Proofed in the final state and with the butterknife bolt handle, floorplate release, and a few other items, I'd say the example was made in Suhl possibly by Sauer and if not Sauer then E. Schmidt & Habermann. Pics of the marks on the underside of the tube just might reveal the answer to the puzzle. But Carl Gründig(Gruendig) Königlich Sächsischer Hofbüchsenmacher of Dresden obtained the rank of master in 1868 and typically the earliest age of master would be 23 or 24 years,then he was born circa 1844. In 1876 he hung out his own shingle at Schloss Strasse 10 Dresden. Just prior to WWI his sons Hugo and Max had taken the reins of the company while it was at Schloss Strasse 23 and there was some pairing of Teschner-Collath with Gründig in 1915 or 1916 making Gründig their Saxon retailer. Being a Royal Saxonian Court gun supplier is just that. He could have been supplying arms to the grounds keeper for that matter and had to pay a yearly fee for the title after it was awarded/bestowed. With the best craftsmen in the world in Suhl, why would Gründig make an example totally in Dresden when he could either source the components from Suhl or purchase an example from Suhl with his name and title roll stamped or engraved on it. I will say there are a few exceptions to the rule of Suhl sourcing which I thought not to exist. But Max G. Fischer of Berlin is one such example and it appears that he did make many of his offerings. But with Carl Gründig being born in the 1840s, he more than likely retired in the early 1900s and his heir and assigns continued to use his name and title. Early on I'm sure he made his examples but like most of the master gunsmiths, later in life he made the transition to firearms merchant possibly with a small repair shop. Every firearms merchant had to have a master gunsmith on staff and there must have been a law/rule where the widow of a master gunsmith could continue the business for some statute amount of time. Gründig also was an inventor as per his filed petty patents(D.R.G.M.s). One of his neat examples was a hammer Vierling, actually a Schienen-Vierling, with rotating hammer heads. He new quality.

I wonder how the mounting of the front claw mount sat with the engraver?

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse