Blockbüchsen / Heerenbüchsen

                             Blockbüchse von H.BARTOLOT, Hermagor

Kal. 270 Win.

Gravur Silke Ullrich, Graveurmeisterin

Gamswild/Rotwild

Handspanner

absolut neuwertig

TOPHOLZ

Bj. April 2020

Top Schußbild

ZF auf Schwenkmontage

Schmidt&Bender 1,5-8x42 Stratos mit LP

Lederkoffer

NP 30.000.-

verkauft

                      Heerenbüchse von Hartmann & Weiss Kal. 8x75RS

sehr feine Heerenbüchse von Harmann&Weiss

Kal. wurde in Ferlach von 8x57IRS auf 8x75 RS aufgerieben

feinste FUNK-Gravur  Funk,Kiel

sehr schönes Schaftholz mi feiner Fischhaut

sign. auf der Laufschiene

ORIGINAL Heerensystem von H&W gebaut

ohne separate Sicherung ( nach original Heerenpatent das 1. Handspannersystem)

Schaftlänge 37cm, Gesamtlänge 100cm

montiert auf eine SEM ist ein Zeiss 1,5-6x42

verkauft

                                             Army & Navy Co, Lnd. Martini Blockbüchse

zivile Luxusausführung

Kal. 8x57 IRS

Kaliber  1999 von .303 Brit. auf 8x57 IRS aufgerieben

mit gültigem Beschuß

sehr schönes Schaftholz

LUXUSHOLZ

Vorschaftabschluß Büffelhorn

SN: 26078

Bj. 31.1.1899 Martini Metford Waffenregister

feine Gravuren

Monogrammplättchen ungraviert

Schwenkmontage

Schmidt & Bender 6x42

ZF ist etwas trüb und die Dioptrienverstellung geht nicht (sollte ausgetauscht werden)

Lederkoffer

Schaftkappe aus Metall mit Trapdoor

Schaftlänge 37cm, Lauflänge 59cm

verkauft

                       HAGN Blockstutzen Kal. 8x57IRS - feinste FUNK Gravur

gefertigt von Fa. Klaus Koops Büchsenmachermeister Lübeck

Kal 8x57IRS

sign. FUNK

feinste Arabeskengravuren

BESTZUSTAND

montiert auf einer SEM ist ein ZEISS Diavari 2,5-10x 50 mit Leuchtpunkt Abs.60

Stutzenschaft

Schaftlänge 37cm, Gesamtlänge 101cm

SN: 8485

verkauft

                M.HAGN Takedown Kal. .300 Weatherby

Blockbüchse

Bj. 2013

gefertigt von Gernot Walther, Kochl am See

SN:  3304

Gravur von Anja Dammenhayn

Bulino BÄR / WOLF mit keltischer Umrahmung

Schwenkmontage

montiert ist ein Swarovski Z6i 5-30x

Bestzustand

Privatbesitz Südafrika

                original HAGN Blockbüchse Kal. 7x64

sehr feine frühe originale HAGN

mit SN 61

Achtkantlauf

Gravur FUNK, Kiel

Zeiss 6x42 Abs. 1

Suhler Einhakmontage

sign.System HAGN Nr. 61

dt. Beschuß 1980

Canja Abzug mit integriertem Stecher

Schaftlänge 35,7, Lauflänge 59,5, Gesamtlänge 101,5cm

Hornschneck am Pistolengriff

reserviert

                    HAGN Blockbüchse Kal. 7x64

Martin HAGN System MH4

Schäftung Gernot Walther Kochl am See

Gravuren : Anja Damenhayn

Privatbesitz Deutschland

        HAGN Blockbüchse Kal. .243 Win.      NEU!!!

System von Martin HAGN

LINKSSCHÄFTUNG!!!!!

Kal..243 Win.

Kundenanfertigung

Bunthärtung

Gravur von Florian GÜLLERT, Klagenfurt, Österreich

gebaut von Gernot Walther

Zeiss Classik auf Schwenkmontage

Diavari M 2,5-10x50 mit LEUCHTKREUZ

Zeiss Innenschiene

SUPER Schußleistung

Hervorragendes Schaftholz!!!!

Lauflänge 61cm (Walther Lauf)

Schaftlänge 36,5cm

Viertelschiene mit Kaliberangabe

doppelter Goldfaden an der Laufwurzel

Riehmenhalter und Kornsattel mittels Ring über den Lauf gezogen

Schäftung und Fertigstellung der Waffe durch G.Walther, Kochl am See

eingeschossen mit BARNES TSX bleifrei

Waffe ist absolut NEUWERTIG mit marginale Lagerspuren

verkauft

                      Blockbüchse ARMY & NAVY Martini System Kal. .303 Brit.

