A Drilling, in the corn field?

Pahoo · October 22, 2011, 05:49 PM

Thought I'd a recent experience with Y'all. Went to a local gun auction and while going down the rows of tables full of guns, there in front of me, was a Drilling. We are talking about a small rural town in Iowa and most of the good old boys are into shotguns. when the auctioneer came to the drilling, he stated a starting price of $3,000 dollars and you could have heard a pin drop. Pretty soon and few turned to look at each other and I heard one guy say; what the heck is that? The auctioneer then stated that if no one was interested in the starting bid. Then the bidding was closed as the reserve price was much higher. No one said a word so back to the owner it goes. ...

This is the third Drilling I have ever seen and it was a beauty. All engraved and external hammers and locks. the two top barrels reportedly were 16Ga. and the bottom barrel was never identifies. Looked like in the .250 or .270 range. I too had set a $3000 range or estimate and that was too rich for me as well as the other lads. .....

Be Safe !!!

mapsjanhere · October 22, 2011, 07:26 PM

A lot of drillings got "liberated" after WWII. Asking prices in the US are crazy for some reason, they are selling much cheaper in Germany where people actually use them. The rifle barrel is typically some German rimmed cartridge, 7x65R for example. A lot of the prewar guns were chambered for 16/65, so they are not safe for modern 16/70 rounds, even if they fit. Another reason not to buy into the price frenzy.

PetahW · October 23, 2011, 03:25 PM

Don't worry, you didn't miss anything - That Drilling's owner was WAAAAY too proud of what he had there.

FWIW, hammer drillings usually had the shot barrels short chambered (2-9/16" ILO 2-3/4") and the rifle barrel was most likely a pre-WWI unobtanium metric number.

That was a $1900 gun, IMHO - IF it was made by a noted maker (Sauer, Simpson, etc), the ribs were tight & shot barrels unbulged.

.

Shotgun693 · October 23, 2011, 05:03 PM

Yep, before you buy one you need to know IF you can get shotgun shells to fit, they are out there but you need to be a reloader to afford to use'm much, and the caliber/round the rifle barrel uses. Some drilings are 12 ga over .38-55 and are very desirable. I've seen one in 16 ga over 7mm Mauser that was a shooter.
If you can get ammo they are nice guns to have.

azyogi · October 23, 2011, 05:09 PM

Why if three is drei, is it spelled Drilling?

Geezerbiker · October 24, 2011, 10:05 AM

Drei is 3, drilling is triple.

Tony

oneounceload · October 24, 2011, 11:19 AM

There are drillings on the market today that make 3K look like the down payment as well

Most likely metric rifle cartridge - maybe 7X57, 8X57mm JRS, or something else

just about every cartridge is still readily available

Weight can become a factor with some of these guns. There are a lot of them from the 20's and 30's here - and prices are all over the map - depending on WHO made it, not just its condition

Here's one with 2 different rifle cartridges and a 20 gauge, a mere 90K:
http://www.gunsinternational.com/PET...n_id=100206531

while here is a no name for a decent price of 1600:
http://www.gunsinternational.com/Ger...n_id=100199606

They can be awesome to use if you like a touch of nostalgia

October 22, 2011, 05:49 PM	#1
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	A Drilling, in the corn field? Thought I'd a recent experience with Y'all. Went to a local gun auction and while going down the rows of tables full of guns, there in front of me, was a Drilling. We are talking about a small rural town in Iowa and most of the good old boys are into shotguns. when the auctioneer came to the drilling, he stated a starting price of $3,000 dollars and you could have heard a pin drop. Pretty soon and few turned to look at each other and I heard one guy say; what the heck is that? The auctioneer then stated that if no one was interested in the starting bid. Then the bidding was closed as the reserve price was much higher. No one said a word so back to the owner it goes. ... This is the third Drilling I have ever seen and it was a beauty. All engraved and external hammers and locks. the two top barrels reportedly were 16Ga. and the bottom barrel was never identifies. Looked like in the .250 or .270 range. I too had set a $3000 range or estimate and that was too rich for me as well as the other lads. ..... Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

October 22, 2011, 07:26 PM	#2
mapsjanhere Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 2,832	A lot of drillings got "liberated" after WWII. Asking prices in the US are crazy for some reason, they are selling much cheaper in Germany where people actually use them. The rifle barrel is typically some German rimmed cartridge, 7x65R for example. A lot of the prewar guns were chambered for 16/65, so they are not safe for modern 16/70 rounds, even if they fit. Another reason not to buy into the price frenzy. __________________ I used to love being able to hit hard at 1000 yards. As I get older I find hitting a mini ram at 200 yards with the 22 oddly more satisfying.

October 23, 2011, 05:09 PM	#5
azyogi Member Join Date: June 12, 2010 Location: Tucson Posts: 88	Ein Zwei Drei Why if three is drei, is it spelled Drilling?

October 23, 2011, 03:25 PM	#3
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	Don't worry, you didn't miss anything - That Drilling's owner was WAAAAY too proud of what he had there. FWIW, hammer drillings usually had the shot barrels short chambered (2-9/16" ILO 2-3/4") and the rifle barrel was most likely a pre-WWI unobtanium metric number. That was a $1900 gun, IMHO - IF it was made by a noted maker (Sauer, Simpson, etc), the ribs were tight & shot barrels unbulged. .

October 23, 2011, 05:03 PM	#4
Shotgun693 Senior Member Join Date: September 3, 2011 Location: Poteet, Texas Posts: 959	Yep, before you buy one you need to know IF you can get shotgun shells to fit, they are out there but you need to be a reloader to afford to use'm much, and the caliber/round the rifle barrel uses. Some drilings are 12 ga over .38-55 and are very desirable. I've seen one in 16 ga over 7mm Mauser that was a shooter. If you can get ammo they are nice guns to have.

October 24, 2011, 10:05 AM	#6
Geezerbiker Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2011 Location: Willamina, OR Posts: 1,908	Drei is 3, drilling is triple. Tony

October 24, 2011, 11:19 AM	#7
oneounceload Junior member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: N. Central Florida Posts: 8,518	There are drillings on the market today that make 3K look like the down payment as well Most likely metric rifle cartridge - maybe 7X57, 8X57mm JRS, or something else just about every cartridge is still readily available Weight can become a factor with some of these guns. There are a lot of them from the 20's and 30's here - and prices are all over the map - depending on WHO made it, not just its condition Here's one with 2 different rifle cartridges and a 20 gauge, a mere 90K: http://www.gunsinternational.com/PET...n_id=100206531 while here is a no name for a decent price of 1600: http://www.gunsinternational.com/Ger...n_id=100199606 They can be awesome to use if you like a touch of nostalgia