The company only came into existence in 1949.
Here's What You Need to Know: These guns are not to be trifled with.
Despite making some of the most iconic firearms of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—including the MG08 machine gun, the Kar-98K, MP-40 and StG44—the German arms industry isn’t actually all that old. Among the largest, Rheinmetall was only founded in 1889 while Deutsche Waffen-und Munitionsfabriken (German Weapons and Munitions public limited company) was only founded in 1896. Even Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik, which eventually became Königliche Waffen Schmieden and later Mauser, only dated back to 1812.