J P Sauer & Sohn Side by Side Shotgun ID

[rockyferraro]

Hello,

I have recently acquired a JP Sauer & Sohn side by side.
It is full and full choked, 2.79" chambers, double trigger, cocking indicators, cross bolt locking, lop is about 14 3/4" the barrel length is about 27 1/2"
The gun weighs about 6 1/2 lbs
The stock is straight and non Montecarlo.
The serial number is 401455.

Can someone give me some more information on this shotgun.

Thanks in advance

[Axel E]

Post photos of all the proofmarks under the barrels and other inscriptions on the gun + a photo of the action area.

[hendrik]

Hello ,

401455 its a number from a prewar Sauer gun.
This is a number from the 50this...

all the best
hendrik

[rockyferraro]

Hello ,

401455 its a number from a prewar Sauer gun.
This is a number from the 50this...

all the best
hendrik

Yes, thank you Hendrick

I did some digging and found that it was made in 1950 and tested possibly in February of 1951. I will post some pictures.
I must say it swings and shoots like a dream.

[rockyferraro]

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[rockyferraro]

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[rockyferraro]

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[Axel E]

Your gun was indeed proofed in February 1951 in Suhl, but many people, especially in western Germany, will dispute it being a rightfull "Sauer & Sohn". In 1946 the owner, Hans Sauer, and the technical manager, were arrested by the Soviets and died in in prison. The rest of the Sauer family fled to western Germany and reestablished the company in Eckernförde. By western standards they were still the legal owners of the name and the Sauer & Sohn trademarks. The S&S factory was expropriated and the Suhl company officially dissolved in 1946, the Suhl factory officially renamed "Fortunawerk VEB (="people owned enterprise") Suhl" under the combine " VEB Metallwarenindustrie", short MEWA, see inscription on belly of your gun. For export purposes the GDR commies did not shy away from marking the guns with the good names and trademarks of the former companies that officially did not exist any more. To hell with the capitalistic right to trademarks! The Sauer family stopped them in courts from doing so in the early 1950s. So from then on the commies used the old "Simson, Suhl" trademark for their side by sides meant for export to western countries, as they used "Merkel" for their over-unders.
The Krupp three-rings barrel steel trademark on the barrels is most likely a communist fake also, unless there were large amounts of Krupp steel still in stock from pre-1945. The owner Alfred Krupp was trialed in Nuremberg, sent to jail and dispossessed. West German barrels were sometimes marked as "Gewehrlaufstahl aus Essen", without the name Krupp mentioned. The company was given back to the Krupp familily in the 1950s, provided they would never again make anything that goes "Bang". So the making of barrel steel by Krupp ended right here for good. There is no post-war "Krupp" barrel steel.
Neverless your gun is still a nice, servicable shotgun made in Suhl by the men who formerly worked for Sauer & Sohn. Besides, it is a document of German and Cld War history.

[Jim Cate]

Axel, you are correct about the death of Franz Sauer (1866-1946). He had 2 sons. Rolf remained in Suhl after the East German government took over. He was not employable by the State so he worked for the church collecting fees from the local residents to keep the church in good repair. I'm not sure how the Soviets liked that, but he did something for his city and local community. A West German industrial group wanted to purchase the J.P. Sauer & Sohn name. Rolf sold them the rights for this name supposively for 50,000 Marks. You are also correct that the Communists were stopped from using the Sauer name and logo by legal action, and the Krupp three-rings barrel steel trademark on the barrels is a communist fake marking also. Afterwards the family had nothing to do with the postwar firm in Eckernforde. I confirmed this with Rolf's daughter, Gesela, who was living in Bavaria in a Caritas before her death in 2003. Take care, my friend.... Jim