Blockbüchse ARMY & NAVY

Martini System

Kal. .303 Brit.

Gravur engl. Scrolls und Arabesken

TOPHOLZ

Vorderschaftabschluß HORN

sign. auf der Laufschiene

"Army&Navy Co-operative Society Lim.London"

Zivilausführung um 1900

Monogrammplättchen im Hinterschaft - ungraviert

Schaftabschluß Metallkappe mit Trapdoor

Schaftlänge 37cm, Lauflänge 60cm, Gesamtlänge 103cm

Klappkimme bis 1000 yards!!!

verkauft

             Blockbüchse von HALGER in Kiel /Vorkrieg

Kal. 9,3x74R

montiert auf einer Suhler Einhakmontage ist ein Zeiss ZIELVIER

Halbe & Gerlich (HALGER) war seinerzeit einer der feinsten Büchsenmacher

Herstellung in der 20er Jahren

Schaftlänge 35,5cm, Lauflänge 59cm

R A R I T Ä T !!!!!!!!!!!

verkauft

                         Blockbüchse HEEREN Kal. 7x65R Furtschegger, Kufstein

Furtschegger, Kufstein

Achtkantlauf

Graveur G.Stögner sign.

tiefgestochenen Reliefgravuren

dezente Schaftverschneidung - absolut passend zur Waffe

ohne ZF

Beschuß 11/1982

Brünierung am Lauf leicht abgeggriffen

verkauft

                           Original HAGN Block Büchse Nr. 57 im Kal. 6,5x57

Original HAGN Block Büchse Nr. 57

im Kal. 6,5x57

LINKSSCHÄFTUNG

Traumholz

schwerer ACHTKANTLAUF

Schäftung G. Walther, Kochl am See

Gravur von Funk, Kiel

Super Schußleistung

Swarovski 3-12x50 Habicht mit Leuchtpunkt Abs.40

Schaftlänge 36cm

Beschuß 1979

verkauft

Blockbüchse "Rothenburger Waffeneck"
Hensel Royalausführung Gold - Silbertierstücke

HEEREN Stutzen!!! Kal. .243Win. W.Outschar
gefertigt für H. Münch

  Blockbüchse System Fraser im MINI-System

Blockbüchse Martin HAGN Super-MINI-System
Kal. .22 Hornet

weissfertig!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lauf mit Viertelschiene
Picantiny-Schiene mit Ringmontage 1 Zoll

4 Größenvergleich .22 Hornet -30/06 - .600NE (s.Foto)


verkauft

Aus diesem weissfertigen System wird eine hochwertige Blockbüchse im Kal. .243 win enstehen.

Hier die gleiche 243 nach dem Schäften - noch weissfertig - bevor der Graveur seine Arbeit beginnt.

Als nächstes Projekt wird eine ebenfalls hochwertige Hagn-TAKEDOWN im Kal. .300 Weatherby gebaut werden. Seriennummer 3304  

Als Gravuren für die .300 Weatherby TAKEDOWN sind Wolf und
Bär in Bulino vorgesehen. Anbei ein Foto im Entstehungsprozess.


VERKAUFT

HAGN Blockbüchse im Kal. 8x75RS

Traum-Schaftholz von Gernot Walther, Kochl am See geschäftet

Gravur: keltische Ornamente über das ganze System, gerfertigt von Anja Dammenhayn 

Bunthärtung von Recknagel
montiert auf einer Schwenkmontage ist ein Swarovski Z6i 1,7-10x
Ebenholz Vorderschaftabschluss 

Waffe ist in 2014 ausgeliefert worden im neuwertigem Zustand

Vergleichbare Waffe kann nach Kundenwünschen individuell gefertigt werden. Im Rahmen einer solchen Ausführung liegt der 

Neuwaffe im Bestzustand

€ 18.500.-

George Gibbs Farquharson Fallblockbüchse im Kal. 8x57IRS

Seriennummer: 18286

NITRO beschossen
convertiert vom Kal. .303 British, kein Neubeschuß
Stahlzielfernrohr 4x beschriftet mit Rigby Detais

Lauf beschriftet: "Sighted for Rigby Special .303 Bore. John Rigby & Co 43 Sackville St. London High Velocity Cartridge Pointed Bullit 150 Grain"

Rahmen Nr.: 902
Catalog Nr.: 17180
A/N 902, S/N 18286, F/N 379

sign. auf der rechten Seite: GEORGE GIBBS, BRISTOL

Sicherungshebel in Gold "Bolted"
feinste SCROLL Gravuren
gravierte Schaftkappe aus Metall (1 Schraube fehlt)

