[Keavin Nelson]

This is the work-up I put together for the owner - with input from the GGCA
Gun Review – Keavin L Nelson 8-16-18 – with input from the German Gun Collectors Association,
Owner:
16 Ga. AM Gmeiners & Sohn SN 1764
Round action sidelock double barrel shotgun. Full engraving coverage depicting hares, hounds, fowl and fox, all well executed with fine detail. Cocking indicators, with ornate iron and bone sculpted trigger guard. Checkering is well executed at 20 LPI. Bernard Damascus barrels exhibiting a very nice contrast finish in a 95% condition. Total gun weight of 6#7oz.
In general the gun is in very good condition with the only significant issue is that of the partially broken bone trigger guard. The bores are clean and smooth, with just a bit of frosting in from of the chambers and in the forcing cones.
Gun Dimensions: Barrel length – 30 ¾”, DAH 2 5/8”, DAC 1 ¼”, LOP 14” to front trigger
Chamber and bore dimension
Chamber Bore Choke Points Gauged
Right Barrel 2 ½” .672 .648 (.24) Improved Cyl
Left Barrel 2 5/8” .669 .635 (.35) Full


The gun was indeed proofed October 1912 by the Zella – Mehlis proofhouse, ledger number 483 and ZM mark found on the barrel flats, which would likely indicate it was manufactured in 1912. So it was most likely made by the guntrade there for Gmeiner. The Damascus barrel blanks were certainly imported from Belgium. Nearly all such barrels were forged by the smithes in the Liege area.

Anton Melchior Gmeiner & Sohn (= son Heinrich Anton Gmeiner) were country gunmakers at Josephsplatz 2 in Altenburg, Thuringia, then in the petty state Duchy Saxe – Altenburg. The Gmeiners were gunmakers to the court of the Dukes of Saxe – Altenburg, Erich I and Erich II. Certainly a very nice and unusual pre-WW1 German gun, as it is a round action sidelock.(from GGCA)
As is typical for European guns of this era, there are many marks/stampings on the barrel flats. The following is the interpretation as may be determined from various sources.
The circled 16 denotes the nominal gauge of the cartridges the gun takes, while 17 is the actual gauge of the barrel bores at the proofhouse. The gun was blackpowder and nitro proofed. This means smokeless powder loads may be fired in the gun, using 2 ½” low pressure loads.
 The crown/W mark stands for a choked barrel, amount of constriction was not marked.
 Crown S mark is the shotgun proof in effect from 1891 – 1939
 Crown U mark is the East German Inspector mark
 Crown N mark, accompanied by “NITRO” is the nitro proof mark which appears on the both sides of the barrels just above the barrel flats.
In terms of estimated value, consulting various German guns listed on sale sites such as Guns International, it would seem it’s value is somewhere in the xxxxx range.