Myth of The Guild Gun Drillings - 02/23/23
There is no such thing. "Guild Gun" is a myth. Here is what the authority on combination guns has to say.
By Dietrich Apel
German Guild Guns – What are they?
There is no such thing as a German Guild Gun!
When those who claim to know a lot about German guns encounter a gun that does not
have a maker’s name on it, they often call it a Guild Gun. This sounds a whole lot better
than admitting that they don’t know who made it.
German craftsmen belong to Guilds even today and have for hundreds of years. Guilds
were initially sponsored by the reigning potentate in a certain region for the promotion
of good craftsmanship that gave buyers a certain guarantee that they were dealing with
knowledgeable professionals that were well trained. The Guilds established
apprenticeships that had to be served under a master for a certain number of years.
The Lehrling (apprentice) had to present a sample of his work to a group of Meister
(masters) who would also question him. If they approved of what they saw and heard,
the apprentice became a Geselle(journeyman). After working for five years and
successfully completing part-time courses in a technical school, he could present his
Meisterstück (masterpiece) to another group of masters who could then bestow on him
the title Meister. Within the Guilds were groups of the different gun making
occupations, likeActioners, Stock Makers, Lock Makers, Engravers, etc.
Most of the bigger gun factories had special departments for training the apprentices,
but it was still up to the Guild Masters to do the final testing and giving the final
approval. These Guild titles and positions do not tell us anything about the business
they worked in. They could work on their own in a one man shop or in a factory with
hundreds of craftsmen. Even today every gun shop or gun store must be owned by a
master gunsmith or a master gunsmith must be employed. And there are no exceptions
to these rules!
So, there is no such thing as a “Guild Gun” and there was formerly no law that required
that every gun had to have the name of the maker on it. As a matter of fact, many guns
were ordered by dealers in big cities or smaller towns from a gun maker in a gun making
center like Suhl, with the specific request to engrave the name of the retail dealer on
the gun. Engravers were formerly not allowed to sign their work. Fortunately, this is
now changing in Germany also.
You may now better understand that even those who know a lot about German or
Austrian guns often can’t identify the maker. Some just try to make you happy and call
it a “Guild Gun”. A better name for all these unmarked guns, if needed, might be “Trade
Gun”. Most German guns are of very good quality, but there are always exceptions to
the rule and the proof marks might tell us that a gun was sold in Germany but made in
Belgium. Let the buyer beware and get advice from those who really know! But they are
hard to find and they will readily admit that they know very little.
By Dietrich Apel
German Guild Guns – What are they?
There is no such thing as a German Guild Gun!
When those who claim to know a lot about German guns encounter a gun that does not
have a maker’s name on it, they often call it a Guild Gun. This sounds a whole lot better
than admitting that they don’t know who made it.
German craftsmen belong to Guilds even today and have for hundreds of years. Guilds
were initially sponsored by the reigning potentate in a certain region for the promotion
of good craftsmanship that gave buyers a certain guarantee that they were dealing with
knowledgeable professionals that were well trained. The Guilds established
apprenticeships that had to be served under a master for a certain number of years.
The Lehrling (apprentice) had to present a sample of his work to a group of Meister
(masters) who would also question him. If they approved of what they saw and heard,
the apprentice became a Geselle(journeyman). After working for five years and
successfully completing part-time courses in a technical school, he could present his
Meisterstück (masterpiece) to another group of masters who could then bestow on him
the title Meister. Within the Guilds were groups of the different gun making
occupations, likeActioners, Stock Makers, Lock Makers, Engravers, etc.
Most of the bigger gun factories had special departments for training the apprentices,
but it was still up to the Guild Masters to do the final testing and giving the final
approval. These Guild titles and positions do not tell us anything about the business
they worked in. They could work on their own in a one man shop or in a factory with
hundreds of craftsmen. Even today every gun shop or gun store must be owned by a
master gunsmith or a master gunsmith must be employed. And there are no exceptions
to these rules!
So, there is no such thing as a “Guild Gun” and there was formerly no law that required
that every gun had to have the name of the maker on it. As a matter of fact, many guns
were ordered by dealers in big cities or smaller towns from a gun maker in a gun making
center like Suhl, with the specific request to engrave the name of the retail dealer on
the gun. Engravers were formerly not allowed to sign their work. Fortunately, this is
now changing in Germany also.
You may now better understand that even those who know a lot about German or
Austrian guns often can’t identify the maker. Some just try to make you happy and call
it a “Guild Gun”. A better name for all these unmarked guns, if needed, might be “Trade
Gun”. Most German guns are of very good quality, but there are always exceptions to
the rule and the proof marks might tell us that a gun was sold in Germany but made in
Belgium. Let the buyer beware and get advice from those who really know! But they are
hard to find and they will readily admit that they know very little.