| gungadoug |
| (.333 member) |
| 23/08/15 11:09 PM |
Who made the clamshell doubles?
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Just acquired my second clamshell double rifle. Both are in US calibers- 45-70 and 32-40. I suspect they may have been made for an American distributor? Question is, who made them? One labeled Greifelt, the other unlabeled- both made in 1923. Any ideas?
Thanks, Doug
| xausa |
| (.400 member) |
| 24/08/15 01:51 AM |
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Re: Who made the clamshell doubles?
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The calibers you mention seem really strange for a rifle with a clamshell action. In my experience, such actions were used with high intensity cartridges which developed more than normal chamber pressure for a double rifle. I wonder what the original calibers were.
Photos would help, of course.
| Igorrock |
| (.400 member) |
| 24/08/15 01:54 AM |
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Re: Who made the clamshell doubles?
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Good question; there is one unnamed for sale in Holt's next auction, caliber is .405 Win:
http://auctions.holtsauctioneers.com/asp...248&image=0
You could find clamshell actioned double rifles sold at least under W. Foerster and Geco's name.
| rigbymauser |
| (.400 member) |
| 24/08/15 03:31 AM |
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Re: Who made the clamshell doubles?
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.405 Winchester.
http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=220213&an=0&page=0#Post220213
.333 Jeffery
http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=225452&an=0&page=0
| kuduae |
| (.400 member) |
| 24/08/15 04:49 AM |
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Re: Who made the clamshell doubles?
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According to Suhl traditions (Ernst G. Dieter: Im Zeichen ds Waffenschmieds, Teil 2, Erfindungen, Patente, Konstruktionen, Kursioritäten) the design of the "clamshell" action, in Germany variously named "Stabil-", "Ideal-" or "Muschelverschluss", is ascribed to E.Schmidt & Habermann, about 1910. The unsung E.Schmidt & Habermann company, Roschstr.1, Suhl, was founded in 1858 and existed til 1945 as one of the larger Suhl gunmakers. The name is little known now, as they were predominantly gunmakers to the trade, making guns not only for wholesalers like Geco and Akah, but also for obscure "country gunshops" and famous "name" gunmakers like Barella, the Kettners, Geyger, J.J. Reeb, Miller & Greiss, J. Peterlongo and you name them. All the famous pre-war "Original Wilhelm Brenneke, Leipzig" bolt action rifles not only bear their ESHA trademark hidden somewhere, but bear ESHA serial numbers, not Brenneke's. Of course they made the guns for the "Name" gunmakers to designs and "house style" of those "makers". Other "name" Suhl gunmakers like Bernhard Merkel (not Gebr.!) F.W.Kessler (a gunmaker to the trade too) and Greifelt also made clamshell actioned double rifles, but most likely they bought in at least the rough parts, if not guns in the white or even the complete guns from ESHA. No DRP patent or DRGM design protection for the clamshell action is known. Alas, it is merely an evolution of the early pinfire doubles with trough-shaped action bars. Some of those actions even had the action bar to standing breech angle reinforced by a web, not yet as pronounced as on the clamshell action, but clearly forerunners.
| gungadoug |
| (.333 member) |
| 24/08/15 10:38 PM |
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Re: Who made the clamshell doubles?
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Thanks for the responses! The chamberings are definately factory original, stamped in metric designation. Is the ESHA trademark just that, or is there something else I would look for?
Thanks, Doug
| pondoro62 |
| (.224 member) |
| 25/08/15 10:49 PM |
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Re: Who made the clamshell doubles?
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I have seen no name Suhl double rifles (with dealer names only..), an Otto Bock built on the Blitz system and a wonderful sidelocked 9,3x74R by W.Foerster, Berlin. All built with Muschelverscluss..