Some nice nuggets of info here:


>>The rifle was apparently originally proofed pre-WW1for the proprietary 8x62R Vierordt cartridge by the Suhl proofhouse. In 1941 it was rechambered (?)to 8x65R Brenneke and proofed again by the Czech Prag proofhouse. (1938 to 1945 Weipert in the Sudetenland was annexed by Grossdeutschland and used German proofmarks). So the rifle was in Bohemia at the start of WW2.
Gustav Kersten invented his double Greener crossbolt lockup, better known as "Kersten - Verschluss" , in 1899 and merely protected it by DRGM # 123283. This protection ended 1905. Kersten was a military armorer and stationed in then German Strassburg (German to 1681, French til 1870, German to 1918, French again since) on the west bank of the Rhine. As a Prussian government official Kersten was not allowed to run a business of his own openly. So he crossed the river to Kehl in the state of Baden, on the east bank opposite Strassburg, and formed an unofficial partnership with the gunshop Vierordt & Co. As Vierordt was no real gunmaker, they had their guns made by the Suhl guntrade. Their Suhl branch was handled by Christoph Sturm first, from 1909 to 1920 by Friedrich Stendebach. In 1922 the Suhl shop was sold to Krieghoff. Vierordt had a branch in Bad Kissingen, Bavaria too, a posh spa at the time. Vierordt marketed the various Kersten designed guns under their trademark Luchs = lynx as Luchs I to Luchs IV. This dr is a Luchs I, te classic "Kersten - Verschluss".
At first Kersten supervised the production of all Vierordt "Luchs" guns, but by 1910 the partership had broken up and ended in quarrels. At that time Vierordt & Co. was owned by a Carl Rehfus, a Kehl hat factory owner. Rehfus is better known under his pen name "Oberländer" as a then popular author on hunting, dog breeding and handling. He is credited with creating and initial breeding of the German Wirehaired Pointer. You can still buy dog leashes and collars "Modell Oberländer". Soon after F.Stendebach apparently took over Vierordt & Co. Now the history gets very muddy, as usual with the many Stendebach / Stenda companies in Suhl, Frankfurt a.M., Augsburg, Säckingen and Leipzig.<<


https://www.thefirearmsforum.com/threads/possible-next-project.203398/page-2#:~:text=This%20dr%20is%20a%20Luchs,up%20and%20ended%20in%20quarrels.

Hochachtungsvoll,

Raimey
rse