Thanks for a very informative and interesting post, Kuduae. Educating us on some of Germany's past and present.

My Simson Suhl SS 12g is an East German gun, marked GDR or DDR? I think GDR. It has annoying very tight chokes. I like more open chokes so I can hit things!

I hunt hares in vineyards, usually use a .222, with fragile bullets. So they break up and don't ricochet if a miss. Using a bipod good accuracy for head shots a hundred or two metres away. But my Simson SS 12g can be my shotgunning hare gun. I don't shoot hares at 50 metres. But shooting a running hare, running at a right angle is spectacular, the hare tumbling for a couple of rows. Hares will almost always flee in one direction. Then within a few rows, reverse direction to throw off pursuers. So cross in front of one for a quick shot.

I like you mentioned the East German scoped shotguns. And sighted in for one barrel. Something for double barrels I have been saying is a possibility for years. A scoped double barrel shooting one barrel accurately is equivalent to a single shot. The other barrel might be usuable at closer ranges. Or for a shotgun using slugs and buckshot absolutely fine.

Interesting the banning of large shot for game hunting in Germany. When it is commonly used in a lot of neighbouring countries I believe.

Amazing shotguns were more for hares, not birds. I must say I love hunting hares. But my shotguns are used mostly for rabbits. Then ducks, quail, pigeons, other birds.

Edited for Android mis-corrections.