"MILITIA" GERMAN RIFLE

[edbear2]

HI All, has anyone else out there had any experience with this gun please, I have one apart at the moment (from the 2 day long palava of carefull, repeated applications of heatgun/plusgas/machined blocks and levers it needed to remove the trigger block, I am sure this is the first time for donkeys years the piston has seen daylight!)....The piston is a perfect light sliding fit in the air chamber, and does not have any provision for a washer on the end, and there is a pad at the end of the chamber which I presume is a piston buffer, so have I answered my own question - as all inside is matching numbers to the action, is how they were designed?....its the break barrel type, with the lever below going through a slot in the cocking arm, and although it was lowish on power, and was noisey to cock,it is a suprisingly accurate gun, holding its own against a bsa L model in group size, from my kitchen, down the hall into the lean-to (all weather range)

[DCL_dave]

Hi edbear2,

Are we talking about a Tell Militia by chance? if so I'll be picking one up from my brother-in-law in a week or so...then the fun begins, apparently

[edbear2]

Hi dave...as bottom of this picture.......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3122848...52761/sizes/l/

Its a simple gun to do, similar to a prewar BSA, just that the trigger block on mine was sooooo tight!.....I milled a 6" long aluminium block the same width as the barrel breech flat area, and refitted the barrel pivot bolt through it, then clamped the block in a vise, so the cylinder was secure and could not turn, then milled the end of an 8" length of 1" steel bar to fit snugly in the slot where the trigger was..before I tried the old heat/plusgas treatment, you could see the cylinder was going to flex before the block moved!....I used a industrial heat gun (plastic welding type) to get the block as hot as safe, then gave it the oil (this sequence tends to "draw in" the oil through the joint as it cools....I did this at least 15 times before I got that lovely first couple of degrees movement that showed it was going to budge!...I think the fact that the trigger block is nickle plated is a part of the problem...the thread was flaking slightly, and so I removed all the plating from all parts of the trigger block inside the gun as there were flakes on the spring.. Please let me know if yours has a piston washer!!!!!!!!!!

[DCL_dave]

Some nice rifles in that photo...who my kidding! they're all nice rifles!

Thanks for the info, the Tell Militia I'm picking up looks very similar to yours from memory (been about 2 years since I've seen the gun I'll be getting) but I do know that it doesn't have any of it's original finish and looks rather sorry for itself, but it is complete so it's a prime candidate for a full renovation so I'll let you know if it has a piston washer

[DCL_dave]

Hi Eddie,

I haven't picked up the Tell Militia yet, will do over chrimbo and let you know about the piston washer

Cheers,
Dave

[DCL_dave]

Pictures of my recently acquired German Tell Militia .177 smoothbore http://www.akita-heaven.myzen.co.uk/Tell%20Militia/

[I. J.]

Some nice rifles there.

Can anyone suggest why the Militia has a hole in the barrel catch lever which goes through the cocking arm, mine included so its not an individual thing.
It cannot be uses for a sling as it wouldn't allow the rifle to be cocked.

ATB
Ian

[edbear2]

Hi Ian.......do you mean like on the gun at the bottom of these.......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3122848...n/photostream/

This is a bottom release gun I got off gedd finn (great guy!)......the lever has a hole in the end, I presume for putting a lock or chain in to make the gun safe, as these were used in clubs pubs etc. and this would be a nice security feature.

May be totally wrong of course, but I cannot see any other reason why they would put a hole there!..

Gun markings on this one......serial 39531, stamped on almost every part, top of barrel has "MILLITA PATENT" (sic).......under barrel (love this)..."MADE ABROAD"..so maybe sold at a time when german goods were not best advertised due to world events!

ATB Eddie

[exmoor beast]

Some nice rifles there.

Can anyone suggest why the Militia has a hole in the barrel catch lever which goes through the cocking arm, mine included so its not an individual thing.
It cannot be uses for a sling as it wouldn't allow the rifle to be cocked.

ATB
Ian

Is it for unscrewing the button on the end? Mine has two flats instead of a hole.

[Josie & John]

Hi Eddie,

The Millita is an underated rifle in my opinion and as you say, the "Heavy" is capable of holding its own against even the mighty BSA. I recently picked up one with a tangent rearsight, dating from around 1912 but to be truthful, she shoots so well, I don't want to dismantle her for fear of spoiling the current zero. The rearsight was the clincher as it makes the rifle look like a Martini Henry! Then again, probably just my imagination again.

Kind regards,
John