Need help identifying 3 German drillings

[Steve Whitley]

I will be so relieved to have this long project finished and sent to press that I may sign them all and add a gift card inside every copy! Anxious to start another project.

Steve

[Frank Kernan]

Hello, I can give you my experience with the 9.3x72 which may help. I have a single shot Meffert with the proof marks as yours. I already had standard 9.3x72 ammo for another gun (.365") so I tried it. I tried both copper jacketed and lead bullets of this size. No good, terrible accuracy and subjectively heavy recoil. After slugging the bore I came up with .348" (approx.). The rifle was proofed in 1907 so I figured perhaps it was set up for black powder/lead bullets, the rifling seemed similar to an older gun I had which was designed for that. I got 200 grain and 250 grain lead bullets from Montana Bullet Works. The gun shot very well, I tried both Linotype and air hardened bullets. It liked them all. I had read someone had tried .357" bullets and got good results. I had some of these for a revolver I have. I loaded them up with 36gr IMR 3031 and 1" foam filler, the gun became a tack driver. I can put 5 rounds into less than 1" at 100 yards (from a rest of course) consistently. This gives me on average 2,050 fps with vary little variation. I'm looking for a rifle bullet this size as the pistol bullets are at their max speed, shooting paper is fine but if hunting I want a tougher bullet. Finding them right now is hard although they are made.
Your guns may love the standard commercial fare but if you are not satisfied try reloading; these are fine guns, true thoroughbreds so sometimes they like their own fodder. What works for mine might not work for yours but the info might be of help.
Frank

[mike ford]

The standard 9.3x72R bullets (.364-.365") are made so that the larger diameter is effectively a driving band and don't drive pressures up excessively.Please do not use straight shank .365-.366" bullets made for 9.3x74R/9.3x62. These bullets will create excess pressure in the tight 9.3x72R barrels. Slugging the bore is necessary in these rifles and care must be used when measuring the slug. Barrels with uneven number of grooves are common and cannot be measured easily with normal mic. A special mic.or a special vee block should be used. While not as precise, a pretty close measurement can be made with a dial caliper, by carefully "rolling" the slug, forcing the jaws open until the slug slips past the jaw( a normal mic measures across a groove and a land, instead of two lands on the slug). The Lyman 358315 or RCBS 35-200 should work and both being 200 gr rifle bullets should work for hunting. If you have a short enough twist to stabilize them, Lyman 358318 or 366408 (about 250gr) should also work, if properly sized( I like .002" over groove dia). I use the H&G 512c, which is a 208 gr.blunt nose bullet, that kills very well, but the mold is obsolete and hard to find. I use this bullet sized .364 in a .358-.359" groove dia. barrel, because a friend and I made up a pile of them and his drilling had a .362" barrel. I intended to size my share again to .360, but they worked at .364 and I just shoot them like that.
Mike

[chapmen]

if i am not totally blind i see "VEB" : Volkseigener Betrieb (nationally owned company), so this one was made in the GDR.

[mike ford]

chapman,
I read it as "VEB" also, but this is an entirely different gun.It is a double and we have been discussing a drilling.
Mike

[chapmen]

mike,
i know that we are discussing an drilling.
But showing this pic without any further info is some kind of disfusing in this discussion.

[jillandsam303]

Thanks for all your help! Happy New Year.

[mike ford]

Chapman,
That was my point.
Mike