Anschutz SxS 20 ga

[Larry Braun]

Came across this Anschutz marked SxS 20 ga recently. About 28" bbls both I/C, gold cocking indicators, under lever, pivot pin is a screw through a lump on the barrels, looks to be about mid 1920's probably not made by anschutz, will have to dis assemble to see if there are any other markings. any body recognize this type?

Posted this question over on the Dbl Gun board and didn't get much solid info. Seems to have Roux action ancestry, but I am not sure about that. It has Suhl proofs (unknown date) and is marked for 70mm/20 ga and my chamber gauge confirms it as 2 3/4". When were 70mm chamber introduced. I am still trying to figure out what to call the action. It is in beautiful original condition, even the 30's era pad is still flexible. Any ideas, this action is different from anything I have ever seen.

[Larry Braun]

One last photo for now

[Frans]

I am sure you know this already, but Wikipedia says this about Zella-Mehlis:

"Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Walther Arms and J.G.Anschutz weapons factories. They remained there until the Russians occupied eastern Germany at the end of World War II."

[Axel E]

Anschütz or Anschuetz is a common name in the Zella-Mehlis area of Germany. Kellner & Pape list no less than 86 gunmakers named Anschütz. Julius Gottfried Anschütz (1834 – 1901) founded the company in 1856. By 1914 they empoyed 250 people. J.G.Anschütz produced all sorts of moderate cost firearms up to 1945 in Zella-Mehlis. After 1945 the company resettled and reopened in Ulm, West Germany. Only then they started to specialize in making high grade, super accurate target rifles, based on a Mauser prototype design.
Your shotgun is based on the design of the single-bite, underlever cocking "Tell-Type" action , a staple of the Zella Mehlis guntrade. Though most often seen on single barrel rifles and shotguns, this action type was also offered in small bore shot and combination guns. Admittedly, I have not yet seen one in 20 or even larger bores.
After taking off the foreend and barrels, you will find proofmarks under the barrel, a proof date among them.

[Larry Braun]

I will take off the bbls and get some photos of the proof marks. Thanks for id'ing the type of action

[Tamid]

Your gun looks like a take off on a Manufrance Ideal. I would like to look at it closer and see the inside mechanism to understand the similarities if any. If the same then it would be a question of who designed the action first.

[Axel E]

Your gun looks like a take off on a Manufrance Ideal. I would like to look at it closer and see the inside mechanism to understand the similarities if any.

Any similarity of this J.G,Anschütz 20 bore to the Manufrance "Ideal" is superficial only, maybe induced by the rounded action. This gun has a convetional "Roux type" underlever, hinged in the bottom of the of the action, in front of the trigger guard and bent back over the guard. You can see the underlever hinge pin in the 2nd photo. The "Ideal" on the other hand has an unique opening/cocking lever. It is hinged at the top rear of the action, runs back inside the stock between both locks and protudes behind the triggerguard. The "Ideal" opening lever pulls back a sliding, Purdey type double underbolt, while the underlevers of guns like this Anschütz are hook shaped at the top end. This hook engages a single bite in the rear underlump. Such a lockup was first patented in Britain by a William Fletcher in 1863 and later was the standard breech action of Zella-Mehlis made cheap break-open guns and rifles.

[Larry Braun]

New Photos

IMG_1488.jpgIMG_1489.jpgIMG_1490.jpgIMG_1491.jpg

Finally got some new photos of the underside. Looks like 4/42 for for date of production? If so, pretty late in the war for civilian production. What story do the marks tell? And by the way I prefer to refer to this item as utilitarian in nature rather than cheap, still it retains about 98% original condition and I would put it up against any 20 ga in the field, it handles beautifully.

[Axel E]

I read the Zella-Mehlis proof date as 927 = September 1927, gun number 442 proofed that month.

[Larry Braun]

Thanks for the interpretation of the marks and the explanation of the action type. I learn something new everytime I ask here.