doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com On the subject of Guild guns

Are they real? Did German guilds cooperatively build generic non-marked guns for sale? (Personally I don't think so but I want to hear from someone who knows better than I, which is most everyone...) I think they are usually non-branded guns by a regular manufacturer.

Negative. Guilds did not manufacture just control the number of apprentices, journeymen & masters. And take care of gunmaker widows, etc.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

A patient, whose family was involved in the gun trade in pre war Germany, explained that what we call guild guns were made be name makers for the retail trade. If desired you could have your own name engraved as a retailer often did or they would be sold with no name on them at all. He said it was a way to keep workers making guns instead of not having enough to do. His explanation seem to make as much sense as any other reason for guile guns. He said the often heard explanation that guild guns were made by small gunsmiths or those learning the trade was not very likely.

It was not that much different than say Crescent guns which could be made for any retailer who wanted them and for a large enough order or for a small fee have any name put on them that you wanted.

These guns were made "for the trade", although the term "Trade Gun" is generally used for an entirely different class of guns and is not used for these.
Mike

Isn't this term also applied (mistakenly) to guns made by smaller manufacturing firms located in Zella-Mehlis? Especially those marked with a seller's name instead of a maker?

So, they were somewhat of a "union"?

Raimey and Mike are correct. Most Master Makers worked for a large firm. These firms did a lot of business with lower end guns destined for farmers, etc and sold from a catalog. For instance Pieper used Royal along with a dozen other names.


Turning damascus


Pieper's barrel shop.

Trade guns are a different breed. In the 1930's Belgium was producing black powder percussion guns for the Congo trade. The Congo was their African colony (and a point of shame in their history).



Trade guns


Pete

It was the beginnings of the trade unions in the US. In Belgium it was the beginning of socialism. There is a park in Brussels. Around the perimeter are large columns. Atop each column is a statue that represents a different union. I think there are 37 columns. The guild played a strong political and social role. I did not have time to take pictures.


The guilds are marching.

Pete

Trade guns were used all over the world, and over a span of many years. The English, French, and Americans traded many smooth bored guns to American and Canadian Indians for furs, etc. The story was that a musket would bring a stack of beaver skins as high as the musket was long. Of course I can't verify this, since I was only a child at the time. Again, this was an entirely different class of gun than those "made for the trade".
Mike

Also, the centralized union of sorts allowed the transfer of technology as the mechanics on their walkabout passed thru other gunmaking centres that were working on the latest & greatest. The mechanic took the technology back to the centre in which he would hang out his gunmaking shingle.


Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse