Helmut & Gernot Rumpler

… and passion meets fascination. Helmut and Gernot Rumpler not only have a wonderful father-son relationship; above all, they share one thing in common: a devotion to hunting and a passion for firearms technology and shooting as a sport.

You’ll usually find the pair together in their shop by the Salzach Bridge. This is perhaps because both father and son are equally captivated by firearms. For them, the daily tinkering and fine-tuning of shotguns, semi-automatic weapons and the like is not a job but a calling: “The technology and progress in the firearms industry are fascinating. Even if this topic isn’t to everyone’s taste – the fact is that hunting and shooting sports are attracting increasing interest.

Helmut is a master gunsmith – he knows how to hand-craft, maintain and repair hunting and sporting firearms. “My father was a forester. Even as a child, I was fascinated by nature, the forest as a habitat and animals. My interest in firearms has also been with me since childhood.” So it was only to be expected that he would go on to pursue a career in this field. He trained at the technical college in Ferlach, passed his master craftsman’s examination and soon set up his own business. He had actually intended to realise his dream together with a partner in Innsbruck, but he laughs: “Franzi Sinnhuber opened my eyes after he
told me straight to my face that I’d be a fool if, firstly, I didn’t do it on my own and, secondly, if I didn’t do it in my home town.” Helmut followed his instincts and opened his shop in Mittersill on 1 July 1985.