Any difference in height is negligible, but one has a blued bead, while the other is bronze pick the one you want depending on the lighting.Ī close-up of the folding Lyman two-leaf open sight on the rib.
When one is pressed down, the other pops up. The ramp is integral with the full-length matted rib, and there are two sights, each in its own slot and spring-loaded. The front sight on the Haenel is a good example. The bolt is as slick and smooth as you could wish.Īnyone who has much experience with German or Austrian firearms is familiar with the Teutonic penchant for intricate, ingenious and beautifully executed gadgetry. The machine work, fitting and finishing of the action and all its parts are superb – comparable to that found on some of the finest custom rifles made today. Also, while German government standards of finishing were comparable to those for today’s best rifles, completing part this way allowed Haenel to achieve an even higher standard of internal and external finishing. Hence, the thumb cut on the left side, the shroud with the gas shield (an excellent idea), the opened-up magazine, the Mauser ejector and slotted locking lug and the omission of several milled cuts that would have existed in a completed action. Since the company produced Commission rifles from the ground up, it would not have been difficult to take parts that were only partly completed and alter them midstream. It is obvious that, regardless of any resemblance, Haenel did not take a complete military action and rework it into a sporter. The name survives on some Merkel sniper and target rifles. Haenel of Suhl was founded in 1840 and continued in business until after 1945, when it was absorbed by Gebruder Merkel. The Commission ’88 has a bolt face that completely encircles the cartridge head with a spring-loaded ejector similar to that found on the Remington 700 and later twentieth-century rifles mine, however, has the bottom of the bolt face opened up, Mauser-style, to allow “controlled” feed, and the left lug is slotted for a Mauser-style ejector blade in the bridge.Ĭ.G. Another feature that is puzzling is a thumb cut on the left side of the receiver rail, similar to the Mauser 98 the Commission rifle never had such a cut. It opens and closes with an exactness and finality that is foreign to most Mausers, with the “elevator” adjusting itself rather than flopping when the floorplate is open, like the usual Mauser spring. The floorplate is hinged, and the release looks like a very early version of the later Oberndorf button inside the trigger guard. The follower and spring are unusual, because they do not use the normal Mauser “W” follower spring but have a spring-loaded “elevator” instead. Where the Commission rifle used the Mannlicher packet system – a clip of cartridges is pressed in from the top (clip and all), and the empty clip drops out the bottom after the last cartridge is chambered – mine has a Mauser-style box magazine with a follower, and the cartridges are in a staggered row. The semi-octagonal barrel is made of Krupp steel.The major difference is in the magazine. As well, the original 8x57 J cartridge for the Commission rifle was modified for sporting use into such cartridges as the 9x57mm. Like many others (including Steyr in Austria), it saw the virtues of that action for sporting purposes and began building stalking rifles almost immediately. In 1888, Haenel was one of the contractors that made the famous Commission ’88 rifle for the German government. After 1945, with Suhl under Russian occupation, Haenel was taken over by Merkel, and the name survives to this day on a line of target and sniper rifles. One of its most prominent employees was Hugo Schmeisser, of submachine gun fame. It accepted government contracts but also made civilian firearms and remained in existence right through 1945. was founded in 1840 by Carl Gott-lieb Haenel and quickly became a significant player in the German arms industry during the unification under Bismarck. As was the German preference of the day, the rifle is fitted with double-set triggers.Ĭ.G. It has a sporter stock with a cheekpiece a 21-inch, half-octagonal barrel with a full-length rib is chambered for the 9x57 Mauser and is built on what, at first glance, appears to be a Commission 1888 rifle action. around 1910 and is a typical German stalking rifle of the period. It was almost certainly imported to the U.S. Haenel, an old German gunmaking company in Suhl. This is a typical ad for an imported sporter, from the pages of the Sears-Roebuck catalog – the original wish book.Here is what I know for sure: The rifle was built by C.G.