So I have this combo in 16ga X ??? Its marked Emil Kerner V. Sohn on one barrel and Suhl on the other...as well as a few other marks here and there.

I took some pics of the proofs in hopes I could figire out the rifle cal. I thought 9.3X72 but am not sure. maybe some of you double folks could help me out.



And a little teaser, I think the horn triggergaurd is what hooked me. What a sucker huh.

Proof marks suggest post-war East German manufacture. Cartridge appears to be a 9mm (.357) x 72 firing a 200 grain bullet. I know of no such cartridge. You may need to slug the bore and have the chamber cast.

CH / 4D has 9 x 72 reloading dies listed on their web site.

TLee

The 8.8 and 72 marks make it nearly certain that this one is chambered for the 9,3x72R, but there's nothing like a good chamber cast and bore slug to make sure. One mark I don't see very often is the crown-over-E, or "Express" proof on the rifle barrel. The crown-over-N and KmG marks let you know that the rifle barrel is intended for smokeless and jacketed bullets, too, and the 6/26 tells me it was prooved in June of 1926. 15 then 16-in-a-circle says the shotgun bore is a bit larger than usual for a 16 gauge, and I'll bet the 16 gauge chamber is 2-9/16" long rather than 2-3/4" since it isn't marked 70 anywhere. Looks like the gun is in very good condition!

Ah, and you probably already know that the front (rifle) trigger is a single set trigger - nice!

[ 05-02-2003, 01:37: Message edited by: bpesteve ]

The only time I know of Germans marking something 8,8 is when they refer to a .358" bore. The .358 Winchester is known as the 8,8x51mm. This keeps things seperate from a traditional 9mm, which is a .356 bore.

The East German proof marks are post-WWII, so I doubt the rifle was made in 1926, unless it has been recambered and hence re-proofed. It certainly is a interesting collection of marks.

Jag,

Your testing my limited knowledge.

But here goes:

Left side,

Crown over G = E,German 1st Black powder proof since 1950

Crown over U = E.German inspectiion mark since 1950

Crown over N = E. German smokeless powder proof since 1950

Don't know what the rest means.

Right side,

Crown over S = E. German 1st Black powder proof for smooth bore barrels since 1950

Crown over U = see above

Crown over W = E.German,Shul choke-bore barrel mark since 1950

As far as 8.8x72 don't know.

My German made (original Oberndorf Mauser Sporter circa 1927, rebuilt by Emil Nordheim) in 375 H&H, is marked, 9.2x72, and the chamber cast confirms 375 H&H. (Mauser documents list the English 375 H&H as 9.25x72B, but they were not consistant as to using only bore or groove diameter)

Have it casted and be sure, but I expect (hopefully for you) that it is indeed a 9.3x72, which was both black powder and smokeless.

Be carefull, as besides the standard 9.3x72R, there was also a 9.3x72R Sauer case, developed by Sauer & Sohn that has a slight bottleneck, and is not the same as the straight 9.3x72R case.

As your rifle is Sohn marked, that is a possibility.

Beautiful rifle (er drilling) none the less.

Regards,

Bob

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