Köhncke (Köhnke): Heinrich Wilhelm

Köhnke (Köhncke): Heinrich Wilhelm

Heinrich was born on Oct. 16, 1830 to Christian and Anna (Wägler) Köhncke in Elmshorn, Schleswig Holstein. It is assumed that he learned armament while in the Army from 1843 to 1847 as a BM (?) assistant. He left the Army in 1849 and went into the Navy as a BM. In 1853 he emigrated to Australia where he became a Citizen of Burnbreek, Victoria in 1856. He returned to Germany in 1857 and became a citizen of Bremen where he lived the rest of his life. He was a Arms maker and dealer there from 1859 to 1888. On October 12, 1869 it is recorded that he took over the firm of J. D. Köhnke. In 1856 he married Katharina Marie Wilhelmine Vöckler who was born in Lüneburg, Lower Saxony on January 12, 1822. They had 6 children. Heinrich passed away on Sept. 8, 1902 at the age 71.

Below we have a magnificent 10 ga. side by side sold by Heinrich. It incorporates the hammerless action first developed and made known in England as the  Daw design of 1862. This is illustrated in it’s German configuration in Adolf Zimmer’s 1877 book Die Jagd-Feuergewehre. It is coupled with a underlever which first slides the barrels forward before the pivot on a hinge point at the forward end of the Forend in a manner also used by Teschner and Collath. The pictures are courtesy of G. David Carter Antique Firearms.

The Hammerless action as shown in Zimmer’s 1877 book Die Jagd-Feuergewehre  with a Roux underlever instead of the Teschner and Collath type underlever.