Krieghoff Drilling Neptun Primus

The one for all

 

Gewehrfabrik Krieghoff  – The History

The first Krieghoff rifle was built in 1886. In this year, Ludwig Krieghoff and a partner founded the “Sempert & Krieghoff rifle factory” in Suhl, Thuringia. It manufactures pistols and rifles for hunters. It was also Ludwig Krieghoff who recognized the importance of a well-made gun. He became famous for his saying “The barrels shoot, but the stock hits”. He had his stock measurement method patented and made it the basis for all Krieghoff rifles.Ludwig’s son Heinrich founded his own company in 1916 under the name “Heinrich Krieghoff”, also in Suhl. When he merged the two companies under his management in 1919, the company experienced a tremendous upswing. Under his direction, various new weapons were created, including a self-loading rifle, and he also further developed the legendary Drillinge (three barrel gun) – the most important type of weapon produced by Krieghoff. In 1925 Krieghoff was the first manufacturer to introduce lightweight duralumin as a material for hunting weapons and in 1926 the first over-and-under shotgun with manual cocking was introduced. When the production of hunting rifles was banned at the beginning of the war, Krieghoff built 71 different hunting rifle models. From then on, only military weapons and equipment were produced. The end of the war meant the end for the company in Suhl. The Soviet occupying forces blew up all the production facilities. Heinrich Krieghoff, his family and his closest employees were forcibly evacuated by the Americans and taken to Heidenheim an der Brenz. During a transitional phase there, Wehrmacht carbines were converted into hunting weapons, naturally with special permission, as the manufacture of weapons was strictly forbidden. Most of the customers were members of the American occupying forces.

New start in Ulm

The real new start for Krieghoff only began with the move to Ulm. Initially only air rifles were built, but in 1953 the production of Drillings finally resumed, which had been the traditional weapon of German foresters and professional hunters for generations as so-called “Försterdrillinge”. The Trumpf and Neptun models in particular, which were the main focus of production, ensured successful business development in the 1960s and 1970s, alongside various buckshot models such as the “Einschloss” and “Alb”, as well as the “Teck” and “Ulm”. The expansion of production to include the manufacture of sporting shotguns for clay pigeon shooting made a significant contribution to the company’s success. With the production of the K-80 and K-20 models, Krieghoff is today closely and successfully associated with clay pigeon shooting, not least thanks to its own sales and service branch in the USA.

Drilling Neptun Primus

As the name suggests, the Neptun Primus is the top-of-the-range version of the Neptun Drilling and therefore the company’s flagship product. It is manufactured using state-of-the-art production methods and a high proportion of pure handwork. The technology of the locks and bolt follows the tradition of the old Suhl gunsmith’s art. The sidelocks for the two shotgun barrels have safety catch bars. This ensures butter-soft trigger pulls without the risk of doubling. If you remove them by hand using the hinged crank, you can see that Krieghoff has installed coil springs here which, unlike the bow springs used in the past, cannot break. A special highlight are the gold-plated lock parts and triggers to protect against rust. The best conditions for a long life.

 

 

 

The double Drilling

Strictly speaking, the Drilling presented here has two barrels: in addition to the barrel bundle with two shotgun barrels and a rifle barrel, the original Krieghoff case contains a double rifle barrel with shotgun barrel (Doppelbüchs-Drilling). The lucky owner was thus ideally equipped for all hunting challenges in both small game and big game hunting grounds. He chose 7x65R + 20/76 as the caliber for the Drilling and the tried-and-tested 8×57 IRS, also with 20/76 shot, for the double rifled Drilling. Both barrels delivered excellent shooting performance, as can be seen on the original target from December 1, 1983. The barrels were already proofed as early as 1980 – good things take time.

Conclusion

Even if the heyday of the Drilling is already some time ago, this does not change the qualities of this typical German weapon type. The Drilling is and remains a universal hunting genius and still finds enthusiasts today who appreciate its versatility. Buying a new Drilling is not a cheap pleasure. However, there are always favorable opportunities on the second-hand gun market that make the dream of such a testimony to German gunmaking affordable.