This seemed to me to be the best forum to post this so please excuse me for being off topic.

My wife and I live in the USA and we will be traveling to Europe (primarily Germany) this summer to visit an exchange student who stayed with us a couple of years ago. I thought this might be a good time to visit and see some of the high quality gun manufacturers while I am there.

Can anyone please point me in the right direction? Who and where are the major companies/gunmakers who might let me have a tour?

All information is appreciated.

Thank you!

JDS
Texas

For Germany, I recommend, in no specific order:

Prechtl
Heym
Krieghoff
Ziegenhahn (or any other Suhler)
Anschütz
Weihrauch

From the master engravers, Hendrik Frühauf, Silke Ullrich (née Schmidt) and Carmen Kugler are a must.

Carcano

J-D,

All of the above are certainly worth visiting.

Europeans are more disciplined and less spontaneous than Americans, telephoning prior or making an appointment would be considered appropriate here.

Most all of the above including Merkel, Blaser & Sauer have their own websites, I'd recommend looking there initally and then plotting where you may be located as some are quite a distance from others.

Suhl is interesting, not just for Merkel but because there are quite a few smaller shops that continue with traditional German riflesmithing vs. modern production methods.

Have Fun!

Perhaps the most exclusive is Hartmann & Weiss in Hamburg.

Hand made fine rifles and shotguns are made in several locations in France, but the there is a concentration of gunsmiths in and around St. Etienne which is in South Central France. Here is a link to Granger, just as an example:

http://www.ggranger.com/Granger-guns-English/expertise.htm

Also near there is Chapuis and Armes Pierre Artisan, both in St. Bonnet le Chateau. Chapuis can be called at (33) 4 77 50 06 96 and Pierre Artisan can be called at (33) 4 77 50 10 88. Lastly, there is Dorleac & Dorleac in Perpignan in the south of France. Here is a link to their site:

http://www.dorleac-dorleac.com/pgs_eng/index_bis.htm

I think you will find that they all make exquisite guns and rifles. And I might add that Southern France has several other reasons to be visited.

If mostly in Germany you may want to contact info@mauser.com and attempt to find out who makes the Model 98 Safari for them and arrange a visit to that gunmaker. I don't know who it is.

www.adamy-jagdwaffen.de
www.tjf-jagdwaffen.de
www.buechsenmacher-retz.de
www.jagdwaffen-wolf.de
www.ziegenhahn.de
www.heym-waffenfabrik.de
www.krieghoff.de
www.gunmaker.org
www.waffenjung.de
www.johannsen-jagd.de
www.mauserwaffen.de
www.waffen-kaestel.de
www.oberlandarms.de
www.ritterbusch-rifles.com
www.jga.anschuetz-sport.com
www.saxonia-waffen.de
www.blaser.de
www.carl-walther.de
www.golsniper.de
www.heckler-koch.de
www.jtl.de
www.korthwaffen.de
www.sauerwaffen.de

Burkhard

jds,

If you visit Austria and go to Ferlach, do visit Johan Fanzoj. And tell Hannes Fanzoj Hi from me.

Best wishes and do post pictures from your trip when you're back,

WOW!

That's what I love about this site. If it's about hunting, shooting, or guns, the folks in the know are here.

This info will definitely keep me busy planning where I can go.

I appreciate all of the help!!

Thanks a ton!

JDS

hi
Once uppon a time I owned a french manufrance robust S/S and a verney carron O/U and i loved them both, very well made and good shooting irons which will not cost a fortune,but gives you a real service, I am intressted in verney carron's mixt combination gun and O/U double rifles. if anyone have owned or tried one. I 'll be happy to hear some comment about these guns
regards
yes

I understand that Verney Carron now has a new model mixed rifle/shotgun. Here is the USA link:

http://www.verney-carron.com/pages-us2/iii_index-us.htm

I don't own one so can't comment on any field results.

hi wink
thanks for the reply, mais pour qoi en anglais, puisque je ne suis pas american je suis un cyber arab qui parle francais et habit quelquepart en europe.
regards
yes

Yes, it's the same old story. This forum would be a Tower of Babel if everyone used his own native language. English is, whether one likes it or not, the dominant language in the hunting world, by the number of anglophone hunters alone. But I do OK in French also.