Target gun and/or parlor gun
Description.
It is a standard target gun and/or parlor gun.
The side lever was called Schlangenhebel ('a serpentine') in Germany (Snake Key). This is a patent of Leclerq to Liege.
In the normal .22 calibre it is could be used for target practise, or in the very mild .22 calibre "Zimmer" cartridge for shooting indoors (10 to 25 meters).
Several German dealers had it for sale from 1908 to 1939, for instance in the 1922 Steigleder and 1929 Burgmuller catalogues.
It is unknown who was the manufacturer, or were subcontractors for barrels or others parts.
Calibre.
The pistol has been refinished, but the calibre marks are still visible:
0,2 gr NGP M/71 and 1,8 gr Bl
This means a 0,2 grams load of fine black powder as used in the German model 1871 military rifle and a projectile of 1,8 grams Blei (=lead).
So when the pistol was originally made the calibre was .22 LfB (Lang fur Büchse = long rifle).
Proofmarks etc.
The pistol is rather special because of the proofmarks: crowned U and R on the barrel, plus an eagle mark on the frame.
Normally you would expect to find the usual models from the 1891 law:
Crowned U, B and G. (Uberprüft, Beschuss, Gezogen = View, Proof, Rifled barrel).
At some point in time between 1912 and 1939 this pistol was reworked and refinished. The reason for this was probably to alter it to another calibre, or that major reparations were made to the barrel or firing mechanism.
According to German Proof law from 1912 any gun that was altered had to be submitted for new proof. The marks for this were crowned U and R, plus the German eagle, both as found on this gun.
This rule also applied in the 'freed' neighbouring country Austria from the year 1939.
In Germany and Austria some of the proofhouse used a serial number that started again with no. 1 in every new year.
So this gun was reproved in the year 1929, I suppose.
This was done at the proof house in Oberndorf on the Neckar, near the Mauser Works. This proofhouse used a stag horn as their mark, before 1939:
On your pistol you can still see this stag horn on one side of the eagle's mark; if you look closely (one mark was struck over the other).
Salutations,
Bert
Yes, but this gun is always in its calibre of origin!!!
It is thus completely out of question of shoot from the .22 modern!!
Alain
