Can anyone translate the 1930’s German on this catalog?

[45flint]

The very last line on this Tell catalog gives I’m sure the intended ranges of the Tell 3 in meters? Google Translate can’t seem to handle this form of German or the meaning of the words back then?

[arnie2b]

Spiegelautsitzend = kinda hole in hole at 6 meters: furthest precise shooting distance at 10m (max shooting distance 20m)

[45flint]

Spiegelautsitzend = kinda hole in hole at 6 meters: furthest precise shooting distance at 10m (max shooting distance 20m)

Thanks much, makes sense.

[ccdjg]

My German is not very good but I loosely interpret it as follows:

Shooting (performance): gave level shooting (could mean flat trajectory?) at 6 metres; maximum accurate shooting distance about 10 metres;
maximum range about 20 meters.

Don will be able to give you a more reliable translation if he sees this.

EDIT: Sorry, posted my reply without realising you had already had a response from arnie2b. "Spiegelaufsitzend" was a new one on me - thanks for the interpretation arnie.

[arnie2b]

I got that one wrong about the spiegel aufsitzend. It's the sight aim.

[45flint]

I got that one wrong about the spiegel aufsitzend. It's the sight aim.

Wow! This really gives insight as to what I have been experiencing. I have been shooting my Tell 3’s and finding that they shoot 6 inches? high. It now looks like that is what they were designed to do at 6 meters. Is this a normal way of shooting back then? Am I to assume they would zero at 10 meters? I can test it but I doubt the pellet will drop 6 inches in 4 meters? It probably is intended to zero at 20 meters, the farthest range? It really makes it a challenge to be accurate at ranges that a low powered pistol can be effectively used.

One issue with the Foss design is the front sight had to be low and rounded given it’s part of the cocking lever. The Haenel 28 has a much higher front sight and you can adjust it to give you “normal” dead on sighting at short ranges or any range you choose. With the Tell 3 you put the rear sight on the lowest setting and then estimate your hold below the target, given your range, unless your set up at standard distances with standard targets it can be pretty frustrating.

This forum continues to amaze me, where else could I have gotten information like this to solve a issue that was driving me crazy!

[45flint]

I got that one wrong about the spiegel aufsitzend. It's the sight aim.

Is this bottom of target sight picture German or is it used universally. I have seen bottom of the bullseye but not bottom of the target?

[aimless]

aiming (shooting): "spiegelaufsitzend" (as described before) at distance 6 m , maximum precise shooting-distance ca. 10 m (reach ca. 20m)
cheers Jochen

[arnie2b]

Is this bottom of target sight picture German or is it used universally. I have seen bottom of the bullseye but not bottom of the target?

I'd never heard of aiming like that before so I presume it's German. Unless someone knows otherwise?

[45flint]

I'd never heard of aiming like that before so I presume it's German. Unless someone knows otherwise?

I got so tired of it hitting high that I decided to file the sight notches in order to bring down the sight to zero it at 6 meters. There is not much room to do this cause the cocking bar on the Tell 3 sits on top of the cylinder and the front sight is low. I brought the V of the rear sight right down to that bar. On the final pic you can see how much lower it is by looking at the sight bar coming down past the cylinder underneath. Before it was flush with the cylinder. Happy to get rid of spiegel aufsitzend!

Before


After:

[I. J.]

" Vot is your name? "

[Uncle Albert in 'Only Fools & Horses'. ]

[Dutch]

As you guys might have guessed, 'der Spiegel' is the round, black, mirror (=spiegel) resembling inner part of the target. When distances get larger, the preferred technique for aiming is putting the mirror above (=aufsitzend) the front sight with a slight bit of white in between to ensure the best contrast (with the rear sight aligned ofcourse). Fleck is just putting the front sight on the bulls eye (fleck), which is effective for short range well lit shooting arrangements.

[Dalua]

As you guys might have guessed, 'der Spiegel' is the round, black, mirror (=spiegel) resembling inner part of the target. When distances get larger, the preferred technique for aiming is putting the mirror above (=aufsitzend) the front sight with a slight bit of white in between to ensure the best contrast (with the rear sight aligned ofcourse). Fleck is just putting the front sight on the bulls eye (fleck), which is effective for short range well lit shooting arrangements.

The interesting thing about the diagrams posted by arnie is that the usual benefit of the 'lollipop' hold is derived from the slight bit of white Dutch mentions - which, given steady light, is a good way of ensuring a consitent sight-picture: certainly better than trying to get a sight-picture with the black foresight and the black rear-sight all somewhere in the middle of the black bullseye.
This means that on (for example) a 25m pistol target, you would lollipop the black rather than the outer ring of the white - since you probably couldn't resolve the outer ring of the white adequately.

Mind you, 6m is a lot closer than 25m - so precicely what they had in mind would very much depend on the target they were using at the time

[45flint]

The interesting thing about the diagrams posted by arnie is that the usual benefit of the 'lollipop' hold is derived from the slight bit of white Dutch mentions - which, given steady light, is a good way of ensuring a consitent sight-picture: certainly better than trying to get a sight-picture with the black foresight and the black rear-sight all somewhere in the middle of the black bullseye.
This means that on (for example) a 25m pistol target, you would lollipop the black rather than the outer ring of the white - since you probably couldn't resolve the outer ring of the white adequately.

Mind you, 6m is a lot closer than 25m - so precicely what they had in mind would very much depend on the target they were using at the time

As you say this technique would seem to make sense at longer distances but they are using it at 6 meters? And I have 3 Tell 3’s now. They all shoot very high at 6 meters, so by these words they are telling you to hold low? Part of the issue as I said above, the configuration of these pistols makes lowering the sight very difficult, maybe it was the best they could do? Having never seen this discussed it does kind of convince me people collect Tell 3’s they don’t shoot them? At 250 FPS they really aren’t going to be effective that much beyond 6 meters?

[Dalua]

There's saying the pistol is sighted to hit centrally on a 'lollipopped' target at 6m. That is only really useful info if you know what the target was; and I suppose to some extent what the pellets were - though I'm not sure how big a difference that would make?

How high above the point of aim is the point of impact at 6m?