Birthday present

[yamoon]

Hello
Any information on the rifle my wife gave me for my birthday would be appreciated.
Thanks Mike

[yamoon]

More

More photos

[algmule]

Hello

Mike,
images are a bit tiny. All I can say for certain is that the barrel steel is Krupp. It seems to be marked Schilling on the barrel but I'm not sure and there were several Schillings. The second name on the barrel may be a place name which would possibly make it easier to define which Schilling it is. Also, it seems to be an 8 mm. Please post better images.

Kind regards
Peter

[yamoon]

Couple more

More pictures
Mike

[Axel E]

J.Schilling in Bad Wildungen is completely unknown. Even Kellner & Pape have this sparse entry only:
SCHILLING WITWE (=widow) Bad Wildungen. Inhaber: Schilling. Büchsenmacherei (= gunsmith).
No address, no dates, nothing else. A few minutes ago I called the only Schilling in the Bad Wildungen telephone directory, but he is not related in any way.
Schilling certainly did not make the rifle himself. He merely retailed it. A closer look at all the marks on the underside of the barrel, both right and left of the number 13547, may allow dating the rifle and find out about the real maker.
But as Peter already noted, your photos are far too small and lack resolution. Even blowing up simply blurs all details necessary for identification. Please, post just one other high resolution photo of the barrel underside.

[yamoon]

I tried to improve on the pictures, also the twist seems to be 1 in 10 inches. Would this indicate a heavy long bullet? I am currently working up a load with the .318, 175 gr from Buffalo arms. I hunt from a ground level "hide" (my wife calls it ambush hunting) so I can probably get a shot with the open sights at a 100 yards or less. I want very much to take a Kansas white tail with it this fall so I can apply for the St. Hubertus award. My current deer rifle is a full stock 8x57 Brno mauser made in 1948. I would appreciate any information on the proof marks & other marks.
Thanks Mike

[Axel E]

The rifle was proofed in Suhl 633 = June 1933 for the 8x57I (.318" bullet) cartridge. It was made for retail by Schilling by EAM , the Ernst August Merkel company, Rimbachstr. 53, Suhl, in the 1930s run by the sons Rudolf, Otto and Ferdinand Merkel. The barrel was supplied by one of the Klett barrelmakers.
The rifle was proofed for the standard since 1888 8x57I sevice load, featuring a 14.7 g = 227 gr (rounded to 15g) steel jacket bullet at 705 m/s = 2300 fps from a 28" barrel. Even today the standard 8x57 rifling twist here is one turn in 24 cm = 9.4", according to the 2018 Mauser catalog.

[algmule]

Hello

Mike,
some additional information on E.A. Merkel.

Firma E. A. Merkel, Suhl, began May 11, 1891. Inhaber, Gewehrfabrikant Ernst August Merkel. Died January 26, 1912. From September 15, 1913, owners were, under the above name as an open trading company, (“offene Handelsgesellschaft”) Rudolf Merkel, Gewehrfabrikant, Suhl, together with “Mitgesellschafter” Otto Merkel, Gewehrfabrikant, Suhl, and Ferdinand Merkel, Gewehrfabrikant, Suhl.

Kind regards
Peter

[yamoon]

Thanks Axel & Peter.

[algmule]

Firma E. A. Merkel, Suhl, began May 11, 1891. Inhaber, Gewehrfabrikant Ernst August Merkel. Died January 26, 1912. From September 15, 1913, owners were, under the above name as an open trading company, (“offene Handelsgesellschaft”) Rudolf Merkel, Gewehrfabrikant, Suhl, together with “Mitgesellschafter” Otto Merkel, Gewehrfabrikant, Suhl, and Ferdinand Merkel, Gewehrfabrikant, Suhl.

Firma Ernst August Merkel was, according to a 1934 Ernst August Merkel advertisment, founded in 1872. Sorry for misinformation.

Peter

[yamoon]

Thanks Peter, I harvested a White tail doe with this rifle in the fall of 2018, at 6 1/2 pounds it is a delight to carry in the field. I am waiting for delivery of Norma 243 Winchester ammunition. I intend to hunt with my Mannlicher this fall (wish it was a1903 in 6.5x54 instead of MCA).
Thanks Mike

[algmule]

Hello

Firma Ernst August Merkel was, according to a 1934 Ernst August Merkel advertisment, founded in 1872. Sorry for misinformation.

Peter

1b.jpg
1a.jpg

Hard to tell which year it was Ernst August set out.

Peter

[algmule]

Hello

All I have been able to find about J. Schilling, Bad-Wildungen is from 1909. Listed for Bad-Wildungen under B?chsenmacher is a Schilling (no J.), the only gun smith in Bad-Wildungen at the time.

Peter

[yamoon]

Thanks Peter
Mike