1955
With production in the new factory halls in Ulm's Danube Valley, the company entered the industrialization of gun manufacturing. Rodolf Anschütz started here with the production of air pistols. He was assisted in this by Hermann Wild and Heinz Munk, who were also from Zella-Mehlis and had fled with their families from the Russian zone to the West. Hermann Wild worked as plant manager and helped develop the world-famous internal geometry of the ANSCHÜTZ rifle barrels. Heinz Munk, as head of quality assurance, ensured the good reputation of ANSCHÜTZ products. Both were not to leave the company until their retirement.
Rudolf Anschütz and an employee drilling a deep hole, ca. 1955
The factory site in the Danube valley. It was bought from the city of Ulm on February 10, 1958. The picture was taken in 1965
Under the management of Max and Rudolf Anschütz, the company soon regained the excellent reputation it had enjoyed in Zella-Mehlis for almost 90 years. The market launch of the now legendary Match54 certainly played its part in this. Shooters all over the world soon achieved international success with this small bore. The German armed forces also used it as a training rifle at the time. The Barreled action was still used in the 1907 and 1913 small bore until 2026, and in the 1710 and 1712 small bore until 2025.
The legendary Match54 small bore rifle was manufactured from 1956.
One of these shooters was Max Schmeling, former world heavyweight boxing champion and member of the German national clay pigeon shooting team. He is still considered one of Germany's greatest sportsmen today. As a target shooter and hunter , he was familiar with ANSCHÜTZ rifles and bought several rifles directly in Ulm. Germany's No. 1 sports idol at the time apparently also had a creative streak, because he recommended making the ANSCHÜTZ logo a little more dynamic. So the "meaningless JGA tablet" became a triangle, connected to a stylized drawing ruler with the name ANSCHÜTZ in the foreground.
Max Schmeling (left) in conversation with Dieter Anschütz (right), 1955. He suggested the redesign of the company logo. It was to remain in this form until 1984.
After gauge as a precision mechanic and studying precision engineering, Dieter Anschütz wanted to gain professional experience on the other side of the "big pond". He therefore went to the USA in January 1957. He was the first in the family to gain experience in managing the traditional company in this country. From Rotterdam, he embarked for New York. After a week-long, stormy crossing, he was delighted to finally catch sight of the Statue of Liberty as he entered New York harbor. He was picked up by the CFO of Firearms International, who took him to Washington D.C.. Although the terrible Second World War ended only twelve years ago, Dieter Anschütz was very impressed by the friendliness and helpfulness of the Americans.
Dieter Anschütz in his gunsmithing workshop at Firearms International in Washington D. C., 1957
Dieter Anschütz (right) in front of the Capitol in Washington D. C. with Rudolfo Borchers, his roommate, in 1957. The German-Spanish was later entrusted with the ANSCHÜTZ representation in Spain.
He then moved to New Haven in Conneticut, the headquarters of the world-famous Winchester company. He wanted to gain further experience there, but the poor economic situation thwarted his plans. After a stint in North Haven, Conneticut at Jefferson Corporation, he finally moved to California. There he visited several ANSCHÜTZ customers, such as the company Solingen Cutlery, which regularly imported large quantities of Flobert rifles from ANSCHÜTZ. After his return to Germany, he took over the purchasing and shooting support in his parents' company. Dieter Anschütz maintained close ties to international shooting sports. His idea of offering a sports service for shooters at almost all major sporting events worldwide became the proverbial "ANSCHÜTZ service offer", which became the company's trademark thanks to Dieter Anschütz.
Dieter Anschütz (left) with James Hill during service at the shooting range at the 1962 World Championships in Cairo. Hill later won the bronze medal in the 50m prone position men's discipline.
While Dieter Anschütz was gaining professional experience in the USA, US soldier Bill Krilling was stationed in Munich. He became a member of the Königlich Privilegierte Hauptschützengesellschaft München and heard about ANSCHÜTZ for the first time there. In 1957 he bought an ANSCHÜTZ rifle and took it with him to the USA. The successes he achieved with this rifle in competitions there made America sit up and take notice. One of Bill's friends was so impressed that he was determined to buy the rifle from him. So it changed hands and spread the legendary reputation of match rifles from Ulm in the United States. Krilling bought a new ANSCHÜTZ rifle, with which he won the world championship title in the prone position team discipline at the 1966 World Championships in Wiesbaden. He later became coach of the US national team and wrote a letter of thanks to Dieter Anschütz. It reads: "ANSCHÜTZ match rifles are still the best rifles in the world. I would like to thank you, Dieter, for your outstanding support of the American team and the sport of shooting. I believe that without the Anschütz family, the shooting sport would not be what it is today. The high ANSCHÜTZ standard has also forced other manufacturers to raise their quality standards."