Reste von Bunthärtung
Pistolengriffkäppchen mit Deckel

RARITÄT!!! TOP Schußleitung, auch mit dem 4-fachem Glas

Abgebildet in: British Single Shot Rifles, Volume 2 George Gibbs, by Wal Winfer auf Seite 43


Verkauft

H A G N  - SYSTEM Historie und Entwicklung  

By Steven Dodd Hughes

The Hagn single shot action is simply a marvel. Way back in the July 2001 issue of TAR, in an article about a Martin Hagn built rifle, I promised I would do another piece about the action itself. I've had one of the latest batch, actually a .280 octagon barreled action, for some eight months now. During the past couple of weeks I have "racooned" it, wrote disassembly-reassembly procedures and am ready to report on the Hagn action.

I'll bet you got the clue from my opening statement; I'm mightily impressed with this piece of metalwork. It has the medium size, or standard Hagn action. And it is with pleasure I have the opportunity to introduce the new name of the firm, Martini & Hagn, which notes the blending of the talented metalsmithing of Ralf Martini with the vast experience and creative genius of Martin Hagn. First, I'd like to tell you a bit of their stories.

Martin Hagn (pronounced hahgen) invented, and developed this single shot falling block action. He was born in Germany and grew up around all manner of guns. At the ripe age of 14 he enrolled at the school of gunmaking in Ferlach , Austria . Martin will turn 60 in 2003, giving him 46 years of professional involvement in the trade.

In 1962 after completing the Ferlach training, he moved to New York City for employment with the long established firm of Griffin & Howe as a stockmaker. It was while working at G&H that Martin found a special appreciation for American custom rifle design and was also exposed to a large variety of the finest English guns and rifles. Each had a tremendous influence on his Germanic background.

After working for several years in three different shops from New York to Alaska , Martin returned to Germany to continue in the trade. In 1969 he earned the German status of Master Gunmaker. In 1970 he opened up his own shop, working in his home town of Kochel-am-See with his Father and an apprentice.

The concept of creating his own single shot rifle came about on an Alaskan hunting trip in 1973. He was accompanied by a gunsmithing school chum by the name of Gerhard Hartmann, founder, with Otto Weiss, of the respected firm of Hartmann & Weiss, Hamberg. Hartmann was shooting his company's version of the Heeren single shot rifle, an older design that a few different German and English gunmakers had used. Hagn told Hartmann, "I will make a better one."

Back in Germany in his workshop, Hagn spent two months designing and building the MHK-1 action (MHK stands for Martin Hagn, Kochel). He says, with his German affect, "It was a pleasing looking action but technically, very sad. It merely showed my inexperience with designing." He immediately started on an improved version and, "Luckily, plain luckily, I had a good idea for the inside mechanism. A setup very different from any other rifle."

This version became the MHK-2, or second model and Hagn built and sold 21 on this type. He has been shooting one of these ever since and has shot all his game with the rifle. (When I talked with Ralf this morning (10-15-02) he informed me that Martin had just returned from mountain goat hunting, successfully taking a nine inch billy with this same .300 Weatherby Mag. Through the years Martin has taken elk, caribou, stone sheep, black and grizzly bear with this rifle. Needless to say, he knows of its performance in the field.)

The MHK-3 soon followed and although he wasn't completely satisfied it was years before he came up with further improvements. The MHK-4 was upgraded with more positive ignition and a simple extractor that would be convenient for building a take-down model.

During this refinement period both Hagn and Hartmann & Weiss built actions and rifles on this design. The left side of the breech block of the rifle I wrote about in 2001 carries Hartmann & Weiss markings.

Hagn developed a proven ejector system as an option and made a few minor improvements on this current design, the MHK-4, as shown here.

The last step was developing a set trigger mechanism, which he has accomplished and is an option. Somewhere near 100 actions of the various models were produced in Germany .

Longing for wild country to hunt and escaping restrictive gun laws in Germany , Martin Hagn moved to Cranbrook , B.C. Canada in 1985. He set up shop building rifles and actions and has been there ever since. Ralf Martini , the other half of the team, was also born in Germany and also grew up having a fascination with firearms, but in a different era, under different circumstances. When Martini was of age to start an apprenticeship there were no gunmakers willing to take anyone on. As the gunmaking trade moved towards mass production there just wasn't any place for apprentices. Martini chose to take an apprenticeship as a machinist and in this trade he excelled.

