LET’S GO tion pistols Sauer, the HUNTING of Walther, Mauser Mauser 7.63 mm and full automatic pistol, the championShip .22 caliber match pistols of Udo Anschuetz and numerous others. The close of the war found Suhl in the hands of the Russians, who proceeded to dismantle and then up various plants, including Walther blow and _ Krieghof. Having done this, they transformed other plants such as J. P. Sauer, Haenel, Merkel, Simson, etc., into so-called “peoples” to These Steyr Werke Plant in Austria, Home of the Stoeger Rep Mannlicher O and ahi Kurope On UST as the conclusion of World War II ushered in a new era in world politics, so also did it have a profound effect upon the prewar centers of sporting firearms manufacture. In Europe, there are seven tra- ditional centers of this industry: Birmingham, England; Liege, Belgium; Suhl, Germany; St. Ettienne, France; . Brescia, Italy; Ferlach, Austria, and Eibar, Spain. In each of have been produced these times back to ancient armor. centers from arms medieval the Arquebus There was a and rea- son for this, too, because each of these towns at one time produced iron, which was then principally in demand for weapons. Perhaps it is for this reason also that there is a striking geographical similarity between most of them—except Birmingham—in that they are all located in rather remote mountainous territory and the art of gunsmithing has been the heritage of centuries. Prior to World War II, important factories were ingham, Liege and Suhl, From left, A. F. Stoeger President of Stoeger Arms Corp. New York City barely most progressive while the Belgians SPORTING GOODS dropped farther The in the_ world, turned out large and farther back- ward in quantity production, although they produced _ certain shotguns and double rifles which have never been excelled. Only Germany produced excellent and for ob- Output Factories; new types and vious reasons few are exported to America. The only factory producing small arms in Western Germany was Mauser in Oberndorf in the French sector. The French, after completely dismantling the factory and transporting the machinery, etc., to France, blew up the major tered empty double ac- of leveled a few buildings the it, so scat- and a few more which now house a textile factory where formerly stood a factory a mile and a half long, producing 20,000 rifles a day. A number of turers from Suhl, arms today rifle, the various part plant, and completely that today there are Hornet 1952 but Foreign Arms Walthers, Krieghof were evacuated by for AUGUST, export. produced quality, special models such as_ the Krieghof automatic high-power rifle, the famous Merkel Brothers Over-and-under and combination guns of all sorts, the little Jaeger General DEALER running. quantities of good to very fine euns. The English meanwhile, Director Ryznar and Sales Manager Hans Schanovsky during Stoeger’s visit to the Steyr Werke in Austria. THE the sporting arms industry at of 1939 was probably the the most in Birmwith the with in still being Tells of Visit to Leading By A. F. STOEGER German the end continued for Austria, Belgium, Britain, Swiss, Others Guns others are and shotguns Reviews History of t fa, | of Schoenauer. factories produce the to day the Ulm in and the before turning Russians. These the form American the manufac- including kernel the Anschuetz, Americans over Suhl settled in sector, and of still a