DBGM West German Hunter’s Pipe

[Briar Lee]

About a decade ago I wanted a real, smokable, German hunter’s pipe, to use with my Ruger No 1 Light Sporter in the woods of Spout Spring Hollow while deer stalking. I do much more ruminating on rocks, than stalking, about days gone by. My family has owned twenty acres of standing hardwood timber in Cedar County, a half mile South of our 300 acre home place, since 1876. I am only the caretaker of it during my time, as I am this high quality German hunter’s pipe.

Every part of the bowl and fittings on this West German pipe is made of highly figured briar. It holds an enormous amount of tobacco, and is an excellent, cool, sweet smoker. The previous owner didn’t smoke it all the way down, so near the end of my long smoke it tastes like sweet, well cured briar.

The bit and top mount to the elm shank are made of Buffalo horn. You turn the bowl on the elm shank to where the pipe hangs comfortably. The wind cap and other metal parts seem to be nickel silver.

It is branded DBGM. The makers were proud of it. It was likely bought by a soldier stationed far from home, and somehow sold on eBay for not a lot of money.

Part of the fun of pipe smoking is owning a few unusual pipes, and this one has scratched my itch for a German hunter’s pipe.


I also take my Bose headphones while I’m deer stalking, in Spout Spring Hollow, and sit on a rock and listen to music of the same vintage as this old West German pipe.

LONELY RIVER RHINE
Darrel McCall version 1960

That was a follow on song to Fraulein, and we sang them both when I was growing up hillbilly.

 

[anotherbob]

love it. One of my favorite styles of pipe, even if it's hard to find them new these days. Well quality ones that is.

 

[mikethompson]

I'm always thinking about getting one of these and adding it to the collection, but I can't seem to figure out which ones are made to be smoked and which are made to be souvenirs.

 

[scloyd]

In the 1931 version of Dracula the Innkeeper played by Michael Visaroff comes out of the inn smoking a similar pipe. It's about 2 minutes into the movie. I too would like one in my collection.

 

[saltedplug]

Gorgeous pipe!

 

[anotherbob]

I'm always thinking about getting one of these and adding it to the collection, but I can't seem to figure out which ones are made to be smoked and which are made to be souvenirs.

the expensive and old ones are for smoking. The cheap ones are souvenirs though every once and rare while you'll get a good smoker out of them but don't bet on it.

 

[Briar Lee]

Talking about being made in the Black Forest by elves, this one surely was.

Here’s some trivia I remember about German hunter’s pipes from when I was searching for mine.

Like German firearms, a good one is intended to be a lifetime purchase, not a souvenir.

The most obvious mark of quality is a briar bowl, with a briar bottom fitting.

That it’s a highly grained, no fills, wonderful piece of briar is bonus.

Many souvenir pipes have porcelain bowls or mystery wood. Some have plastic bottom fitments.

The bowl cap should be nickel silver, which is an alloy used for pocket knife bolsters. Cheap pipes may have silver electroplated steel, or probably newer ones, stainless steel. The best grades use sterling silber

The best grades have an ebony shank, but mine has a traditional elm shank.

Cheap pipes use plastic bits, but mine is a two piece unit of Buffalo horn, same as used on the buttstocks of rifles.

What time they aren’t invading France or Russia, the Germans are a gregarious, friendly sort of folks, and German hunters were said to pass these big pipes around when they met other hunters in the mountains.

The owner had a distinctive tassel for decoration and to customize his pipe. Mine is lost, but how many hillbillies are there in the woods smoking a Rube Goldberg looking pipe?

When the Hunter wasn’t smoking this big pipe (or maybe he was saturated with vitamin N) he could dismount everything and store his pipe in his bag. Mine does hang comfortably when it’s clenched, but you have to adjust the position of the bit.

I tend to think my pipe was a restart of prewar production, which had previously been exported. The W seems a different and added stamp to the Germanic looking Germany on the nickel silver mounts.

The DGBM brand stamp meant they were proud of it.

I’d like to think a lonely American soldier bought this from the PX, that during that era offered nice things, for him to remember his German tour of duty.

Some pretty things, those soldier boys left behind along the Rhine.

Enjoy:

FRAULEIN

Tennessee Bluegrass Band version

 

[beefeater33]

That’s a great pipe! No doubt it’s the real deal. I’m pretty sure the shank is cherry wood, not elm. The color and bark pattern just doesn’t look like any elm I’ve ever seen……….

 

[hauntedmyst]

About a decade ago I wanted a real, smokable, German hunter’s pipe, to use with my Ruger No 1 Light Sporter in the woods of Spout Spring Hollow while deer stalking. I do much more ruminating on rocks, than stalking, about days gone by.

Sounds like me! I love to go out squirrel hunting with my air rifle but 9 times out of 10, just enjoy sitting in the woods enjoying the beauty. If you are ever on Google maps in Indiana and see a large orange dot that looks like a "You Are Here" dot in Willow Slough, that's probably me sitting in the woods making too much noise for the squirrels.

 

[Briar Lee]

That’s a great pipe! No doubt it’s the real deal. I’m pretty sure the shank is cherry wood, not elm. The color and bark pattern just doesn’t look like any elm I’ve ever seen……….

It could be cherry, but I think it was sold to me as elm.

Whatever wood it is, it has these good properties:

This pipe is certainly over 30 years old, and may be 60 or 70. The bark still looks fresh and hasn’t peeled.

It makes a good push fit on the bottom briar fitting, yet is hard enough to be threaded for the top Buffalo horn cap.

If has a very Germanic aesthetic. It looks snazzy.

Whatever wood it is, it’s light and slightly crooked. That slight crook allows the user to adjust the angle of the bit, which balances the pipe as it’s clenched.

 

[karam]

Nice one!

I have seen these many times, a bit too big for me, dunno how practical they are given most of my smoking is done while walking.

They have a reverse calabash, or pre-system system situation going on. Should give a nice sweet and dry smoke.

 

[mikethompson]

the expensive and old ones are for smoking. The cheap ones are souvenirs though every once and rare while you'll get a good smoker out of them but don't bet on it.

The problem is, it is hard to tell from just pictures and seller descriptions.

 

[anotherbob]

The problem is, it is hard to tell from just pictures and seller descriptions.

I know. I really want a pipe of this sort. I had one that smoked great and it was a cheapy one too. My current conclusion is I might just have to bite the bullet and get a custom job with the right carver.

 

[Briar Lee]

I know. I really want a pipe of this sort. I had one that smoked great and it was a cheapy one too. My current conclusion is I might just have to bite the bullet and get a custom job with the right carver.

I’m not at all confident I’d want the first German Hunter pipe a custom carver made, if he tried making it look like mine.

To make and bend, then thread, both the bit to the top shank fitting, of horn, looks like a rather specialized operation.

Fashioning a wind cap, and mount, also look challenging.

A reasonable substitute commission might be a three piece Ohm Paul.

A good German hunter’s pipe looks strange, but it hangs comfortably while you walk.

I wonder how long the Germans have made those?

 

[anotherbob]

I’m not at all confident I’d want the first German Hunter pipe a custom carver made, if he tried making it look like mine.

To make and bend, then thread, both the bit to the top shank fitting, of horn, looks like a rather specialized operation.

Fashioning a wind cap, and mount, also look challenging.

A reasonable substitute commission might be a three piece Ohm Paul.

A good German hunter’s pipe looks strange, but it hangs comfortably while you walk.

I wonder how long the Germans have made those?

since before tobacco. They knew it come in handy someday.