After his apprenticeship he served in the German military in an Alpine unit, honing two other skills very useful to his current way of life. Training in the mountain country, Martini prepared himself for the high country hunting he loves today. He graduated from the military as a sniper and won a Gold Medal in marksmanship, further qualifications for his life to come. He currently is an avid big game hunter and when I spoke with him last week he had just returned from several days of elk hunting in an area where only six point bulls are fair game.

Unbeknownst to Martin Hagn, Ralf Martini immigrated to Canada in 1986 and worked for a time in the outfitting business. He returned to machining and 12 years of experience in a large industrial shop brought him tool and die maker status as well as becoming shop foreman for the last three years. As you might imagine, he was doing as much gunsmithing as possible, whenever possible. Giving up job security and the eventual likelihood of upper level management, Martini moved to Fort St. John , British Columbia and set up a gunsmithing shop. Some of us just don't have a choice in these matters.

His focus there was building accurate rifles: for hunting, bench rest, tactical, silhouette and varmint shooting. As in all his work, Ralf continually strived for quality and performance.

In 1998 Ralf decided to apply for membership in the American Custom Gunmakers Guild. Needing three member-sponsors, he contacted Martin Hagn who agreed to view his work. Ralf brought a couple of in-process Mauser actions and quotes Hagn as saying, "No, no, no, this won't do. You have to work on this and improve that."

Armed with Hagn's suggestions, Martini returned to his shop and implemented those ideas and improved his projects until he felt Hagn would be satisfied with them. It was at this time that Martini and Hagn started talking about working together.

I saw Ralf's work before I met him at the Custom Gun Exhibition in Reno , Nevada in January of 2000. He was showing two Mauser barreled actions to gain membership in the ACGG as a metalsmith. The voting took place in a room off of the showroom and prospective members were requested to furnish dummy cartridges so the voting members could test the function of the work as well as the visual aspects. Each of Ralf's examples displayed extensive modifications, one had a shortened action and one was lengthened. The metalwork was exemplary in every aspect and I can't imagine anything other than a unanimous agreement on his qualifications.              

His work was quickly moved to the exhibit hall shortly after the voting and I introduced myself at his table. He seems a quiet and affable man with a great sense of respect for the trade and a great depth of knowledge. It was easy to see that he was very pleased and proud to be a member of the ACGG.

The following year Martini's career took another turn. At the offer of Martin Hagn, Ralf packed up his family and moved to Cranbrook , B.C. where the two set up shop together. This was a great opportunity for each of them. Hagn was having some difficulty keeping up with the demand for his actions, and for his custom rifles. Martini's background and experience with precision machining and accuracy gunmaking allowed him to step right into the job. Ralf is now doing much of the action manufacturing and all of barrel contouring, fitting and chambering. This gives Martin more time for stockmaking and finishing the complete custom rifles and to continue his inventive process.

Ralf moved from a position of establishing himself in a tough trade to a backlog of work in the shop of one of today's true "Master Gunmakers."

Ralf feels uniquely privileged to work with Martin and daily absorb his vast knowledge of the trade. Martini recently built a brand-new workshop and the new firm of Martini & Hagn have a spiffy new premise, well stocked with new and old machinery and tools, specifically set up to create their unique product.

Martini & Hagn currently have two sizes of single shot actions in the works. The medium, which is shown here, is suitable for cartridges up to and including the .375 H&H. The Magnum, or large action, will handle any cartridge including the .700 NE. A third size smaller action may become available sometime in the future. Martin Hagn has also built a prototype double rifle following his single shot action design which is something to behold. These doubles will become available in the future.

Flashing back to an earlier time, I'd like to point out some interesting items. John Amber, long time editor of Gun Digest, single shot fan and promoter of custom gunmaking, was the first person to write about the Hagn action in this country. He was also the first person to import them and sold one to single shot guru, Frank de Haas.

In letter to Amber, of April 3, 1985 , de Haas says, "I received the Hagn action and I am very pleased with it. I have to admit that it is the most precisely made and put together action that I have seen in a long time. However, what intrigued me most about this action is the outstandingly simple and yet complex firing mechanism. I know a little bit about such mechanisms and designed a couple myself, but Martin Hagn did a masterful job with his….I wish I had thought of it."

Frank de Haas wrote about the Hagn in his book, Single Shot Potpourri. He probably knew more about single shot actions, their design and function, than any man alive. His praise for the Hagn was profound and justified.

In the next installment we can take a close look at the barreled action sitting on my work bench with the left side of the breech block cleanly etched, MARTINI & HAGN. In the Part 3 I will relate disassembly and reassembly procedures and an exploded view of the Hagn action.

