more info on gun

snyde901

wondering if anyone is familiar with this jp sauer & sohn suhl side by side it is a 16 gauge with external hammers and damascus barrels cant find this anywhere looking for year of manufacture value and any other info you might have








* I have combined your pictures to save posts as they are limited to 10 responses.

jaegermister

Under the barrels there should be a emblem or figure indicating the proof house and a month/year. I beleive jp sauer did their own in house testing.the year of proof will be in the last 2 digits.
There are books and sites that deal in more precise translation of this.
In general it looks like a typical sxs around the turn of the century. the simple engraving is worn. Are you considering selling,displaying or shooting? While working over a soft area such as a sofa or bed , remove the fore end piece turn the gun UPSIDE DOWN and push the thumb lever over. Now grasp the barrels and gently twist and apply lateral pressure,see how much play there is. If it feels tight you have a good action still on face. Excessive play although correctable would be costly and ill advised considering the value. With the barrels free from the gun hold them gently back where the extractor is free in the air and tap the barrels near the end with a wooden object. A clear ring indicates barrels are joined tightly. A dull dead sound could indicate cracks or rib break, again correctable but expensive to consider. Are bores/barrels clean of rusting, dents, are barrels tight against breech face? Load a few 16ga shells with PRIMERS ONLY and see how well the hammers/firing pins function, look for primer indentations. Do not attempt to fire this gun without further advice.
All these things determine the value. from your picture it looks like something on the rib about 5in down the barrels? sight, mid bead? Does the gun balance well, is it worth considering as a shooter?

snyde901

jaegermister,

thanks for the input, it is stamped 399 so maybe march 1899?
I found several 12 gauge sxs online but no 16 gauge with external hammers. I plan to keep it in my collection and dont plan on shooting it just wanted to get an approx. value. It is a very tight gun for its age which suprised me. The firing pins still function stong but there are a couple very small dents on the barrels. The bores are clean and rust free and tight against face and sound good when tapped. there is a flip down rear sight & brass front sight , the gun handles nice and well balanced also looks like original butt plate maybe wood? with the cave man holding a club logo.

jaegermister

With the sights I wonder if it is choked to shoot a slug. if you ever contemplate shooting it go to magazine store and get a copy of double gun journal. Inside you can order back issues which contain some detail testing of damascus barrels and loads. The bottom line is pressure ,you must shoot a load that is within the pressure limits of the gun at the time of manufacture. Of course 2 1/2 shells are required and powder such as 7625 will do the job. research the back articles and inspect the barrels. Dents can be removed ,again at what price? I would value the gun at around $400 to $800, a wide spread but from the photos best i can see. Get opinion from others. Most interesting thing are the sights, you know they made 16 bore rifles, would like to see some pics of the sights, are either of the triggers set? The german gun collectors assoc, do a google search can give you more specific info.