identifiing a german drilling

[patrick PERRIN]

I recently bought an old german drilling, 16 ga, and 8.15x46 R
The quality of craftmanship is high, and the drilling is really fine, no pitting in the barrels, no play. It has an old Gerard scope on claw mounts perfectly fitted too
The drilling is BP proofed only, and some marks are unknown to me :Can somebody help me to identify the letter (H or K ?) in a toothed disk on the barrels, and the eagle on the buttplate ?
I am unable to discover who made it, there is no gunsmith name.
I hope that some photos will help




I am expecting your help

[Axel E]

Your Drilling is marked as to maker: The "Reichsadler" = imperial eagle with an circled L inside, both on rifle barrel and butt toeplate, was the trademark of Luck, Mühlplatz 4, Suhl. The company was founded in 1847 by the father of Karl August Luck. Karl August's son Wilhelm Edmund Luck (1857 - 1910) continued. In 1880 he patented an "improvement" of the Martini action. From the mid-1890s on he advertized his special "5-Pfund-Drilling" = five (metric-)pounds drilling. As a German Pfund is used for 500 gramm, those drillings should weight about 2.5 kg = 5.5 US pounds. After Wilhelm Edmund's death the company was run by his sons Richard and son in law Ludwig Wagner as "Luck & Wagner", from 1919 as "Gebrüder Luck" until after WW2. From the mid-1920s on they did rarely make complete guns, but specialized in making parts for bicycles, automobiles and other gunmakers.
As your drilling was still marked by the Suhl proofhouse with the gauge number 172,28 for the bore diameter it was proofed before 1912. At that date metric mm caliber designations as well as marks for Nitroproof came into use in Suhl.
The "K in ratchet" mark is a often seen barrelmaker's stamp. Unfortunately, several Suhl and Zella-Mehlis barrelmaker names started with a K: Kelber, Keller, Kellermann and four Klett. IMHO this mark is of one of the Kletts because "Klette" is the German word for the plant and especially the fruit called "burr" in English , afaik. That circle with many small spikes around may represent a Klette. From the time frame of your drilling it may either be Heinrich Christoph Klett, Hollandmühle 2, Suhl, or F.A. Klett, Hoffnung 31, Suhl.

[patrick PERRIN]

Thank you for your answer and your help, Axel. It is a great satisfaction to learn more about the history of the guns we get.