There are many unique features to the Hagn single shot action, some immediately obvious and some not quite so. The most visual is the complete lack of pins or screws anywhere on the exterior of the action. Besides simply looking clean and uncomplicated, it provides an uninterrupted surface for engraving adornment. In fact, there is but one screw in the entire assembly, and you can't really call it a screw because it just acts as a stop for adjusting the extractor engagement.

Unlike many single shot actions, the Ruger excepted, the action body is one single unit without a removable lower tang. The butt stock is affixed to the action by a through-bolt entering into a cone shaped extension in the web between the tangs. Both sides of the back of the action have deeply recessed mortises so large tenons of stock wood enter the action to prevent wood splitting. The front of the action has mortises as well to help secure the forend. There also is plenty of surface area at the rear of the action for good wood contact to absorb recoil.

To further strengthen the stock, the weakest part of any rifle, the tangs are only about .700" wide in front and just .400" at the rear. With internal parts narrower than the tangs, and the web between them a mere 1/4" wide, the inletting at the head of the stock is minimal as compared to the Ruger #1 or Dakota #10, the Hagn's contemporaries. I have often heard that wide tangs strengthen a rifle. It is my contention that removing wood in the weakest part of the stock, in fact, weakens the rifle.

The action is based upon three investment cast parts; the action body, lever and the trigger. Each is extensively machined in-house as are all of the other parts except the springs, pins and a few small pieces. The cast parts are not hardened and are made of a low carbon steel equivalent to 8620 so they can be case hardened. Case hardening is recommended, but not required because of the massive engaging surfaces of the breech block in its mortise. Hardening does offer several advantages besides strengthening the action.

For centuries gunmakers have known that case hardened moving parts offer slicker surfaces that will not gall against one another. The breech block will slide more smoothly in its mortise as will the lever and the trigger. Color case hardening furnishes a flamboyantly beautiful metal finish although the colors will eventually wear and fade with use. If the action is engraved, the colors can be removed by French Graying to better display the embellishment. With or without colors, case hardening will provide greater resistance against surface rust or corrosion, inside and out, than non-heat treated steel.

The good looks of the action can be attributed to the fact that Martin Hagn is steeped in the tradition of fine firearms and that both he and Ralf can use hand files as adeptly as milling machines. I haven't seen the casting but can assure you, plenty of hand work is necessary to fit and finish one of these beauties. In fact, all of the internal parts are closely hand fitted and the externals receive a generous amount of hand polishing. And if you've a mind to do some external shaping beyond the norm, the actions can be had in a rougher exterior form to test your own hand filing.

All of the internal parts are held together with precision dowel pins in perfectly reamed holes either concealed and captured by the stock, or by other action parts. Nothing can work or shoot loose. For the most part, these pins can be easily pushed out by hand with a punch.

The action is comprised of 34 total parts. It is powered by five coil springs: mainspring, trigger spring, extractor spring, safety spring and firing pin spring. The mainspring and its assembly are the most singular features of the mechanism.

Riding on the internal shaft of the sear, the mainspring is enclosed in the mainspring housing, and when assembled is under some tension at all times. The sear has three separate functions: the rear is wedge shaped to locate in a V notch in the rear of the tangs, the sear shaft holds and guides the mainspring, and the front of the sear is cutaway to engage the trigger and provide the true sear surface. The mainspring housing slips over the mainspring and sear shaft, has a cylindrical front end fitting in a concave surface in the back of the hammer, and is slotted through the center for the trigger.

The mainspring assembly works very much like a three position toggle switch. As the lever is lowered, the mainspring drops and is partially compressed while the wedge end of the sear pivots downward in the V notch. As the lever is raised, the mainspring is caught by the sear engaging the trigger, and as the lever is fully closed the mainspring is fully compressed. One can feel the resistance as the lever is shut, cocking the action. Because the hammer is pinned to the lever and is joined to the breech block by the link, mainspring tension also holds the lever fully open or closed. There is no need of a catch to lock the lever shut.

The lever throw is a mere 40°, shorter in angle and travel than any other single shot I am familiar with. The Dakota #10 has a full extended operating lever angle of 50°, the Ruger 55° and the original Winchester High Wall a whopping 105°. I have hunted with, or extensively shot both of these others and can say that regardless of the angle, the Hagn simply feels like it has a shorter throw. I'm quite sure this is because of the mainspring tension on the lever. Closing the Dakota, one has to squeeze the lever fully closed. The Ruger has a latch on the #1 and a detent on the #3 that must be physically secured. While the High Wall's lever is held shut by mainspring tension, in all of its long travel, it is only in the last 1/8" that one feels the spring assist.

