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Ludwig Krieghoff founded his „Sempert & Krieghoff, Suhl“ gunmaking company in 1885. His son Heinrich Krieghoff, born 1889, founded his own „Heinrich Krieghoff, Gewehrfabrik, Suhl“ in 1915 to make parts for the German WW1 war effort. In 1919 he took over his father’s hunting guns company too. Up to WW2 you may find both names, „Heinrich Krieghoff“ and „Sempert & Krieghoff“ on guns, theough from the early 1930s on „H.K.“ was used predominantly for military arms, while „S.& K.“ is found on sporting guns like drillings and the then famous "Semper" insert barrels. After the Soviets occupied Suhl, East Germany, in 1945, Heinrich and his son Heinz Ulrich Krieghoff fled to Heidenheim, south-west Germany. In 1950 they set up their new gunmaking company „H. Krieghoff K.G.“ in Ulm, still existing, serving American Rod & Gun Clubs first.
During the interwar years Krieghoff offered three models or grades of M98 action rifles:
„Heros“: A simple sporter, round barrel, bent down military bolthandle, double set trigger, walnut half stock with cheepiece and pistol grip, some checkering.
„Gibeon“: A better grade, selected dark walnut, half-oktagon barrel with integral rib, flat „butterknife“ bolthandle (then fashionable in Germany).
„Buffalo“: Krieghoff’s Big Game rifle, made for export. Strong stock of select walnut with buffalo horn foreend tip, usually round barrel, but half octagon ribbed barrel available on request, double set or single trigger, cartridge as requested, most often 10.75x68, 11.2x72 Schüler, .500 Schüler, .404, even .400 Whelen.
The barrel and the flat bolthandle of a „Modell Gibeon“ may be seen here: http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showthreaded.php?Number=329611&page=0
A reprint of a c1928 Krieghoff catalog is availble from Cornell Pubs.: https://www.cornellpubs.com/old-guns/item_desc.php?item_id=5618

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