German testing and testing institute for hunting and sporting weapons
The German Testing and Testing Institute for Hunting and Sporting Weapons e. V. (usually named DEVA ) is an association whose main purpose is to provide independent advice and testing for firearms and ammunition and to operate a corresponding institute.
Use of the organization name
In technical jargon, the short form DEVA is used almost exclusively as an organization name with the city extensions Berlin or Altenbeken .
history
In the 1880s, the change from black to nitro powder propellant charges also took place in the civil sector. The handling and manufacture of weapons and ammunition turned out to be complicated and little researched. Therefore, the desire for an independent advice and testing center for hunting rifles grew among the hunters.
In 1888 the association was founded under the name of the German Experimental Institute for Small Arms. The tasks included a. the standardization of propellant charges and the creation of the basis for the shooting law. The first president of the association was "His Highness the Duke of Ratibor" (who died in the same year) in 1893 .
In 1921 DEVA introduced small-bore shooting and was involved in founding the small-bore shooting association in Berlin as the first small-bore sports club in Germany. In the 1930s, the area of responsibility already covered the entire technical area of hunting and sport shooting.
After the Second World War, DEVA was banned as an organization of the Nazi regime and the area in Berlin-Wannsee was permanently confiscated.
In 1953 the German Institute for Hunting and Sports Shooting was founded in Düsseldorf . V. was founded, which in 1970 merged with the German Research Institute for Small Arms to become the German Research and Testing Institute for Hunting and Sports Weapons e. V. was summarized.
tasks
- Research and Development
- Testing and appraisal of hunting and sporting weapons, sights and ammunition
- Assessment of shooting ranges
- Information for hunters and marksmen
- Expert opinions on rifle damage due to gunshot and shooting accidents
Facilities
Shooting range Berlin-Halensee
DEVA received the first shooting range through the mediation of Kaiser Wilhelm in Berlin-Halensee on the premises of the Reichsbahn . In addition to the shooting range, it also received a building for the technical facilities.
In 1927 the site had to be returned to the Reichsbahn due to its own needs.
Shooting range Berlin-Wannsee
As a replacement for the property in Halensee, the city of Berlin provided DEVA with a 7 hectare site in Wannsee , on which a large building for administration and technology was built in 1928. This included various shooting ranges up to 300 m and a throwing pigeon stand . ( 52 ° 24 ′ 56.5 ″ N , 13 ° 10 ′ 31.5 ″ E ) The area was so well developed that the shooting competitions were held there at the 1936 Summer Olympics .
Most of the buildings were destroyed after the Second World War. The land, which was now in the American sector of the city, was confiscated by the US military government. The Berlin Brigade of the US military used the area from then on under the name Rose Range . In addition to the US military, the Berlin police also used the shooting ranges. The American Rod & Gun Club used the site on the weekends.
After the Allies withdrew in 1994, the site was transferred back to the FRG and has been used again by DEVA since then.
Shooting range Düsseldorf
From 1953 to 1970 the German Institute for Hunting and Sporting Shooting e. V. the shooting range in Düsseldorf-Gerresheim . This had to be closed in 1970 due to noise pollution.
Buke shooting range
After the closure of the Düsseldorf shooting range, the institute was relocated to the shooting range of the State Hunting Association of North Rhine-Westphalia near the small town of Buke near Paderborn. The DEVA branch is still located there today.
Web links
- Entry in the German Hunting Lexicon
- History of the Wannsee site ( Memento from January 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ DEVA, Articles of Association §2, as of June 30, 2000 (viewed on May 4, 2008)
- ^ DEVA, History of the Institute
Web links
Competition venues for the 1936 Summer Olympics
Coordinates: 51 ° 44 ′ 6.4 " N , 8 ° 54 ′ 34.7" E