In contrast, after initial resistance at full cock, the Hagn seems to shut itself; the last bit of travel is noticeably assisted by the mainspring. As one who has hunted almost exclusively with single shots for many years, I can assure you this positive movement into battery position is reassuring when reloading after one has made a shot on a game animal.

The extractor, if not unique, is uncomplicated, positive in function and delivers the great mechanical advantage of the leverage principal of the operating lever. I say if not unique, because the Dakota and Browning 1885 have used this design.

The extractor is centrally mounted in the front extension of the lever and rotates in a semicircular motion in a 5/8" deep slot in the rear of the barrel chamber. As the lever moves forward and down, the extractor moves upward and to the rear, snagging the cartridge rim pushing it out of the chamber. Because of my anachronistic tendencies, I'm a big believer in rimmed cartridges for single shot actions for positive extraction. Fact is, the Hagn actually might work better with rimless cartridges, for both loading and unloading. A rimmed cartridge has the possibility of hanging up on the breech block or barrel breech while a rimless will slide right in or out.

In contrast, with the nine o'clock location and right angle extension of the extractor in the breech of the High Wall or Ruger, much of the levering advantage is lost. These extractors also have more friction of parts moving against other parts. The Hagn extractor doesn't contact anything but the lever and cartridge case.

Looking down at the Hagn action with the block lowered, the extractor is in a fully rearward position. Also shown are the barrel/breech witness mark, the stock mortices in the back of the action, the rotary safety wheel and the author's thumb print.

Again, from the orientation of a single shot rifle hunter, extraction is paramount. A few years back I wounded an antelope with the first shot and the cartridge case stuck in the breech of my beloved Ruger sidelever conversion. Believe me, I was frantically pushing on the lever, getting ready to hammer the lever with my knife and remembering the bore rod back at the truck, while the pronghorn rolled around on the ground with his back broken. Fortunately the case came out and I administered the coupe de grace. I 've always known the sidelever adds charm and uniqueness, but know from experience it detracts from positive extraction.

This advantageous leverage also work when loading. Some single shots, sidelevers and rolling blocks particularly, don't have the leverage to fully seat a minutely oversize case in a tight chamber. I can't imagine this being the same sort of problem with the Hagn.

The hammer is centrally positioned and hidden in the rear of the breech block. It rotates on a pin in the top middle of the lever. The link also rides on this pin. The hammer has a very short throw and strikes the firing pin which is in-line with the center of the bore. Note that the hammer is 90° above its pivot point when fired and that the mainspring housing is directly behind the firing pin. All is in-line at the moment of detonation. This feature also hold tremendous pressure on the firing pin in its hole so there is no possibility of the primer backing, or flowing into the pin hole.

Many early British single shots, such as the Farquharson, have angled firing pins. Other actions have a Z shaped pin that the hammer strikes above or below the bore line, such as the Dakota and the Sharps side hammer. Both types have a reputation for being fragile. Regardless of other considerations, I believe an in-line firing pin offers the most consistent and positive ignition for fine accuracy.

The tip of the Hagn's firing pin is small at .060" in diameter with about .040" protrusion. Although small, it is not fragile because of other factors that negate this concern.

The firing pin sits in a hardened bushing recessed into the face of the breech block which is retained by a cross pin. This bushing protrudes about .005" from the face of the block so the cartridge head seats on the bushing rather than the block. The firing pin has a coil spring over its front end for retraction.

The first movement lowering the lever lowers the link and starts retracting the hammer before the breech block starts to drop. This allows the spring loaded firing pin to disengage the primer before the breech block movement could shear it off. The pin is hardened and tempered to prevent mushrooming from hammer blows and to lessen the possibility of tip breakage. Because the firing pin is short, precisely fit and has such little movement, you can dry fire this action all day without worry of breakage.

The breech block is milled from a solid billet of steel and weighed nearly half a pound on my inaccurate and out of date postal scale. Underneath, a deep recess is milled in the rear for the hammer. The top front face is angled and slightly coved to facilitate final chambering of a cartridge. The block fits the mortise more precisely than any other single shot I've examined. It moves freely up and down with just a few thousandths of play.

The breech block is connected to the lever via the link and link pin. The link pin and hammer pins are concealed and captured in the breech block until the lever is removed. The lock-up of the block is simple, strong and unique. As the lever moves the breech block upward, an angular section on the top of the lever pushes the block up. Just as the breech block stops, the lever cams over to lock the block between its stop and the top of the lever contacting the link pin.

The camming affect and the mainspring tension holding the action shut combine to make an extraordinarily secure lock-up. The massive surface area of the rear breech block rails contacting the mortise gives this action the strength to handle magnum cartridges.

