Kettner Luger Rimfire

The History of Kettner

Eduard Kettner GmbH is a gun trading company founded in 1884, specializing in hunting and sporting rifles. Initially registered in Cologne, Kettner opened its first hunting shop at the start of the 20th century. Later, it acquired factories in Suhl and Porz, which were renowned manufacturers and exporters of firearms at the time. The Bühring family purchased Kettner in 1925, leading to an expansion of the headquarters in Cologne. Despite the devastation of the Second World War threatening the company's existence, Helmut Bühring re-established Kettner, setting up a repair workshop in the ruins. By 1969, the company headquarters moved from downtown Cologne to Cologne-Ossendorf.

Kettner experienced a period of economic decline leading up to its first bankruptcy in 2003. The Bühring family had sold the company to the investment firm Deutsche Investors Capital (DIC) in 2001 in an attempt to salvage the company. Despite substantial investments, DIC failed to halt the company's sinking business performance. Following the bankruptcy, insolvency administrator Hans-Gerd Jauch sold most subsidiaries to Kettner Deutschland GmbH, controlled by Michael Lüke and Thomas Ortmeier. Nevertheless, the company struggled to achieve profitability.

The second bankruptcy of Kettner happened in 2008 under the control of Kettner International GmbH and other investors who suffered significant personal financial losses, leading to the second insolvency proceedings against Kettner International. Hans-Gerd Jauch once again took up the role of bankruptcy administrator.

Post-bankruptcy, the company saw a significant overhaul under Schmid Industrie Holding, which acquired it in 2009. They also managed to take over Kettner Austria, merging the two entities. Despite these efforts, the company had to close all its branches in Germany by mid-2012 due to insufficient sales.

Today, Kettner GmbH operates from Austria with 15 branches, an online shop, and two additional branches in Croatia. Grube KG held the rights to the Kettner brand name in Germany until August 2022. The company now also trades in hunting accessories and clothing. Since September 2022, all trademark rights are held by Eduard Kettner GmbH, based in Pöttelsdorf. Despite the ups and downs, Kettner continues to be a part of the hunting and sporting rifles industry.

Kettner Luger Rimfire Rifle Review

Kettner Luger Rimfire Bolt Action Rifle

Figure 1: Kettner Luger Rimfire Bolt Action Rifle (Source: Kettner)

Kettner offered a few bolt action rifle models carrying the famous name Luger until the late 2000s. One of them was known as Luger Schonzeit-Repetierer or Luger Closed-Season Repeating Rifle. This was the rimfire model, and it was the cheapest model of the bunch, going for only about 272 € back in 2005.

It is nothing special to look at and doesn’t really have any outstanding features, but it was cheap and it gets the job done, so we can imagine that it is fairly possible it could still be found in quite a few households in Austria and Germany.

It has an adjustable trigger, a 5-round detachable magazine, and a walnut hunting stock with checkering on the forend and pistol grip. Visually it is very similar to the Kettner Luger Mini, and it has the same barrel length (560 mm), and the same sliding safety mechanism on the right side of the action behind the bolt handle. The barrel features a rear adjustable sight and a fixed front sight.

Overall, Kettner Luger Rimfire rifle measures 1040 mm in length and weighs less than 3 kg. The receiver has an integrated 11 mm dovetail which greatly increases scope mounting possibilities. Back in 2005, this rifle could actually be bought in a package with a Luger 3-9x32 riflescope.

Kettner Luger Rimfire Calibers

Kettner Luger Rimfire can be chambered for:

.22 LR
.22 Win. Mag.

Kettner Luger Rifle Variants

We aren’t aware of any additional variants of this rifle. If you have any information that could help us expand our database, please contact us at info@optics-trade.eu.

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Kettner Luger Rimfire

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Kettner Luger Rimfire

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension.

Since Kettner Luger Rimfire comes with an 11 mm dovetail, most rifles with the 11 mm dovetail will have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with it.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Kettner Luger Rimfire

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary. This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed.

Due to the 11 mm dovetail, any rifle with the same dovetail will have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with the Kettner Luger Rimfire rifle.

Best Scope Mounts for Kettner Luger Rimfire

Fixed Scope Mounts for Kettner Luger Rimfire

There is an abundance of scope mounts available for the 11 mm dovetail, but BKL Technologies is the brand we always like to recommend. Due to their patented Auto-Centering system, BKL mounts fit on both 11 mm and 3/8” dovetails, and they offer excellent performance.

Try these BKL 0.6” Long Dovetail Rings and see for yourself:

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Kettner Luger Rimfire

This Henneberger HMS Swift Mount justified our trust many times in the past. It is reliable and the quality of the build is apparent. It is manufactured in Germany, is made of aluminum, and has a 30-year warranty attached to it.

It will, however, need to be coupled with a Picatinny rail. We recommend this BKL Dovetail to Weaver/Picatinny Adaptor Mount which will solve the issue.

Picatinny Rails for Kettner Luger Rimfire

If you aren’t satisfied with the dovetail on your Luger rifle, then you can install this BKL Dovetail to Weaver/Picatinny Adaptor Mount on it instead:

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the scope mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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Kettner Luger Rimfire

The History of Kettner

Kettner Luger Rimfire Rifle Review

Kettner Luger Rimfire Calibers

Kettner Luger Rifle Variants

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Kettner Luger Rimfire

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Kettner Luger Rimfire

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Kettner Luger Rimfire

Best Scope Mounts for Kettner Luger Rimfire

Fixed Scope Mounts for Kettner Luger Rimfire

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Kettner Luger Rimfire

Picatinny Rails for Kettner Luger Rimfire

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

BKL 4" Long Dovetail to Weaver/Picatinny Adaptor Mount

BKL 4" Long Dovetail to Picatinny Cantilever with 1-5/8" Clamp

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Kettner Luger Rimfire

The History of Kettner

Kettner Luger Rimfire Rifle Review

Kettner Luger Rimfire Calibers

Kettner Luger Rifle Variants

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Kettner Luger Rimfire

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Kettner Luger Rimfire

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Kettner Luger Rimfire

Best Scope Mounts for Kettner Luger Rimfire

Fixed Scope Mounts for Kettner Luger Rimfire

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Kettner Luger Rimfire

Picatinny Rails for Kettner Luger Rimfire

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

BKL 4" Long Dovetail to Weaver/Picatinny Adaptor Mount

BKL 4" Long Dovetail to Picatinny Cantilever with 1-5/8" Clamp

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