Dieters wife Elfi Anschütz with Bill Krilling at the 44th World Championship in Suhl, 1986
The 60's ushered in a shower of medals for ANSCHÜTZ. At every major event ANSCHÜTZ shooters could be found on the podiums.
The first three medal winners with an ANSCHÜTZ rifle at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Gold went to the German Peter Kohnke, silver to the American Jim Hill and bronze to Enrico Forcella from Venezuela.
At the Olympic Games in Rome, the German Peter Kohnke won gold in the English Match discipline after a thrilling match with 590 out of a possible 600 rings. This makes him the first gold medal winner with an ANSCHÜTZ rifle at the Olympic Games. Kohnke as well as the second and third placed Jim Hill and Enrico Forcella shot with the ANSCHÜTZ Match54. These successes brought with them an enormously high demand for the small boretarget rifle . "Even during the Olympic Games, we had daily air freight shipments from Ulm and extraordinary sales successes," remembers Dieter Anschütz. The success did not stop at the games in Tokyo in 1964 and Mexico City in 1968 and the medal haul continued. All medals that could be won with a small bore rifle were won with the ANSCHÜTZ Match54.
Peter Kohnke with his ANSCHÜTZ Match54 at the Olympic Games in Rome, 1960
Germany has been a great shooting nation for centuries, thanks to a long-standing tradition. When the German Shooting Association was re-established after the Second World War and Dieter Anschütz took over his company's shooting support, he had a friendly relationship with the rifle shooters of the German national team. Among them was the excellent prone shooter Karl Wenk. He was actually scheduled to take part in the Olympic 60-shot prone competition in Rome. However, he opted out in favor of Peter Kohnke, who achieved great results in training and was later to win the gold medal. As a result, Dieter Anschütz remembers him to this day as a great and fair sportsman. Wenk's big chance came two years later at the 1962 World Championships in Cairo, where he won one world championship title each in the three-position prone position and kneeling disciplines.
Karl Wenk wins two world championship titles at the World Championships in Cairo in 1962.
Lones Wigger (left) and Gary Anderson at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964
Two American shooting legends. Already at the World Championship in Cairo, Gary Anderson won five titles with his ANSCHÜTZ rifle, four of them in individual competitions. In the process, he also set three world records. At the Olympic Games 1964 in Tokyo, he won the gold medal in the discipline "Free Rifle Three-Position Combat 300m" with 1153 rings - world record! At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, he even increased this to 1157 and won gold again.
Lones Wigger joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school and was assigned to a sniper unit. In 1964, during a training visit to Europe, Wigger visited ANSCHÜTZ and bought his own rifle. With this he qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he won the gold medal in the discipline "small bore Three-Position Combat 50m" and the silver medal in the discipline "small bore prone position ".
After world shooting championships with the small bore rifle in various disciplines had already been held since 1897, the time had finally come for the air rifle in 1966. The first air rifle world championship took place in Wiesbaden, Germany. Gerd Kümmert, also from Germany, came first with his ANSCHÜTZ Model 220 with 387 rings - together with three other shooters. He won the final competition over 20 rounds, which took place on the same day, with 187 rings and was thus the first air rifle world champion ever. The then Federal President Heinrich Lübke awarded him the highest sporting distinction of the Republic, the Silver Laurel Leaf. The runner-up was the Swiss August Hollenstein with his ANSCHÜTZ Model 220/250.
Gerd Kümmert and his ANSCHÜTZ Model 220 at the first Air Rifle World Championship in Wiesbaden, 1966
Second-placed August Hollenstein (left) congratulates Gerd Kümmert (right) on winning the first Air Rifle World Championship. Standing between them is Rudolf Anschütz, 1966
August Hollenstein with his ANSCHÜTZ model 220/250 at the first Air Rifle World Championship in Wiesbaden, 1966