The trigger is quite simple as well. Its shoe is nicely shaped and large enough for a positive feel. A small coil spring holds the trigger tensioned to engage the sear. As mentioned, this engagement is located where the trigger projects through the mainspring housing. The long upper end of the trigger is captured by the safety when it is snapped on.

Measuring the trigger pull with a Lyman digital gauge, it averaged 3 lbs. 4 oz. for ten tests. Being an old hand at trigger jobs for guns, rifle and revolvers, I did notice a bit of creep. Measuring the trigger movement with calipers between the trigger and lever I came up with just .040". Minimal for sure and I consider this an excellent trigger for a hunting rifle.

The trigger has no adjustments, and in my opinion, doesn't need them. With an excellent pull-weight, little reep and virtually no over-travel, I'm very pleased with it just as it is.

The safety is entirely unique. A circular rotary-action wheel protrudes from the top tang, just where it ought to be. When the action is cocked, the thumb rotates it rearward less than a quarter turn to engage. This drops the safety hook over the trigger firmly locking it and blocking the hammer at the same time. Again, my archaic sensibilities would prefer a sliding safety, and that can be had as an option. In truth, if I were building a hunting rifle for myself, I would order the rotating safety because it is virtually impossible to accidentally disengage. It is very positive and very safe. A set trigger is also optionally available, but I haven't seen one. Knowing Martin Hagn, I'm sure it is superb.

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the Hagn action is that so few parts do so much. All of the moving parts are precisely fit and well polished and the action operates with authority. When the lever snaps home into battery, it is all strength and rigidity as if the mechanism has confidence in itself.

Ralf Martini contoured, fit and chambered the barrel for this barreled action. I ordered a 26" tapered octagon barrel with integral quarter rib, full-length top rib and front sight base. The barrel came equipped with a one standing, one folding blade deep V notched rear sight which Ralf had sighted and filed in during test firing.

The 7mm rifled barrel blank, with a 1-10 twist, was from RKS Enterprises in Alberta , Canada . The maker, Ron Smith, is widely known in Canada and the US for his cut-rifled match grade barrels; many are specifically made for benchrest competition.

Ralf chambered the barrel in .280 caliber, my client's choice for mule deer and antelope hunting. All of his chambering reamers are custom ground at minimum specs to what he refers to as "a tight hunting chamber." The only fired .280 brass I had in the shop was from a factory rifle chamber and when I tried to insert it, it stopped an eighth inch from chambering. In a rather clownish experiment to test the extraction, I drove the case into the chamber with a wood dowel. I had to reef on the lever, but extract it did, fully resized.

Ralf has a wide variety of reamers, all precision ground, and will fit any brand of quality barrel to these actions. His background with bench- rest, silhouette rifles and knowledge of reasonable specs for a hunting chamber comes through clearly in conversation with him.

The external contouring of the barrel is delicious. The breech end has a short, round cylinder section 1.220" in diameter and about .375" long. This is a characteristic of many German and Continental rifles and one I have adopted for most of my custom rifles. Besides reinforcing the chamber area, I just like the way they look.

With my background building muzzleloading guns and rifles, I developed a great appreciation for "swamped" barrel contours. Swamping is the antithesis of straight tapers. Essentially, it means cutting some of the external bulk out of the middle of the barrel where it is not needed. This barrel is .600" across the flats al the muzzle and .990" across the flats where the octagon starts at the breech. In the middle, the taper increases, then decreases again towards the muzzle giving it a slight tapered and flared look.

Sighting down a straight tapered barrel always looks to me as if it could go on to infinity and someone arbitrarily whacked it off at a given length. Swamped barrels look like they end just where they are supposed to. They are also lighter and give the rifle a better balance and feel.

The quarter rib is dovetailed to accept Talley lever detachable scope rings at the lowest possible position. I rarely build rifles without iron sights and believe Talley makes the strongest most repeatable of the detachable variety. Martini & Hagn also offer claw mounts as an option. After closely fitting the rings to the rib, Ralf then reamed them perfectly concentric with one another. The quarter rib and front sight base end with quietly detailed spear points hand filed to blend into the top rib. Some of us believe that the integral features, especially the full-length top rib, stiffens the barrel and promotes accuracy. Regardless of stiffness, this swamped integral barrel is the epitome of functional elegance.

The finish of the metalwork is right up to par with the rest of the job. It is hand polished, "the only way" as Martin, Ralf and I concur. All of the external surfaces, and even the sides of the tangs and front lever extension that will be under the wood, are uniformly true and beautifully polished. Most folks would be quite pleased to color the metal just as it is.

