In the past few hundred years many Europeans have been making guns that they label as Hubertus models. These are usually tip-up single shots known as Kipplauf rifles. While there are several European companies offering them, Hubertus rifles are almost unknown over here in your states. One man is trying to change all that.
Recently, we had the opportunity to visit with a unique “Germanic” gunmaker and to admire an unusually sleek, slender and beautiful rifle. Roger Renner is a custom gunmaker in the Reno, Nevada area who has been hunting by and teaching the principles of fair chase since he was a boy. He credits a wise uncle who instilled the ideas in him at a young and impressionable age. The uncle admonished young Roger to make sure that his first shot was always a clean-killing shot and never to kill an animal just for sport. He learned that the sacrifice of the animal’s life must serve the greatest good.
R.J. Renner is known for his fine reworking of Ruger No.1 single shot rifles into sleek and slender German or English-style stalking rifles. Of German stock from Bavaria and the Rhine Valley, he has an intense admiration for old Germanic styling of firearms. He has recently combined all of his designs, resources, and skills into what he considers to be his greatest work, his St. Hubertus Tribute Rifle.
Unlike the typical Hubertus rifles of Europe, the St. Hubertus Tribute Rifle of RJ Renner is a bespoke rifle and displays engraved features that become constant reminders of the pledge that the hunter has made to uphold the Creed of St. Hubertus. His or her pledge is also to teach sons and daughters this creed to be carried down as a family tradition.
On closer inspection, one sees an inscription on the top flat of the barrel that is deeply engraved and gold filled. It is the first verse of Oskar von Riesenthal’s hunter’s poem, Waidmannsheil and it’s inscribed in German! For those of you who have not read or heard the verse, it is a poetic reminder to the hunter of his sacred duty as a hunter and goes as follows:
"Das ist des Jägers Ehrenschild,
daß er beschützt und hegt sein Wild,
weidmännisch jagt, wie sich’s gehört,
den Schöpfer im Geschöpfe ehrt."
The translation of this is most poetically rendered as:
"This is the hunter's badge of glory,
That he protect and tend his quarry,
Hunting with Honor, as is due,
And through the beast to God is true."
Beautiful royal walnut displaying a mix of mineral streaks, curl, and marble cake was used for stocking the St. Hubertus Tribute Rifle and the forearm and buttstock are perfectly matched.
Checkering of this gorgeous wood was a collaborative effort on design with checkering artist, Bob Oates. He executed the design perfectly, which features borderless patterns of 22 lines-per-inch diamonds and German Gothic finials instead of the typical French fleur-de-lis. Also worthy of mention is the ebony Schnable tip on the forearm. A nice touch you don’t often see on German rifles.
Authentic German sling swivels and the narrow Albrecht Kind (AKAH) quick-adjusting toggle sling complete the German flavor of this outstanding rifle.
Engraved on the right side of the receiver is Roger’s rendition of the St. Hubertus symbol of the stag with the cross in its antlers. This, according to legend, is the vision seen by St. Hubertus that lead to his conversion and not only his abandonment of a life of wine, women and song, but also his development of a deep and profound respect for the other creatures of God’s Nature and teaching it through the principles of fair chase hunting.
The left side of this bespoke rifle bears the engraved image of the client’s family crest. In this case, it’s the Renner family crest as this prototype is Roger’s personal rifle. The family crest is a silent reminder of the family pledge that was taken by the hunter who bears this fine heirloom rifle. Additionally, the grip cap is engraved with the client’s family name further personalizing the rifle to the family. If the client doesn’t know his family crest, Roger will research and find it as part of building this heirloom rifle.
The incredibly fine engraving of the receiver and grip cap was performed by Ed (Joe) Scotten IV and is the result of almost two years of collaboration with Roger on design.
The 24-inch tapered octagon barrel is of Germanic design and was created by master metalsmith, John Taylor of John Taylor Machine making for an overall length of 40 inches which provides perfect balance to the rifle which weighs a mere 6 pounds 6 ounces. Anyone who has handled one of Roger’s “regular” Ruger No.1 rifles is immediately taken with the slenderness of it. It would seem that the rifle could not be made more slender, but Roger has made the St. Hubertus even more slender according to German sensibilities.
An integral full-length rib provides a quarter rib and front sight base to complete the look of those early German single-shot rifles.
ST. HUBERTUS TRIBUTE RIFLE
Intro by
Franz Josef Schmidt
Saint Hubertus is a name familiar to the members of the German Gun Collectors Association and the many readers of WAIDMANNSHEIL as the Patron Saint of Hunters. St. Hubertus is honored among hunters as the father of ethical hunting behavior. It’s said that he established the principles of wildlife conservation way back in medieval times. He also advocated only shooting an animal when a humane, clean and quick kill is assured.
These basic principles of showing the highest respect for the animal and fair chase include giving the game a reasonable chance to evade the hunter while ensuring that the game isn’t harassed during the hunt. In keeping with the spirit of fair chase, many Hubertus hunters use single shot rifles with iron sights only or archery tackle. The purist of the creed will further challenge him or herself by limiting their pursuit to foot or horseback and stalking to within 100 meters or closer before taking the shot. The belief is that a good hunter needs only one good shot
The use of vehicles or electronic devices such as two-way radios is strictly verboten and considered to be highly unethical and is inconsistent with the pure concept of “fair chase’'. The true hunter makes every effort to ensure the contest is as fair as possible. Remember that there are Hunters and there are those who just kill game.
The Conversion of Holy Hubertus was painted in 1892 by Wilhelm Räuber