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First, I have to apologise for the quality of the photographs, which were made before I got a halfway decent digital camera. However, they do convey the general impression of the guns I photographed.

Pictures 4, 5 and 6 are of my J.P. Sauer & Sohn M 26 sidelock drilling, 16/16/8X57JR, made in 1939. It has a feature I prize highly in a drilling, which is separate rifle barrel cocking, performed, in this case, with a lever on the left side of the action. This arrangement allows the gun to be carried with the rifle barrel uncocked until the actual moment it needs to be fired. The side lever allows the safety to be placed in the (for me) instinctive position of that of a side by side shotgun, so there is no fumbling for the safety when the time comes. More recent designs, such as the present day Krieghoff, allocate this task to a mechanism located where the safety would otherwise be found, which has to be pushed forward with the thumb to cock the action. Then the same thumb has to release the safety, which is located elsewhere. With the side lever, the rifle barrel can be cocked using the left hand, and the operation of the safety remains the same as that of a normal shotgun.

Pictures 1, 2 and 3 are of my Sempert & Krieghoff Neptun sidelock drilling, 16/16/9.3X72R, made in 1925. It, too, is equipped with the side lever separate rifle barrel cocking system. However, the safety is located on the lock plate, somewhat unhandy and non-instinctive to operate.

Pictures 7 and 8 are of my little Greifelt S/S 16 gauge shotgun, which I rescued from the clutches of a pawn shop for $200.00. What is pictured is the result of a marvellous restoration job by Dietrich Apel at New England Custom Gun, and turned it from a bedraggled and neglected wreck to the object of pride it is today. It is a humble boxlock, with sideplates to disguise its nature, but it handles and shoots like a dream.

Pictures 10, 11 and 12 are of another Greifelt, this time a 16/16/7X57R drilling, a boxlock, nicely engraved, again with the side lever rifle barrel cocking arrangement. Unfortunately (and inexplicably) this is connected with a Greener type safety, which spoils somewhat an otherwise delightful little gun. NECG was able to mount a Leupold VariXIII 1.5-5X scope on it for me, using the existing claw mount bases, and it shoots delightful little groups at 100 yards. Only a persistant cough during deer season this year prevented me from taking it to the field.

Pictures 13, 14 and 15 are another Greifelt, this time a 12/12/8X60R boxlock, without the separate rifle barrel cocking feature. It is currently in the hands of NECG having the foreend iron replaced. When I obtained it, it appeared slightly off face, but not enough to prevent my shooting it. Closer examination revealed that the foreend iron had already been replaced, rather crudely, and that this was the cause of the looseness. Moreover, the foreend itself had been cracked, neccessitating its replacement, too, so this gun is a work in progress, but it is a handy little devil, with short barrels, and loaded with two Brennekes in addition to the rifle cartridge should be just the ticket for driven boar, should I have the opportunity again.

Picture 16 is of my Krieghoff Teck .458 Winchester Magnum double rifle, seen elsewhere posing with African game. It has accounted for one very large elephant, a buffalo, and with its interchangeable barrels in .375 H&H, a lion, a leopard, an eland, a greater kudu and a lesser kudu. With its interchangeable 20 gauge 3" Magnum barrels, it has taken a number of sand grouse and Hottentot teal, plus a good number of clay pigeons. The .458 barrels have also been used at clay pigeons, firing .410 shot cartridges through the rifle barrels with the scope mounted. Good practice for rapid target acquisition with a scope.

The final set of photos are of my Krieghoff post war Neptun sidelock drilling, also with the lever actuated rifle barrel cocking mechanism, in caliber 16/16/8X65RS. This gun had a 7X65R rifle barrel when I acquired it, but I consider a long range cartridge incompatable with a drilling, so I had the barrel rebored to 8mm and rechambered to 8X65RS, a work carried out in Germany to my complete satisfaction. I am not much a fan of engraving, particularly of animal scenes, but this gun has some of the finest I have experienced. It is a real treasure.

My appreciation to Dale for posting the pictures, which I must learn to do for myself some day.