Would anyone know if the German had a falling block design oftheir own?If so which company made it?

I'm not an expert, but didn't haenel have an original falling block action for its small bores?
Also, some of the schuetzen rifle's were martinis, but were others of german design?

Here is an AYDT. It's German.



AYDT is the system (action) of your rifle; about similar to falling block of SHARPS-BORCHARDT rifle, with the "linkless linkage" between breech-block and the opening lever similar to MARTINI-HENRY rifles. A hammer, concealed into the breechblock, along with it's V-shaped mainspring is similar to the hammer of ANSON-DEELEY shotguns. Aydt's mechanism was copied all'round Europe, including Finland. Firms TAMPEREEN ASEPAJA and JOONAS MATARAINEN made "schuetzen" rifles with Aydt action. Finnish team of shooters had the rifles made by J. Matarainen in the Olympic Game of Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912, but because of the weak cartridges of them (8.15 mm x 46R) they could not get good or even fair records in the windy weather.

Tampereen Asepaja produced rifles chambered for 7.62 x 54R cartridges with Aydt action, and the German GUSTLOFF WERKE designed also the anti-tank rifle model Pz.B. 39 with about similar falling block action just before the Second World War, and the vertical wedge breech-block was common action of many anti-tank cannons, caliber up to 45 - 50 mm.

Caliber 8.15 x 46R was about 100 years ago amongst the most popular in Central-European centerfire target rifles; heavy-barreled "schuetzens" ("Stutzen" in German and "tussarit" in Finnish). They were designed for shooting usually from standing position only, but sometimes from kneeling. Prone position was common for shooting with military rifles only; "not for sporting of the gentlemen". A cartridge 8.15 x 46R was designed by firm FROHN at Suhl, Germany in mid-1890s. It became soon THE cartridge for 200-meters offhand target shooting in Germany and Austria. I presume that the cartridges are loaded still in Germany with copper-jacketed bullets. Original ammo had lead bullets, and they were available with a choice of bullet diameters. Every schuetzen shooter could seek and find the cartridge fit for bore of his/her rifle to get a good accuracy.

Reloading of cartridges was also popular among the schuetzen shooters (so especially in Finland still in 1920s), and there were some tricks how to make the cases almost everlasting (unless the integrated anvil of Berdan primer pocket was chiseled away by careless use of chisel and mallet). The stamp "Norm" on your rifle means that it was possible to shoot factory-loaded cartridges with "normal" bullet diameter and to get a good accuracy even with jacketed bullets. If the bore/ groove diameter was smaller than normal, use of lead alloy bullets was recommended. Stamp "19312" is presumably a serial number of your rifle.

Manufacturer C.G. HAENEL WAFFEN- UND FAHRRADFABRIK, in Suhl (established in 1840) was occupied by Russians in 1945. I afraid that all the records of it's products (from air rifles and vest-pocket pistols to assault rifles Modell 1944) are lost forever. Haenel made also shotguns and combination guns until the end of Third Reich, but during the era of Communist administration the best known Haenel products were air rifles. Production of single-shot target rifles with Aydt action continued presumably until the Second World War. In 1935 they were plentily available.

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