[ch311605]

I have an old rifle that i want to know a little more about, hopefully someone out there can help me with this. I was hoping to find out a few things.

1. When was the gun made?
2. What model or type of gun is it.
3. What can I learn about the maker - A. Strover, Nordhausen (the O in strover has uhmlauts over it)
4. What pressures / types of loads are safe for the rifle?
5. Value?

Really any info would help. It was my great grandfathers gun and he died years ago.

All I know now is that it is a double barrel, side by side. One side has rifling and the other does not. The only marks or words on the whole gun that I could find was on the top of the barrel and says A. Strover of Nordhausen.

<a href="http://s1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc397/nelslom/?action=view&current=2011-02-08203605.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc397/nelslom/2011-02-08203605.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

this is the only writing i can find on the whole thing. A Strover of Nordhausen.

 

[O'Connersun]

Well, it's not something one see's often on US gun shop racks.

It's German, probably made around the 1870's or 1880's. It is a pin-fire and even though one barrel may be rifled, its at best a combination gun, not a rifle. The German trade is well know for these 'odd' guns. One barrel would have been loaded with a slug or ball round for big game and the other with shot for hare or fowl. German's tended to be opportunistic hunters and their guns reflect this.

There will be other markings where you can't see them, I would think, and this gun does not come apart like most double barrelled guns so find someone that knows what they are doing to attempt to disassemble it. My guess is that it is a 12 bore but it could be something else. IT IS NOT A SHOOTER. Most importantly, I have no idea if anyone makes pin-fire shells today and if they did, they would not be cheap. You can't use modern shells in this so don't even try.

I doubt you will learn much about A. Strover of Nordhausen (Germany) considering the turmoil Germany has undergone since this gun was made. Commonly German guns like this were made in small shops and are custom works, more or less. It is an unusual gun but I have no idea as to it's value. Perhaps a specialty collector would like to have it and value would be theirs to set, I would think. As I implied before, it is a wall hanger, not something you could shoot (easily). I doubt very seriously this gun was intended to be used with anythig but black powder but getting access to the proof marks would be the determining factor for that.

Clean it up (gently) and put in a place of honor where you can tell tall tales of the ferocious bore and giant stag your ancestors in the Black Forest of Germany slain with this mighty weapon!

 

[sportclay]

Strover was a large Sporting goods dist./manufacturer. They put their name on a lot of firearms from single shots to double guns and more. They, like a lot of other German "makers" utilized the guild system and may have finished the gun in house but likely brought it in, in the "white" and unimbelished. Then finished to the customers specs. This appears to be a fairly high grade pinfire in ? gauge. What I am curious about is it has SIGHTS!! are the bores rifled? or paradox style rifling (just the last 3"-4" of the bbl) Pictures need to be clearer. The under side of the barrels and the action should have proof marks. Good quality pics are a must. These were black powder pressure guns. The underlever is fairly strong and adequate for the BP pinfire loads. Need a lot more detailed pics of the gun apart and the underside of the bbls. Pinfires came about at the tail end of the percussion era but didn't last long central fire cartridges very quickly made the pinfires obsolete. By the The late 1870s they were pretty much gone. Many were converted to center fire. The wedge that passes through the forearm slides to the right (it should not come all the way out)and this should allow the removal of the forearm and then open the lever and the barrel should come off the frame. It has peninsular style back action locks that don't appear to have messed with. It needs a good cleaning. Done properly. If you are not sure how to do this , don't.
If this is a rifle or a paradox style gun the value compared to a smoothbore shotgun would be higher. It it was made for ball it would have made a fine boar gun as that was a favorite pass time of the upper classes at the time this was made.
The only way to tell you more is to see detailed pics of the proof marks under the barrels.

I have owned several Strover marked single shot rifles. and have an old Strover catalog from the 1890's and no pinfires were shown. O'connersun covered it pretty well.

 

[wvhunter]

very neat looking old weapon

 

[wvhunter]

looks like something from pirate times

 

[bullseyes]

pinfire

I have a friend who is into pinfires, who may like to buy it if you are interested...
email me...