Compiled by Larry B. Schuknecht
The book Der Neue Støckel by Eugène Heer contains the following entries for the Sturm gunmakers-
Breslau (Wroclaw) Sturm, Schlesien/PL, ca 1750
Christian Sturm, Suhl/Germany, erw 1864-71
Christian Sturm, Bonn/Germany, erw 1889-1912. Breitestr +Paulstra.
Christof Sturm, Luzern/CH, died in 1655
Daniel Sturm, Suhl/Germany, erw 1846
F. E. Sturm, Hamburg/Germany, erw 1870, Bei der Kleinen Michaelskirche PL. 25+26
Franz Sturm, Ferlach/Austria, erw 1752
(Wolfgang?) Heinrich Sturm, Suhl/Germany, ca. 1815-50. Owned a rifle factory . In 1846 with the Spangenberg & Sauer consortium.
Johann Sturm, Ferlach/Austria, erw 1752
Johann Adam Sturm, Mainz, Hessen/Germany, ca 1725
Josef Sturm, Ferlach/Austria, erw 1752
Martin Sturm, Ferlach/Austria, erw 1638-41, worked for the fitting master Hans Schmidt
Mathias Sturm, Ferlach/Austria, erw 1752
Oswald Sturm, Ferlach/Austria, erw 1752
Philipp Sturm, Ferlach/ Austria, erw 1752-73. worked with the Crespi-Carbine
From the Handbuch der Leistungsfähigkeit der gesammten Industrie of 1873 we find that Christ. Sturm operated a Luxus Weapons Factory in Suhl which he founded in 1849 and employed 45 workers in 1873. He was still listed as a gunmaker in 1900. He may have been the son of Wolfgang Heinrich Sturm. In 1935 the firm Franz Kettner celebrated their 100 year centennial with a piece in the Der Waffenschmied-Ludwigshafen which stated that all three generations of the Franz Kettners learned the gunmaking trade by apprenticing with the Christian Sturm firm in Suhl. In addition it states that the Franz Kettner Company (Cologne) had a lively business relationship with the Christian Sturm Company in Suhl as the then surviving business books of the Sturm firm showed from 1840 onward. In 1920 the then owner of the Franz Kettner Co. bought the house and property at Judithstrasse 3 from the widow Marie Sturm.
Following are images from “Guns International” of a 16 ga. muzzleloading shotgun made by Ch. Sturm which sold for $1,735.
Below we have a slider of a muzzle loading 15mm rifle built by a Sturm about 1830 courtesy of Hermann Historica © Hermann Historica GmbH, Grasbrunn/Munich
Following are images of a combination Pinfire 14mm Rifle/16 ga. Shotgun no. 54 which sold for $1,750.
Next we have a slider with images of an early center fire Christian Sturm shotgun which were found in Dietrich Apel’s archive and are from an unknown source.
The Nov. 10, 1912 issue of Der Waffenschmied-Ludwigshafen contained the following item- “Christian Sturm, 54 years old passed away in Bonn.
From the DeutsheWaffen Journal . May 25, 1916-
“The following entry has been made in Christian Sturm’s general partnership in Suhl, which is entered in the commercial register: the partners, rifle manufacturer Heinrich Sturm in Suhl and Rifle manufacturer Christian Friedrich Sturm in Suhl, have died and the general partnership has been dissolved. The widow Marie Sturm, born Bornmüller in Suhl, continues the trade under the same company.”
In 1920 Franz Kettner purchased the Sturm rifle factory at Judithstrasse 3.
Max, Leo and Curt Sturm operated a gunmaking business from 1920 to 1939. The September 1941 issue of Der Waffenschmied reported that the Büchsenmachermeister Max Sturm of Schlageterstrasse 37, Suhl passed away at the age of 84. (born in 1857).
The 1949/50 Einwohnerbuch fur den Stadt u. Landkreis Suhl contains the following entries-
Sturm, Albert, Werkmeiter, Mein. Straße 26
Sturm, Christiane, Schmiedefelder Straße 18
Sturm, Egidius, Systemmacher, Wolfsgrube 4
Sturm, Franz, Büchsenmacher, Am Roten Stein 1
Sturm, Franz, Büchsenmacher, Rimbachstraße 27
Sturm, Leo, Futtermittelh., Judithstraße 37
Sturm, Marie, Judithstraße 63
Sturm, Paul, Systemmacher, Mühlstraße 6
Sturm, Paul, Systemmacher, Schmiedef. Straße 18
Sturm, Walter, Betriebsleiter, Sauerstraße 4
Sturm, Werner, Werkzeugmacher, Am Roten Stein 1
Sturm, Willi, Herrenstraße 25