Haenal Mk 4e Information

[ratbuster2240]

Good evening airgunners,

I dug out my great grandfathers air rifle tonight as I had no idea what it was but remember firing it with my dad when we were young. If my brother and I had been good when my mother worked at weekends my dad would get the air rifle out I think that's what has made me enjoy shooting so much all these years on.

Any how, I thought it was a BSA or Webley but it says it's a Haenal Iv e.

It works as it should, the bluing is non-existence. Does anyone have any information like date etc? Im guessing it's german.

Thank you

[ogilkes]

The Haenel is most likley a pre-war rifle. Haenel (whose chief designer and ultimatelyjoint owner was no laess a figure than Hugo Schmeisser) made two copies of the BSA rifles, the model 4, copying the light pattern, and the much larger 6, copying the Standard. There was also a repeating version of the 4 with revolving drum magazine on top. They arre nice rifes, not sure what BSA thought of the design theft though! Haeneal went straight for the jugular in copying these, the BSA guns were very popular. Haenel rifles are interesting as they were experimenting with modrn production methods, like stmpings and rolled tube in many of their other rifles.

[ratbuster2240]

Wow Germans copying us, very cheeky and gone are those days of innovation! Thanks for the information ogilkes.

If it doesn't affect its originality I may get it re-blued, I have his old shotgun I had re blacked and re-proofed he was a gamekeeper I believe, so nice to keep a slice of history.

[Snodgrass]

If you look at the underside of the barrel where it is covered by the underlever you may find it stamped with month and last 2 digits of year,for example I have a 1V E repeater stamped 11.28 i.e.. November 1928.
Sometimes there may also be a serial No. after the date stamp,mine is numbered 54.
Regards,
Chris.

[ratbuster2240]

Thanks Chris very helpful! I'll have a look. From reading up n them the e stands for export. They shoot nicely for a 100 year old air rifle.