will not go into the chamber - they are .22 Long Rifle chambers now.
 
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Doesn't appear to be enough barrel diameter to re-line 5/16 [.312] Redman tube. Using an Brownell 8mm bit?
 
Potashminer said:
I was getting many times it would fail to fire - a decent imprint on the cartridge rim - always "went off" on the second try - I must have had the thing apart 10 times to try to figure that out - might be from wear, might be from design - but this one wants a "firm", complete trigger pull for that striker to hit that rim hard enough to fire it - if you are "dainty" or try to stop your trigger pull as that sear releases, it is as if something slows down the striker enough to make it's strike to be weaker than it needs to be. It has already been too long since I had it apart - that sear rides on a rounded surface on the cocking piece, after the thing releases the striker - that "drag" appears to be enough to slow down the striker speed - and cause those misfires. So, what I have been doing with it is an aggressive trigger pull - all the way back - not a "dainty" pull as short as I can make it - and it seems to fire each time that way.

As alluded to in an earlier post - I have no clue what pressure levels these old ones were designed to handle - they were likely made (or at least designed) at a time before SAAMI existed in North America. I presume from the lower velocity that CCI Quiet are less breech pressure than other .22 Long Rifle - so I have been using those in this rifle. I have never fired less expensive "High Velocity" ammo in it, nor any "shot loads" - I simply do not know what it is capable to handle, after 100 plus years. I also have a couple of the Stevens Favourite single shot "Boy's Rifles" - the bore on one of them like this Erfurt - probably totally ignored for many decades - much rust and crap came out of them when I cleaned them - but they go "bang" and for what they are, that might be "good enough".

And there are two Stevens Favourite that were originally chambered as 25 Stevens - the both have had Redman .22 liners installed. I have never yet fired either - likely, they are about as good as those rifles could have been. It seemed to be appropriate to get an empty box for 25 Stevens Long, and another empty box for 25 Stevens Short - CIL "Canuck" brand boxes - the rifles are still stamped as "25 Stevens" on the barrel, except that round will not go into the chamber - they are .22 Long Rifle chambers now.
Click to expand...

We just shot them with regular 22 LR...seemed to handle it OK. But just a spooky unit overall.
 
These units had basically 2 positions... cocked and fired. There was a rebated ring that could holds the bolt / striker above the trigger sear; this is the safety...but this position is sketchy in itself as it has maximum spring pressure on the striker when sitting in it.
Get it stopped above the rebated ring...grab the action around striker and squeeze hard. It'll drop down into the cocked position; but typically it gets a bit of a run at the trigger sear. Which typically it overpowers and goes into firing position...AD right there.
The one we have still had flakey varnish on it...was practically unfired. Maybe 2 boxes of shells through it that I can recall. We just knew it was way more dangerous than the Cooey 39's we also had. It was Long Rifle only, I remember glancing down the bore from the action end...there was a bullet stuck in the barrel. Someone fed a 22 short through there. Stopped midpoint in the bbl.
Neat guns...they pack marvelously, so slender with no bolt handle sticking out. But they are a 'Coup de grace' gun for trappers IMO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT8d9-fyMkE stop it at about 1:35 and watch...you can see the 'Safety' in the form of the rebated ring ( So to speak)
 
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bearshotgun said:
Incredible! Thank you so much! This forum never ceases to amaze me.

Sadly, it's missing the front sight and I see there are none at Numrich. So, it may be headed for the Equipment Exchange.
Click to expand...

I have a front sight I can spare. Message me if you want it.
 
m39a2 said:
The story of these little guns is quite fascinating, after WW 1 Germany was in dire need of cash flow and there was a Canadian seed company in western Canada that contracted with the manufacturer to make these little guns. Here's the deal, if you were a little boy and sold "so many" seed packets, you got a rifle, little girls got a doll. Judging by the number of those little rifles that were out there, a whole lota seeds got sold!

When the long gun registry came out, hundreds of these guns got turned in or sold (For next to nothing) to various gun dealers who then resold them. They are a very unique piece of Canadian and especially western Canadian culture and history.

I hunted partridge as a boy, with a kid who used one of those to great precision on Ontario partridge in northern Ontario around Sundridge, South river area. I never asked him how he came to have his, maybe his dad or grand dad sold a lot of seeds!

Scott
Click to expand...

Have heard similar tales of them being available as a Premium, for several things, ranging from Magazine subscription sales, Laundry soap box top collections (proofs of purchase) as well as now the seed sales connection, and they all seem to hold enough possibility to all be correct.

For a front sight, I have always had luck finding something useful, at gun shows, esp if there are a couple of the use gun parts dealers in attendance. May not be original, but you can usually find something suitable and serviceable.
 
They were made from 1913 to 1939 and sold for 3 bucks. That's how cheap they were to make then and ship here and sell. Couple years ago they sold for 250 or more buy now they have lost a lot of value.
 
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