Small Martini

[yamoon]

Hello
I have posted about this little rifle, but I was unable to find it. I hope the better pictures will lead to more information. The rifle is 5 pounds 4 ounces. true striker fired martini, 24 inch barrel. A chamber cast shows a cartridge about the same length as a .22 magnum. The bore slugs .210. Was this rifle for a special purpose or just something to dispatch garden pests? The proof marks show what might be the antler proof mark.
Thanks for any information.
Mike

[mike ford]

Mike,
The 611 is the bore( not groove or bullet) diameter, and is a little tighter than current standard. Unless corrected by someone more knowledgeable than I, I believe it is chambered for 22 Extra Long. Such cartridges are no longer available, but you may be able to use 22 Longs, if so, I suggest standard velocity. If 22 Magnums chamber, I would be hard pressed to fire them. All this is based on the understanding it is rimfire, but you didn't say. The House Mark for the Ulm Proof House is an Antler, and from 1939 to 1945 it was Oberndorf's but I didn't see that mark. It was proofed between 1893 and 1912, anyway.
Mike

[Axel E]

The gauge number 611 indicates a bore diameter from 5.00 mm to 5.24 mm = .197" to .206", a bit small for a .22. The service load info indicates a real pipsqueak: .05 g = .77 gr black powder behind a 1 g = 15.4 gr lead bullet. So I think it was made for the long forgotten 5 mm Flobert cartridge. Before 1900 Flobert cartridges came in 4 mm (the Zimmerstutzen cartridge), 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm and 9 mm. The 5 and 7 mm numbers were obsolete by 1900, being neither fish nor flesh. Afaik 5 mm Flobert ammo, but no guns, was last offered in the 1908 Akah catalog. Round ball, pointed lead bullet and shot loads were listed as availble. Slightly later catalogs, Burgsmueller 1910, Stukenbrok and Alfa 1912 don't list it any more.
Rifles in 5 mm Flobert were meant as a compromise between the 4 mm Zimmerstutzen indoor target and the 6mm Flobert garden rifle numbers, suitable for indoor- as well as outdoor plinking use and for very small pests like mice, sparrows and up to rats in a pinch.
Check that long chamber again. It may be original, intended to take the longer 5 mm shot cartridge as well. Then the diameter should be too small to take a .22 lr. Or it may be the result of someones effort to rechamber it to something available.
About 1900 the 5 mm Flobert was replaced in use by the cheaper to feed spring powered air rifles, then developed by Will, Dianawerk and others, which achieved similar ballistics.

[mike ford]

Mike,
You should take Axel's answer as authoritative, rather than mine.
Mike

[yamoon]

Thank you both
Mike