Shooting the
J Reeb Drilling
Deciphering a
Drilling
For those who might not know a drilling is a
three barreled gun. Usually the top two barrels are shotgun while the bottom is
a rifle. Many of the older drillings are chambered for 16 gauge though the 12
shows up fairly often. The only question with them is the length of the chamber
and if it is a black powder or smokeless piece. If it has Damascus barrels you
should stick to black powder after making sure the gun is safe to shoot. Also
many of them have 2 & ½” chambers as opposed to the more modern 2 & ¾”
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| Storage for extra ammo |
The fun begins when you want to shoot the
rifle barrel. Frequently the barrels are not marked and each maker chambered
his guns for unique cartridges designed by his company. That is where advanced ammo making and
reloading techniques come in handy. You have to have a good understanding of
these guns to make safe and shootable ammo. Some are made back in the last
quarter of the 19’th century to the early years of the 20’th. You should
ascertain that the gun is sound and safe to shoot. If not sure consult a
competent gunsmith beforehand. Many of the drillings were made in Germany which
generally guarantees good quality. Some made elsewhere may or may not be so
good. They are complicated and expensive
because of the firing mechanisms. You generally have two triggers to fire three
barrels which necessitates a lever on top or the side to determine which barrel
you want to fire. That involves extra parts and fitting which adds to the cost.
An advantage to owning a drilling is you have two guns in one. You have a
shotgun or rifle at your command. Most
of the rifle calibers range from adequate to good large game cartridges though
there are exceptions. I ran into a 22 Hornet barrel once.
After you
determine that it is safe you need to figure out what the chambering is.
Usually the best way is to do a chamber cast. By far cerrosafe is the best
product to use. It melts at low temperatures, around 170 degrees making it
relatively easy to use. It can be purchased at Brownells or Midway. After you
clean the chamber you put a plug in the barrel about ½” in the rifling which
will also give you the bullet diameter. You should have a tin type of container
that you can melt it and pour into the chamber. It cools rapidly and after a
couple of minutes you can tap it out. You should have a cast of the chamber and
rifling. Then you have to find which case you will use to form the brass. This
is where some knowledge is essential to make good cases. If you are unable to do this, the cast can be
sent to a custom reloader to make some ammo for you. Be prepared to pay a steep price for that
service.
The gun I
used for this piece was made by a J. Reeb who made guns many years ago in
Germany. It is a well made piece though there is no engraving that is found on
some. Typical of the day the hammers are hard to cock and the triggers have a
heavy pull. I did a chamber cast and
determined that it is a 11 X 60 Mauser round but 3/8” was cut off of the
neck. I made a test round and it fired
perfectly so I trimmed a bunch of cases for working up a load & the owner
wants to hunt with it. It has provisions for a claw mount so when he has one
custom made he can use a scope if desired. Since it shoots an 11 mm bullet big
game at moderate ranges is a viable option. The rifling is good so I expect
some good working accuracy from it. Naturally
we want to shoot this gun. The customer doesn’t want black powder which brings
up another challenge. Is it safe to shoot with light loads of smokeless.?
Through various ways I determined that it was. Since I have worked with similar
guns and calibers in the past I felt on safe ground working up a couple of
loads. I have worked with a couple of 11
X 60 Mausers one was a double rifle that is quite old. Since this cartridge has
a shorter neck I reduced the powder charge by a few grains from the Mauser
loads. The process is called extrapolation and should be attempted by very
experienced reloaders only. I am
happy with these loads as they give plenty of velocity without straining the
old gun. These loads would be very adequate for deer and black bear at woods
ranges. Once a scope is mounted it will make a nice addition to any hunting
rifle collection. The iron sights are not that good. A little research from a German friend has
probably come up with the proper name for this cartridge. It is a 11,03x50R Scheibengewehr an obscure round from the 19’th century. The picture
closely resembles the fired cases I have.
LOAD BULLET VELOCITY COMMENT
31 X 5744 300 grain cast 1615 very consistent
37 X IMR 4198
300 grain cast 1698 ok
27 X 5744 370 grain cast 1388 very consistent
33 X IMR 4198
370 grain cast 1517 ok
It’s always a great opportunity to get an old
gun to shoot well.
Shooting drilling
