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GECO is an abbreviation for Gustav Genschow a firearms and ammunition supplier from 1887 until 1937 in Berlin, Germany. Gustav Genschow (the founder of GECO) learned the trade in Belgium, then he returned to Germany. He would contract out to anyone who could deliver the product he wanted, at a good price to him. Sometimes, parts were made by contractors and assembled by another chosen team, like it was custom in Belgium and Birmingham. Most guns was made in the Suhl region, which was were most German gun-making was centered before WW2, and it could have been made by either a large company or a small guild, where one craftsman made stocks, another made barrels, a third breeched them up to receivers, and someone eventually finished them all. Until he aquired his own factories and partners as will be seen in the following history. History from: http://www.germanhuntingguns.com/archives/gustav-genschow-co-geco/ A history of Gustav Genshow & Company Gustav Genshow AG or GECO, has a long history in the arms and ammunition world. Originally known as Gustav Genshow & Company. It began as a weapons and ammunition wholesaler on 25 August, 1887. The founder Gustav Genshow was a talented lawyer from Stralsund, Germany. The Company prospered and quickly grew, the first company it acquired was in 1899 and the second in 1903, it opened it’s first branch office in Cologne in 1906. It continued to expand so that in the 1920’s it was truly a global company. It had German branch offices in Berlin, Cologne, Konigsberg, Suhl/Thuringia, Nuremberg and Frankfurt, and international branches in Vienna, Austria; Buenos Aires Argentina; Santiago, Chile; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The headquarters at different times was located in either Berlin or Hamburg. There were three company owned factories. The armes factory was in Spandau near Berlin. GECO was able to obtain it in 1924 when they acquired Deutche Werke AG, which up to that time produced the Ortgies firearms line. This acquisition was made possible due to restrictions set in place by the Treaty Of Versailles that limited its use as a state owned factory. This provided GECO the ability to make .22 bolt action target rifles. An ammunition and shot complex was located in Durlach near Nuremberg. A third factory for hunting and sport supplies, including leather work, was in Hachenburg. In 1929 these factories covered 56,000 square meters and employed 1500 workers. And the entire workforce for the company numbered 2,000 people. GECO was very proud of of these achievements and the factories were pictured in a series of engraved prints in the front of their catalogues. GECO offered various catalogues of arms, ammunition and sporting goods, individually or in a combined format, and in multiple languages, showing the extent of their export business, German, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. GECO had success in international sales, particularly in South America. In the 1920s the police in all of South America use GECO ammunition. Expansion continued in the late 1920sn and into the 1930s, in 1927 GECO entered into a contract with Alfred Nobel and Company, the parent company of Rheinistich-Westfallschen Sprengstoff A.G. or RWS another large ammunition company, and after 1929 GECO made pistol ammunition for both companies at the factory in Durlach, while GECO had rimfire Flaubert, and revolver cartridges as well as some reloading material made at the Nobel controlled factories. For a short while, a fourth factory an ammunition plant in Wolfartsweir, is mentioned. It appears soon after the agreement with RWS was made thius factory fades from sight. By the time the founder died in 1940, the company was a gaint in the industry, as well one soon to suffer from its country’s woes in World War Two. The Company interests in South America were facing Nationalization challenges and GECO as early as 1938 was working to transfer to Brazilian National allies to circumvent any problems that might arise in the upcoming conflict. Post war documents from the US State Department provide insight into many of these dealings. Timeline OF GECO 25th August 1887: Formation of the company Gustav Genschow & Co as a weapons and ammunition wholesaler by the founder of the same name Mr. Gustav Genschow from Stralsund 1899: acquirement of the "Badische Schrot- und Gewehrpropfenfabrik Durlach" and 1903: of the "Durlacher Zundhütchen- und Patronenfabrik". 1906: Formation of the first branch office in Cologne on the Rhine 1912: Formation of a special subsidiary company in Vienna for the export business dealings to Austria-Hungary and the Balkan states 1921: Formation of the branch office Königsberg in Preußen and reconstruction of the sales department in Frankfurt am Main and Nuremberg 1924: Achistion of "Deutsche Werke AG". From that time on manufacturing of outstanding small caliber rifles. International sales boomed among other places in South America. Genschow pistol cartridges were used by the police in almost all South American countries. 1927/28: Conclusion of a community of interest contract with the RWS or rather the Dynamit Aktiengesellschaft (Dynamit Limited Company) of Alfred Nobel & Co., the biggest ammunition factory in Nuremburg. Manufacture of pistols and small-shot cartridges for both companies in the Durlach factory, Manufacture of rimfire and Flobert cartridges, revolver cartridges, metal sleeves, percussion caps and air gun pellets in the factories in Stadeln and Nuremburg. 1940: Death of the company founder Gustav Genschow 1952: Resumption of manufacturing of hunting and sport ammunition (air gun pellets, shot shells, 1957 pistol/revolver) 1963: Passing over of all the factory buildings of Genschow & Co. Aktiengesellschaft (Limited Company) to the possession of the explosive and ammunition factory of Dynamit Nobel Aktiengesellschaft 1966/67: Consolidation of the brands GECO, Rottweil and RWS under the umbrella of Dynamit Nobel 1972: Relocation of Durlach to Stadeln 2002: Acquisition of the Dynamit Nobel AG by the Swiss tech company RUAG At Present: GECO incoporates a wide range of products which includes pistol/revolver ammunition, air gun pellets, small caliber ammunition, shotshells, rifle cartridges and has recently introduced explosive cartridges and blank cartridges. Geco were also known for production of First Ever Bolt Action 12 Guage Shotgun :) the gun used to be known as GEHA and its nickname was HHH (Hard Heart Hitter). Gustav Genschow OR Geco were an early manufacturer of such guns. The Remo was the better version of these K98 rebuilds. Some GECO shotguns were produced and proof marked by Sauer. The name Krupp Laufstahl appears on the barrel and “laufstahl” is fluid steel, meaning it is not Damascus and thus of better quality. Krupp is the steel mill that made the steel for the barrels. This is a high quality German double barrel shotgun with drop-down, bar action from the old craftsmen. It is interesting that this is still a hammer-gun in a period when the hammerless guns were becoming very popular it has to be assumed that somebody who preferred hammer-guns ordered it. The strikers are mounted high on the breech. The barrels have quarter and three quarter chokes, and are locked by a Scott spindle, on double barrel lumps. The gun has double triggers and the fore-piece is mounted on spring clips. The stock is in the classic shape with a pistol grip. (Ref: Dictionary of Guns and Gunmakers p204 by John Walter)
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