Marlinman93, Anyone have a clue what this is?

[rafter-7]

Here is the bolt cocked back.


The only markings on gun are 12N on the end of the muzzle.

The bore is about .54 smoothbore and only goes down the muzzle about 14", but the bolt is about 21 1/2" back from the muzzle.


This is the bolt in the fired position.




Anyone have any idea?

Rafter-7 and arjunky

[Andrew]

It looks like one of those stuzchen(sp) style rifles. Other than that, and that's not much, I don't know.

Looks very cool though.

[JerryB]

I am thinking the same thing. it looks to a well built rifle.

[Killer Kanuck]

Stylistically it has the lines of a flobert rifle. Is it an inline percussion or cartridge with a lot of freebore at the muzzle?

[Andrew]

The bore is about .54 smoothbore and only goes down the muzzle about 14", but the bolt is about 21 1/2" back from the muzzle.

Kind of like this?



http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/handgonne.html

[rafter-7]

The bore is about .54 smoothbore and only goes down the muzzle about 14", but the bolt is about 21 1/2" back from the muzzle.

Kind of like this?



http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/handgonne.html

Exactly like that, only flash hole, primer inline instead.

Byron

[arjunky]

The part that bewilders us is that its a 54 ish cal. smoothbore OFFHAND schuetzen rifle with a I have never seen before priming system???? That just defies all logic!! but we are quite certain that its German built.

rafter-7

[chadbr]

I don't know what it is - but it sure is neat.

[arjunky]

Looks like ssdave over at single shot has most of it figured out.

http://wyomingschuetzen.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=9

According to the charts it should be 4.55mm with the barrel actually only being the 7" part?

Chads must be missing something between the bolt and chamber though the way it looks.

Byron

[Ben_Rumson]

Prolly one of those Schuetzen prescision target shotguns....

[marlinman93]

I agree on it being German, as the clock key type sight adjustment is typically Germanic. Not sure about it being a Zimmerschuetzen, as those usually have the last 7"-8" rifled and the bolt is under the barrel around this 7-8" area from the muzzle. Also, on these parlor guns the bores are very small back to the rear to carry a small rod that extends up to fire the rimfire cartridge up front.
My guess is it may be some sort of Guild gun by a one off gunsmith, and possibly it's been bored out later. This era gun should have all been rifled, so the smoothbore is very odd.

[Comal Forge]

A lot of the schuetzen rifles have short barrels with a longer section that is simply there to act as a sight extension. This is likely a gallery rifle, designed with a very short working bore and the rest of the barrel being nothing more than cosmetic. Several generations of my family competed in traditional German schuetzen starting in the late 1800's and many of their rifles were made that way. For example, my cousin currently owns a rifle with an 18" barrel (.22 cal) but it has an extension screwed to the front of the barrel that results in an overall barrel length of 34". The extension is just a tube and makes it look like a .70 cal smoothbore at a quick glance. These rifles are solely intended for offhand shooting at relatively short range (less than 100 yds).