The gun makers named König

The following list of gun makers named König is found in Volume 2 of the books Alt Schiebenwaffen and is courtesy of the author and publisher, Mr. Tom Rowe. It was compiled by the late Jesse Thompson. While the list contains 45 names, the Pape and Kellner archive lists 93 names, but many of those are just a name and place where they worked. It is significant to note here that all of the craftsmen and business men on this list were located in Zella-St. Blasii and after 1919 in Zella-Mehlis. It would be a mistake to assume that all of the König gunmakers were located there. Further on, I will attempt to introduce some of the others who worked in other areas of Germany.

The following is from the extensive Pape & Kellner archive.

König, Emil– a gun maker located at Bahnhofstraße 30 in Sorau/Niederlausitz circa 1870 to 1916

König, Rudolf– a Master Gun Maker in Sorau/Schlesien circa 1934

König, Wilhelm– a Gun Maker located on the Buurgstraße in Liegnitz. He took over the firm of Bartsch in 1897. Noted for producing the König brand shotgun shells. His son U. König took over the firm in 1925.

König, Wilhelm– a Gun Maker in Suhl/Benshausen who specialized in Revolver production circa 1925-1927.

König, Arthur– A Master Gun Maker located at Burgstraße 63 in Liegnitz. the business was founded circa 1880. Produced the cartridge marked “König circa 1910. His successor was his son Udo König.

König, W.– Madgeburg, produced flintlock guns circa 1750

König, Otto– a Gun Maker located at Schmückstraße 86 in Suhl circa 1913

König, Otto– Munchen (Munich), Foreman for the firm Stiegele in Munich. circa 1933.

König, Adolf– Mannheim, Master Gun Maker circa 1944

König, Ch.– Straßburg, involved in the production of shotgun shells circa 1925.

König, Albin– located on the Adolf-Hitler-Straße 29 in Frankenthal/Pfalz. A gun retailer circa 1945

König, Karl-Schlettau, a Master Gun Maker circa 1910. He took over the workshop of Richter, Lutz.

König, Alfred– Liegnitz, Master Gun Maker circa 1936

König, Waldemar– located in Guben at Herrenstraße 16 and in 1925 at Stadtschmidtstraße 12. Died in 1926. Also a principal in the firm König & Redlich at the Stadtschmidtstraße 12 address which was founde in 1924.

König & Bohmer– Coburg circa 1880.

König, Arthur Jr.– located at Burgstraße 62 in Liegnitz, circa 1925

The Jan. 25, 1920 edition of Der Büchsenmacher und Waffenhändler carried the following advertisement for

Google interpretation-“Gunsmith’s assistant wanted immediately for repairs. W. König, master gunsmith, Liegnitz, Silesia”

The July 25, 1922 carried the same advertisement but for A. König.

The June 25, 1922 edition of the Büchsenmacher und Waffenhandler contained the following notice.

“Zella Mehlis. The following gentlemen from Zella-Mehlis passed their examination before the state master examination commission for the gunsmith trade in Zella-Mehlis and thereby acquired the right to use the master title: Hugo Heß, Wilh. Karl, Hugo König, Willi König and Karl Roth.”

The Dec. 25, 1924 edition of the Büchsenmacher und Waffenhandler contained the following notice-

Hall A. D. Saale. The business supervision of the assets of Halleschen Taschen u. Sport-artikel-Fabrik Franz König & Co., G.m.b.H. will be terminated.

The June, 1940 edition of Der Waffenschmied carried the following notice-

Before the master examination commission in Zella-Mehlis, the gunsmith Helmut Adelbert König passed his master examination with the rating “Very Good”. Pape and Kellner states that Adelbert was the son of Willi König.

The following entries come from the Pape and Kellner archive.

C. G. König in Coburg is documented as making a hammer drilling in 1880. Also in 1880 there is documentation of the firm König & Bohmer in Coburg and C. G. König may have been the principal in that firm.

The “Official Report on the Industry exhibition of all German guns in London in 1851 by the reporting commission of the German Customs Association” contained the following -” Of the other exhibitors we also mention C. G. König and son in Koburg for their excellent rifles and target pistols.”

The König gun makers on a whole were not generally a very inventive lot but we do have records of a few D. R. P.’s (patents) and D. R. G. M.’s. I was unable to find any patents for gun design assigned to a König, but I did find a few dealing with sighting of guns and Gun optics. They are-

Great Britian #15,110 of 1903- assigned to Albert König, Prof. of Philosophy, in Jena, Saxony for “improvement in Gun Sighting Devices”.

Great Britian #27,581 of 1904-Albert König of Jena, “Improvement in Telescope sights for Ordnance.”

Great Britian #4396 of 1912-Albert König of Jena “Improvement in Gun Bore Sighting Telescopes”

Great Britian #22,913 of 1912- Albert König of Jena “A method of adjusting the sighting arrangements of Firearms.”

US #798,720 of Sept. 9, 1902- Albert König of Jena, assigned to the Carl Zeiss Firm, also of Jena, “Prismatic Sighting Telescope”

US #835,625 of Nov. 13, 1906- Albert König of Jena, assigned to the Carl Zeiss Firm, “Telescope Sight for Ordnance”.

Germany D.R.P. #220,750 of April 8, 1910- Wilhelm König of Braunschweig, “Trigger device for Firearms”.

US #1,048,975 of Dec. 31, 1912-Wilhelm König of Braunschweig, “Method of adjusting the sights of Guns”.

Austrian #64011 of March 26, 1914-Wilhelm König of Braunschweig- “Method of adjusting the sighting device of weapons”.

The D. R. G. M.’s that we have record of follow.