In 1990, the Beretta “Rinascimento” (Renaissance) set of five Beretta shotguns ended their North American tour at the NRA National Firearms Museum in Washington, D.C. This set of five of the finest shotguns ever commissioned by the centuries-old firm had been exhibited in several locations, with a last stop at the NRA museum in Washington D.C. before returning to Italy.
The five SO9 shotguns, two 12-gauge, two 20-gauge and one 28-gauge, were the brainchild of Dr. Ugo Gussalli Beretta and his longtime friend and hunting partner, Robert S. Jepson Jr. The idea was to create the finest Berettas ever fashioned in a theme that would tie them together and have them be of the finest wood and engraved by the best craftsmen of the age. Just as Parker Bros. created the Invincibles in 1924 in an effort to showcase the best of their talented artisans, Beretta achieved the same goal with the Set of Five.
Each gun is brilliantly engraved in the bulino style by master engraver Angelo Galeazzi giving each panel a depth of focus and an almost 3D effect. The uniting theme is hunting through the ages, and hunters wielding everything from matchlocks to modern side-by-sides are depicted.
Shortly after the tremendous reception that the Set of Five received, Mr. Jepson and Dr. Beretta designed and commissioned a set of four double rifles to honor the African “Big Five”: the lion, rhino, cape buffalo and elephant. (Each rifle has a leopard engraved on the floorplate to complete the series) in calibers from .30-’06 Sprg. to .600 NE. These rifles again rival the Set of Five and were also extravagantly engraved by Angelo Galeazzi. All nine guns are stocked in the finest figured nut briar and finished in the English style.
Ten years after their initial debut in D.C., Mr. Jepson was generous enough to place both sets of Berettas on loan with the National Firearms Museum and, in 2013, they became one of the centerpieces of the new exhibits at the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum in Springfield, Mo., where they have been on display ever since.
The museum staff was overjoyed to receive instructions that Mr. Jepson was converting his long-term loan into a gift, one of the most beautiful and extravagant gifts in the history of the National Firearms Museum.
The Beretta Set of Four and Set of Five can currently be viewed at the NRA’s National Sporting Arms Museum in Spring-field, Mo., and then they will be heading to Atlanta, Ga., for the NRA’s Annual Meeting and Exhibits on April 25-27.
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