Gaston's Company made knives for the Austrian Military. He bought a plastic injection molding machine so he could make the handles in house. He was looking for other ways to use his new molding machine and caught wind that Austria was looking at new side arm designs. He designed and submitted the G17, and won the contract..and the rest is history. But he started out a knife maker..A darn fine engineer. He came out of the manufacturing industry, not the gun industry. But add his name to the list of great gun designers, for sure.
He was trained as an engineer at a technical institute in Vienna. He started as an engineer in a plant that made drills and worked up. He subsequently became manager of a company that made radiators for cars. He set up a metal press in his garage and started a side business making curtain rods and hardware. It was only subsequent to that history that he branched out into making knives and other equipment for the military. Then he invented his pistol.Gaston's Company made knives for the Austrian Military. He bought a plastic injection molding machine so he could make the handles in house. He was looking for other ways to use his new molding machine and caught wind that Austria was looking at new side arm designs. He designed and submitted the G17, and won the contract..and the rest is history. But he started out a knife maker..