Promise made and promise kept

[smoked turkey]

I became the owner of a .357 Mag double rifle a while back. The former owner is 92 years old. He seemed to want me to hunt with the rifle. I asked him if he liked venison and he said yes. I made plans to hunt with the rifle to the extent I purchased a NOE 36-180-FN-GC mold which casts in wheelweights at 186 gr for me. I loaded up some huntin' loads composed of 6.1 gr. Herco that seemed to group and regulate well from the old double. I shot this doe opening day at 5pm at 35 yards. She was broadside and offered me a chance to make a good pass through shot just behind the front shoulder. Off side was a hole about an inch diameter. Great performance from a great rifle that has not seen its day even though it is a couple of generations old. Now I've got the good fortune to share the harvest with my old and dear friend.54154

[6.5 mike]

Great way to honor an old friend.

[fatnhappy]

well done sir, well done indeed.

[waksupi]

Very nice. I'm sure we would all like to see more pictures of the rifle.

[MtJerry]

A .357 magnum double rifle! How cool is that!

And your honor to your friend is even better !!

[PS Paul]

Nice work, but stop teasin' us!! Let's have more pics of the rifle and perhaps some sort of "back story" or history of the piece??

Otherwise, nice deer!

[Reg]

Good show !!!! You did the right thing !!

[krag35]

Nice!!!

[smoked turkey]

Thanks to all for the nice comments on my hunt and my double rifle. Yes I am very proud of the rifle because of my friend and its history. I have included a couple of pictures of the rifle. I believe the rifle to be German. My friend had owned the rifle for the past 50 years or so. The caliber is stamped to be 8.7mm. Unfortunately there is no length designation. The story is my friend had a gunsmith in Kansas slug the bore with the idea to make chamber inserts for a cartridge that was readily available. The bore was close enough to .357, that the inserts were made so as to be a .357 mag cartridge. The nitro proof marks are 1,8g G.B.P. over St. m. G. I am not sure what that equates to in p.s.i. The inserts were permanently installed I believe. The name on the barrels is Wilh-LeHannf Crefeld. The barrels are also marked Krupp Stahl. That is the story on the rifle as I know it. I have been meaning to take it to a local gun shop to see if they could provide any insight into the age and former caliber of the rifle. Any info anyone has here on it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[357maximum]

Well now that whole story is just extraordinary...well done.

................I think I would process the whole deer into mansized meal packages and deliver them to the very generous feller. Heck I might even make the first meal iffin he wanted me to. They do not make fellers like that very often anymore....take really good care of that ol' boy eh.

[smokey496]

Don't get much better than that.

[PS Paul]

Man, that is a gorgeous little rifle!! How cool! Thanks for the pics AND story. and for the "mystery". As soon a i get settled at work tomorrow, I'm goin to check some resources and see what I can come up with, if anything, from the clues!!

[tomme boy]

:happy dance: Great story and rifle!

[292]

You da man

[**oneshot**]

greatstory, thanks for sharing

[Hamish]

This is one of those times that the frustration factor of not being able to appreciate it by laying eyeballs on it,,,,,,.

Great rifle, and a great friendship.

I'm certain you're going to get more calls to show it off in more detail. It certainly deserves it's own photo shoot.

[kbstenberg]

What a beautiful weapon. To bad for historical value it was modified.

[375RUGER]

Just awesome, man!

[JeffinNZ]

That is a spectuclar shootin' iron! Imaigne it reamed to .357 Maximum!

[skeettx]

Well done, Well done
I feel sure the gun was for a 9.3x72R


The most frustrating but perhaps the most useful marks of the 1891-1939 era are the various sets of just numbers often present. The two most common sets of numbers applied were bore dimensions and actual proof dates.
Rifles from later in this era are sometimes stamped with a bore (not groove) diameter in milimeters, the most common being 8,8mm for one of the 9,3mm cartridges and 7,7mm for one of the many 8mm cartridges.

Many earlier rifles will be found with numbers indicating the "gauge" diameter of the bore (not groove). For instance 108/49 would indicate a bore diameter from .350-.359" and hence likely to be a 9,3mm chambering of some kind, while 172/28 (.300-.309") would indicate an 8mm of some kind.

Mike

As for the markings
see below

http://www.germanguns.com/technical.html

http://www.shotguns.se/html/germany_1890-1945.html

Suhl, Germany: Month and year, 3 or 4 numerals as required, with forward slash between month and year until 1930s, as: 5/24 for May 1924. Afterwards without slash, as: 1163 for November 1963

[pls1911]

A bunch of us would trade our sweet mother in law for that rifle..
very nice history to match as well.
However, 8.7mm equates to only .343 ... though a bit tight for a nominal .357 bullet size.
It would be intersting to see if the nominal 8.7mm ACTUALLY slugged closer to .355 -.358.
Likely 9.5ish?

[smoked turkey]

Many thanks to all for your nice comments about the rifle. Since this is my favorite rifle, it makes me feel good that so many agree. Also thanks to you Skeettx for the info and the links. I am with you pls1911 in that I need to slug the bore to determine for myself what the actual diameter is. I definitely know more now that I did prior to the posting. I still have some digging to do but at least I know about the nitro proof marks and approximate year of manufacture, and the original caliber.

[TXGunNut]

Nicely done. Thanks for sharing.

[MT Gianni]

Nice gun and write up. Tell your friend that I admire his choice to continue to have that gun in a shooters hands.

[OnHoPr]

Bravo. I hope he enjoys a good venison dinner. Looks like a real snappy starlet.

[fatnhappy]

A bunch of us would trade our sweet mother in law for that rifle..


You can have mine for 2 slim jims or a coke. Don't be afraid to haggle, that's my asking price.



That's is certainly a beautiful rifle. I would dearly like to spend a couple days with that afield.

[TCFAN]

Stan,I just came across this thread. That double rifle is something.If we can ever get our schedules worked out to meet you will have to bring that sweet looking rifle with you. I want to see it up close and personal........Terry

[Catsmith]

absolutly beautiful double.

fatanhappy, you wanting the slimjims or giving the slim jims?

[roarin 54]

That is one awesome rifle. I would love to find its older brother in 45-70 govt. There is just something about hunting game with an iron sighted rifle or handgun that has to be done to be realized. The last time I killed a deer with a scoped rifle was 1999. Great job on your harvest.

[Loudenboomer]

Two Thumbs Up

[smoked turkey]

Thanks for the very nice words on the old double rifle. I sure enjoyed hunting with the old girl. I transported myself to some far away place while I had her in my hands. The game animals hunted were were imagined to be the stuff legends are made of. As the African drums were beating in the distance I flicked the safety off the double and calmly put the enormous lead boolit into the boiler room ending another successful safari to the wilds behind my house. I hope it is not the last time I get to use the rifle for what it was made for. I thanked the Lord for the bounty He once again provided, field dressed the nice doe and called my wife with the good news. I shared some deer chili and fellowship with my dear old friend. He greatly enjoyed the hunting story and the chili and received the promise of more to come. He is 94, a veteran of WWII combat in Germany and such fun to be around. Thanks for letting me relive the experience once again.
Stan

[1kshooter]

wow!....awesome friend and a great firearm thanks for sharing both with us ....enjoy them both and pass down there legacy to others!

[leadman]

That is a beautiful rifle made better by your friendship with a man that decided it needed to go hunting again.
That is one rifle I would never let get away.