Gustav Genschow

[Steve Whitley]

This may be a question for Axel? Does anyone know if Geco actually made any of the firearms they sold, or if they merely retailed those made by others?
Steve

[mike ford]

Steve,
I think they retailed those made by others, but I am also interested in what Axel can find out.If i'm not mistaken, such Firms were required to have a "Master" on staff so it may be possible.
Mike

[Axel E]

AFAIK the Gustav Genschow company, Berlin, trademark GECO, was neither a gunmaker nor a retailer. Instead, the company was an ammunition maker and wholesaler who supplied the local country guntrade with "their" goods. They owned ammo factories in Durlach, Wolfartsweier and Hachenburg and had branches in Koeln, Suhl, Frankfurt am Main, Königsberg and Nuernberg. In 1927 they took over the ammo maker Gecado (Dornheim) and the wholesaler Karl Bartels, KABA. They had all the guns bearing their name made by the guntrade in Zella-Mehlis, Liege and Suhl.
A pure gun dealer had not to be a master gunsmith. Only if he offered scope mounting, repairs and alterations he had to employ such a man. F.i. Wilhelm Brenneke, Leipzig, was never a gunsmith himself. He had served his only apprenticeship as a bookseller.

[Steve Whitley]

Thanks for verifying that!
Steve

[Steve Whitley]

The reason behind my initial question stems from some of the research done in Thüringen. It had been my belief that Geco had had no hand directly in manufacturing of firearms. In the course of researching the DSM 34 models which they sold, I had noted that their 1935 catalog promised customers that they would gladly deliver one made "by any of the various makers which the customer desires." They were also, however, one of the firms which purchased manufacturing rights for the later K.K.Wehrsportgewehr in 1938. I have clues as to which makers produced the "Geco" marked DSMs, but would like to find more definitive evidence for suppliers of both rifles to Genschow.
Steve

[Steve Whitley]

AFAIK the Gustav Genschow company, Berlin, trademark GECO, was neither a gunmaker nor a retailer. Instead, the company was an ammunition maker and wholesaler who supplied the local country guntrade with "their" goods. They owned ammo factories in Durlach, Wolfartsweier and Hachenburg and had branches in Koeln, Suhl, Frankfurt am Main, Königsberg and Nuernberg. In 1927 they took over the ammo maker Gecado (Dornheim) and the wholesaler Karl Bartels, KABA. They had all the guns bearing their name made by the guntrade in Zella-Mehlis, Liege and Suhl.

Does anyone know what exactly their involvement was at Spandau? Throughout the 1920s there were a number of .22 rifles marketed with "Geco Sportbüchse" marked on the receiver ('23, '28, '29 and '33) as well as K98k barrels made with Geco markings. They evidently had SOME direct hand in manufacture of at least barrels, if not also of small bore rifles?

Steve

[sauerfan]

Gentlemen,

In fact, Genschow owned a gun factory, located in Spandau. This factory was acquired in 1924 from “Deutsche Werke”.

See pages 18 and 19 of Genschow’s history book “50 Jahre Gustav Genschow & Co 1887 – 1937”.

In this factory Genschow produced their own KK sporters. I don’t know, how long, but at least in the mid 1930s Genschow was very active in this field and Genschow had a dozen or more “Gebrauchsmuster” (DRGM; petty patent) relating to .22 sporting rifles.

By the way: in Hachenburg wasn’t an ammo factory, but Genschow’s leather factory, where their leather goods (gun cases, slings, pistol holsters and the like) were produced.

Best regards

Martin

[sauerfan]

In Geco’s 1937 dated catalog are shown more photos of the Geco gun factory in Spandau. The one shown here is interesting in so far, as barrels and stocks of the sporters are visible.

[Steve Whitley]

My sincere thanks, Martin! That is precisely what I was looking for---I had seen that before and could not remember WHERE I had read it. I have the 1937 catalog, and those photos kept telling me that it was not merely my imagination that I had previously encountered a brief history of the Spandau acquisition. Thank you again!

Best regards,

Steve

[Steve Whitley]

Further information relative to KABA, for anyone interested:
Sources I have found tell me that KaBa was a trademark for Karl Kappes and Carl Bauer, arms dealer headquartered in Berlin. Known to have operated from 1910, with Kappes leaving the firm in 1919. Bauer apparently continued to operate under the KaBa name even AFTER purchase in 1927 by Gustav Genschow. I find no mention of a relationship with a Karl Bartels to this point in anything I can find. If anyone has any documentation of such, please let me know. Just trying to get facts recorded for posterity.