There is more I could tell you about but I will leave you with the photos to discover more details and intrinsics. Suffice it to say, my opening statement in Part 1 was accurate, "the Hagn single shot action is simply a marvel!")

DISASSEMBLY

At the suggestion of the manufacturers, I made a mainspring disassembly tool from an old Phillips screwdriver. The working end was lathe turned to .110" diameter in a section .475" long. The tool was then bent at a right angle. I hold the barreled action by the barrel in a padded jaws of a bench vise, left side up for most disassembly.

1. Fully open action by lowering (#2) operating lever. Remove (#24) trigger pin with small pin punch. Lower (#5) trigger from action being careful not to loose (#35) trigger spring in the bottom rear of the trigger.
2. Close action, mark side of (#6) mainspring housing showing top 1/2" until mainspring housing clears the recess in the top tang. Holding lever in this position with the left thumb with hand underneath, insert disassembly tool in hole in the "V" at the rear of the (#14) sear. Compress (#33) mainspring by pushing tool forward and remove mainspring assembly out the side of the action. (Note: The mainspring is under some tension at all times it is in the action. For ease of reassembly, I like to mark to top of the sear by lightly scribing a T on the top of the wedge. This V shaped wedge is chisel sharp. After removal, I stamp an L on the left side of the mainspring housing).
3. Remove (#17) operating lever pin right to left with pin punch. The most pins in this action can be removed by simply pushing with a pin punch, this one may need a light tap from a brass hammer.
4. Lower (#3) breech block until link pin hole is exposed on the side of the block. It helps to push on the top of the block inside the action. Remove (#18) link pin by pushing with pin punch. Push breech block back up and remove lever assembly with extractor assembly and hammer and link assembly attached.
5. Push breech block to lowest position, remove (#21) breech block stop pin and (#9) breech block stop. Breech block can now be slid out of the top of the action.
6. The (#8) extractor can now be easily removed by pushing out the (#20) extractor pin. For reassembly, note that the long leg of the (#34) extractor coil spring goes to the bottom left and the short leg to the rear of the extractor. Extractor adjustment screw (#30) should not be removed once it has been appropriately adjusted.
7. Push out the (#19) hammer pin to remove the (#4) hammer and (#10) link. The link can be reinstalled in any position.
8. The (#11) safety wheel is under slight spring tension. While holding the safety wheel, push out (#26) safety wheel pin and remove safety wheel downward. Remove (#32) safety spring from shaft on (#7) safety hook. Remove (#25) safety hook pin and safety hook.

REASSEMBLY

NOTE: To ease reassembly, the manufacturers recommend making small tapered pins to help align the 4mm link pin and the 2mm safety and trigger pins.

1. Install safety hook in top tang and pin in place. Locate safety spring on safety hook shaft, insert safety wheel cup on end of shaft, and using finger pressure, rotate safety wheel in place and install pin.
2. Install extractor mechanism and hammer/link assembly to operating lever and pin each in place, extractor mechanism and hammer/link assembly to operating lever and pin each in place.
3. Insert assembled breech block (with firing pin, firing pin spring and firing pin bushing) in top of action and slide all the way down. Install breech block stop to bottom of breech block with angled portion below and rearward. Pin in place. Push breech block up again.
4. Take assembled operating lever with hammer and link in upright position and slide lever with hammer into the action up to hammer pivot point. Extractor should hang down as it is naturally pushed by its spring. Push block down all the way while inserting lever. Visually align link through link pin hole (it may be aligned by inserting a toothpick or tapered in the link pin hole). Insert operating lever pin left to right. Swing hanging extractor down into lever slot and depress with a tooth- pick from the side. Move lever into action, tilting front of lever forward into action, remove toothpick and the extractor will pop into place. Install lever pivot pin. Check lever/breech block operation to verify link engagement with link pin.
5. Noting top side of mainspring housing and sear, assemble with mainspring. Hold lever open about 1/2", insert mainspring tool in hole in sear, place front of mainspring housing in rear of hammer, compress with assembly tool and install mainspring.
6. With safety button on safe (rear-ward) fully open lever, insert trigger (mainspring housing may need to be moved to one side to clear trigger), compress trigger spring with non-marring punch and install trigger. Align trigger by contact with safety hook and insert trigger pin. Close action and check operation.

Martini & Hagn, Gunmakers can be contacted at:

1264 Jimsmith Lake Road,
Cranbrook B.C. Canada, VIC 6V6.

(250) 417-2926
E-Mail: info@martiniandhagngunmakers.com