Is it a lightweight Doppelbüchs drilling or does it have a alloy frame? It is a post 1912, and pre-1924 minus the date stamp) example with the Nitro marks and mm designation for diameter. The script “E.F.” is either for Ernst Funk or Emil Funk and for now I guess the latter if it is a post WWI example. At the time, I would think Ernst was in more of a managing position while as a wild, wild guess, and if it is a lightweight frame it would be a very early example and it might have been an example by Emil for his master’s brief, but I can’t say for sure and may never. But the tubes/tube steel or both passed thru the Schilling forge in Suhl(the Schillings of Zella-Mehlis may have had the ability) and one of the Jaeger klan may have touched them.

Christoph August Funk was born in 1809, probably achieved the rank of master in 1834/1835 and started his company in 1835. In 1896 he may have been still working but Albert and Oscar were at the helm. This would have been about the same time Ernst Funk obtained the rank of master. At the start of WWI, Ernst & Oscar were the owners and post 1920, Ernst was the sole owner with Emil Funk more than likely employed there. Emil Funk is listed in 1920 as being a gunmaker and more than likely attained the rank of master at the end of WWI.

Meffert is sometimes credited with the development of the lightweight/Leichtmetal/Dural frame drillings with experimental models being displayed circa 1930 and examples being sold by 1933. But Funk was right there in the mix in 1933 offering lightweight drillings via a Siemens-Martin Spezial-Einsatz Stahl(electro-plating) process and I’m sure it was several years in the development.

Ernst Funk was F.W. Kessler’s son-in-law and Kessler offered a “Tip-Top” Blitz drilling that is similar to this example. Circa 1930, Ernst Funk purchased Thieme(Adolf) & Schlegelmilch(Friedrich Wilhelm) for his son Alfred Funk. Interesting that prior to this time Funk and Thieme & Schlegelmilch were at the same address. Sources give that Thieme & Schlegelmilch further developed the Anson & Deeley boxlock for drillings(on the Heym patent basis??) but also there are 1912 Christoph Funk adverts that tout advantages of a Funk refined A&D boxlock. So they may have been a joint effort or one’s advances in drillings was peddled by the other. I don’t know if any of the above made their own frame forgings, but I would guess that they sourced Sempert & Kreighoff or Heym. Heinrich Kreighoff was an apprentice at Reinhold/Reinhard Funk and that would be yet another connection in the network of Suhl gunmakers.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse