I suspect Manton of Calcutta was simply the retailer in India. I doubt that they would have the means to actually "convert" anything. "Damsatlaeufe" means damascas barrels.

As far as I know, WBK means Waffenbesitzkarte (weapons possession card), in other words, a firearms ownership license. The weapon is clearly for sale to private buyers.

I have to admit that I'm a little leery of this guy. He has sold only one other item and he doesn't seem anxious to accomodate potential buyers.

On the other hand, he recommends that the buyer pick the rifle up, which would hardly be something a dishonest seller would suggest.

There is nothing in Germany in my experience which resembles the American three day inspection period, during which a weapon can be returned with no explanation.

Evidently EU regulations require something of this nature, but the sellers seem to be able to avoid this simply by specifying that this is a transaction between private individuals and all sales are final. The act of submitting a bid is taken to mean agreement to those conditions.

It is possible to make use of a Treuhand (a trustee or fiduciary) who would receive the funds, notify the seller that the funds are in his control, whereupon the seller would ship the weapon and upon notification by the buyer that he is satisfied with it, the Treuhand would release the funds to the seller. If the buyer is dissatisfied and returns the weapon, then his money is returned to him only when the seller acknowledges receipt of the weapon back. However, both parties must agree to this arrangement in advance.

One of our German or Austrian collegues may be able to shed more light on this. I have bought several items on eGun with no difficulty, by having them delivered to my German gun maker, which obivates the need for a license and he can take care of the shipping formalities.