Just to report to you folks that I have been offered a heym drilling with

20/20 and 7x57R

It's a box lock 10 years old but have not been fired and the owner wants £2000 and throws in a zeiss 1.5-6x42 scope with mount

It seems to tick all the boxes as per previous discussion in this thread

Will update once I have seen and shot it next week

As it is second hand I have no choice of the spec like chokes or twist or stock fit

Anybody got experience on heym drillings previousy ?

Good or bad ?

The gun have been standing in the back of this dealers cabinet and have had no enquires for the past 4 years ! He has given up selling it and the owner have since died ! So technically it is an estate sale

The Heym - and in particular if the shotgun barrels are smaller than 12 Ga - is one of the most elegant Central European Drillings. I don't know what the one you have been offered looks like, but I have seen Heym Drillings which are almost worth "dieing" for.

The Heym is also one of the Drillings where a considerable amount of manual labour is used in the manufacturing process.

What is important, is that the locking mechanism is still 100% tight. Secondly, that you can live with the triggers offered in this particular Drilling.

For many years, it was challenge for the manufacturers to get the two triggers to work at about the same pull weight, as well as getting the pull weight down to acceptable values. Blaser were really the first to solve this issue properly, Krieghoffs are not bad either. Other than that, side lock Drillings (mucho $$$) traditionally offered the best triggers.

The Drillings (other than the Blasers) attempt to overcome the trigger issue by relying on a set trigger for the rifle barrel. You'll have to see whether you can live with this system, and make sure you train enough to know exactly when your trigger is set, and how to safely unset it when no shot is taken... Set triggers are an acquired taste, and not necessarily without security issues.

Finally, there is the issue of safety. Does your Drilling have a separate cocking mechanism for the rifle barrel, and how safe is the safety mechanism for the shot barrels? Does the safety only work on the triggers - a system which is less safe than if it works via the actual firing mechanism.

Again, do not attempt to get a Drilling unless you are willing to familiarize yourself totally with all the operating switches a weapon like this offers. It is often best to use your Drilling as your sole hunting weapon to ensure correct operation is second nature (shot safety on/off, rifle safety on/off, switch between rifle/shot, set trigger activated or not etc etc).


Finally, one wonders how it will be possible to add a moderator to a Drilling - but I guess good ole English ingenuity will find a way...
- mike

Mike

Looks like I have a learning curve to climb

I understand exactly what you mean about the trigger differential weight and settings

I am grateful to be introduced to this multiple system concept I am sensing now this might be my main rifle soon !,

Funny you should mention moderator forna double

5 years ago the British police actually gave me a slot to purchase a moderator for my double !

I did not complain of course but it was a laughing point at campfire

My friend lutZ have made me a special moderator

I will post picture the next few days to share with friends here

quote:

Originally posted by mho:

....It is often best to use your Drilling as your sole hunting weapon....

- mike

Yeah, like that is going to happen....

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:

quote:

Originally posted by mho:

....It is often best to use your Drilling as your sole hunting weapon....

- mike

Yeah, like that is going to happen....

Yes, one might wonder to what extent this will be realistic? Perhaps it is better to look at the reasons for the above statement. It is all about the relative complexity of operating a Drilling - compared to a bolt action rifle, say. As long as you can safely operate the Drilling - even under stress - you are good to go, and can hunt with as many guns as your heart desires. But believe me, it is not quite as simple as it may sound. Countless are the Drilling users who have inadvertently fired a shot barrel when they actually wanted to fire the rifle barrel. And that is probably the less dangerous option, the reverse (rifle inadvertently fired instead of shot) is often more problematic in terms of backstops etc.

In addition, any gun with a set trigger constitutes a security challenge until the user is absolutely versed with its safe operation. Sadly, I don't know of a way to overcome this other than constant training/use. If the Drilling in question has an automatic way of unsetting the set trigger, this would be an advantage. (Some Drillings do this via a manual rifle cocking mechanism, others automatically unset when the Drilling is opened etc).

- mike

I like buttons , knobs and slides

quote:

Originally posted by londonhunter:
I like buttons , knobs and slides

LH,

If you press the right buttons then the other two follow apparently...

K