Can you give me any info about this H. Reichel, Graz gun?

[Nickolas M.]

Are these pits so serious as it was said by our gun specialists?
And what about looseness? There is none of it when opened, but awful when closed, unfortunately.
Thanks, Nickolas.

[mike ford]

Nickolas M.
The pitting is serious, but in my opinion( inspection by photo/video is never as good as a personal inspection) is not fatal to the gun. A qualified gunsmith would be able to remove a lot of the pits by honing the barrels and reaming the forcing cones with a "long forcing cone reamer", but with due care given to barrel thickness. In a qualified tightening job, carefully thought out limited "peening" will be done in addition to replacing the hinge pin/refitting the barrel. It seems( from the you tube videos) someone has already done some peening in a poor attempt to tighten the gun. Without speaking badly about anyone, I highly recommend you don't use this person in any additional work. If necessary, after measuring barrel thickness, new barrel tubes can be added. There is an article describing how this is done, in a "special" issue of DER WAFFENSCHMEID about drillings. This issue is available from the "Home Office", for a small cost. You can find it in the listing of publications, either on the website, or in WAIDMANNSHEIL/ Der WAFFENSCHMEID. I have no idea how far away from you Marat lives, but I'm pretty sure he is closer than any of the rest of us. He may know of a qualified gunsmith to help you, and can correspond with you in Russian.
Mike

[Nickolas M.]

Geographically Rostov-on-Don is further than Berlin (about 200 km further) from StP.
But Germany is still much further...
I've asked MARAT already, will wait for his answer.
Sitting and thinking now, if I could find specialists for these operations, because last one said this gun is worthless and it should be wasted.
Is this gun at least a little bit interesting for fan of austrian guns, who'll be able to fix it in Germany or Austria? In case if I cannot find proper repairer?

[mike ford]

Nickolas M.
All I can say is it would be interesting to me if I still lived in Germany, depending on the price, of course. The work of qualified gunsmiths is not free, and the price plus the cost of repair would have to be about the value of the repaired gun.
Mike

[Nickolas M.]

Do You know where can I find out prices on old austrian guns (I still don't know real age of the gun)?
Could you advise any auction or website? I really have no idea about all of this.
Now I'm trying to find out is it possible to fix all this in our armories? Seems to be, that special "hon" is needed. And of course lathe is needed for making new pin...
So I'm already ready to become a gun specialist myself, heh.
One of my friends said that after proper! honing it is better to use 12 caliber brass sleeve? with 10 caliber wad? (google). So advices are many, which ones are useful?
I hope, in East Alabama and Pennsylvania situation is better.
P.S. That bad peening was done by somebody before my birth, I think. Long forcing cone reamer sounds like "impossible to find", but it starts to be interesting, this searching for adequate repairer here.
And the main question: is it safe for a person and for the gun to shoot now, without any fixing operations?

[mike ford]

Nickolas M.,
The price of old Austrian guns, like all guns, mostly depends on the condition, as well as maker and additional features. I think MARAT would know better about auction sites, than I. In Europe," Egun" is used by a lot of people. Because of the condition, I'm afraid you wouldn't realize a very high price, even though the gun has potential. If you find someone to fix the gun, that doesn't have a lathe( at least a "speed" lathe/ turning bench), it is not likely that he would be qualified to do the work. After proper honing, you should be able to use normal 12 ga. field loads. If someone hones enough metal out of the barrels that 10 ga. wads are needed; then too much has likely been removed, and the barrels would be too thin. This is one of the reasons a qualified gunsmith is required. In Alabama and Pennsylvania there is more ability for people to have guns, so there is enough work that gunsmiths can become qualified. I can't say without inspecting the gun, if it is safe or not; but you have not described any condition that would make it especially unsafe. If you intend to use the gun, like it is, you might try a very temporary fix ( more like a "jury rig"). If you put a "shim" in the "hook" on the bottom of the barrel, between it and the hinge pin, that will take some of the looseness out. You can make such a shim from something like an aluminum can or a thin piece of copper sheet. It should be cut as wide as the barrel lug ( that has the "hook") and long enough to go around inside the "hook". You will have to bend it to fit inside the "hook" and then put the barrels back on the gun. It might be a little difficult to get everything together, without 3 hands, but it can be done. You might have to try different thickness shims to get it tight enough. It is important to just leave the shim loose( not fastened), because it will need replacing, after a while. I hope you find this useful.
Mike

[algmule]

Hello

Nickolas,

you have a private message from me, and to illustrate what I mean
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Kind regards
Peter

[Nickolas M.]

IMG_0075.jpg
This photo is just enlarged original, resolution is better than previous, I hope.
I will make other photos and upload here later.
Thanks for detailed "jury rig" fix operations, I'll try with copper, not more. The rest should be done by specialists.

[Nickolas M.]

IMG_1493.jpg
IMG_1479.jpg
IMG_1471.jpg
IMG_1472.jpg

[algmule]

Hello

Doesn't tell much about Nickolas shotgun, but for what it is worth.

There seems to have been some money shortage for Reichel in 1935.

”(Insolvenzen.) Der Creditorenverein von 1870 meldet aus den Bundesländern: a) Ausgleiche: Stephan Kiß, Kaufmann, Wiener-Neustadt. – Heinrich Rini, Gastwirt, Liesing. – Hugo Reichel, Büchsenmacher, Graz. - ……………”

1935 is also the last year I can find a Büchsenmacher Hugo Reichel, Graz. If anyone knows anything about Reichel's whereabouts after 1935, please let me know.

Nickolas, thanks for the images.

Kind regards
Peter

[algmule]

Hello

In his Eröffnungs-Anzeige from 1898 Hugo Reichel claimed that he had been with Kale(t)zky in Vienna for several years and with Josef Unger in Graz for five years before starting out his own business, and that those were the establishments where he learned his trade.

”Meine praktischen ehrfarungen, welche ich mir durch mehrere Jahre in Wien bei herrn Johann Kaletzky, k.u.k. österr. und serb. Hoflieferant, sowie durch fünf Jahre in Graz bei herrn Josef Unger erworben habe, setzen mich in die angenehme Lage, allen bezüglichen Arbeiten und Anforderungen zu entsprechen. …….”

EDIT: For what it is worth. Büchsenmacher Josef Unger was in Sackstraße 9, Graz (1893).

Kind regards
Peter

[Nickolas M.]

Thanks a lot!
Unfortunately I still cannot evaluate it. And due to it's condition, the gun needs some repairment I cannot provide.
All the info is very useful, because some day I will need to describe it, maybe in auction, who knows.

[algmule]

Hello

1935 is also the last year I can find a Büchsenmacher Hugo Reichel, Graz. If anyone knows anything about Reichel's whereabouts after 1935, please let me know.

Seems he/the business was still around in the period c 1942-09 to 1943-06. Listed under B?chsenmacher.

1942-43.jpg


Peter