Owners of premium bolt guns - Rigby, Jeffery, Holland + Holland, Westley Richards etc
- Thread starter Northern Shooter
- Start date
Having visited John Rigby and sons at their Penbury place workshop last dec , I can confirm that Mauser only supplies them with the barrelled actions . Rigby then installs custom stocks and regulated sights on them depending on caliber and grade or rifle being made as per customers request . Pm me and I will give you the contact person whom you can reach out to . Btw the actions are stamped made in Germany by Mauser .
Maybe I didn't articulate it well enough, but what I am questioning is vintage Rigby rifles and how much work Rigby actually did to them. Looks to me like vintage Rigbys are a Mauser with a Rigby paintjob, if even that.
I just stay busy working at ventures that excite me. Life’s really short.
nice drawing.
my dad had a 416 rigby made from the old days and it was also a mauser made in germany and not a magnum action do not have anymore the info from the estate but that rifle had an interesting life to say the least.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
In a word, yes. The Mauser based stuff is nice, but rather unremarkable if we’re being frank about it. Where those makers shone is their British guns, the doubles, and the oft overlooked singles. For bolt actions, they’re best viewed as the Chevy dealership that will lift a new truck, install fender flares and running boards, and a fancy wheel and tire package. That’s not a slag, that just shows how good the Oberndorf Mausers were. They were production guns, that could carry the name of the most exclusive gunmakers in the world. They made some trick little adaptions they deserve credit for, like the takedowns, those can be neat.
I am no expert on this but first off congratulation on your purchase, i spent time in the Rigby booth a few years ago in Vegas and there were nice people
From my experience and studying before the war Rigby was the importer of Mauser in to England and the other names bought the actions/ barreled action or complete rifles. I believe that Lancaster did the same with M/S from Austria. Then depending on what market they were sold in was the amount of work done by the firm. I have looked at Lee Enfield sporters made by BSA sold marked sighted and regulated by Holland and Holland. I had a 1901 Ross action sporting rifle cased and finished by Lancaster with there oval bore barrel. Gun was marked Lancaster and cased but the action was marked Ross
Another Ross i had was a civilian military target rifle as it came from the factory but was sold by Daniel Fraser and this was marked on the barrel a Fraser serial number stamped in the wood behind the trigger guard,
Then as now the guns were made for the market they wanted to sell in they can be a plain gun as it came from Mauser or they could use just the action and do a complete custom job
Jeffery Farquharson rifles some had Krupp steel barrels and it is believed that they send the actions to Germany to be barrel, Gibb Farquharson rifles ( the original Farquharson ) were all made in house unless it didn't have a Medford barrel then the barrel would have a B on the serial number under the forend to show brought in
I have some single shot rifle from different parts of the world and find the English guns fit me best and do have high workmanship to them but most of my guns are early. There are many well made guns now and if there is a lot of hand work involved they are expensive so getting what makes you happy at the end is what counts
A friend of mine once said what i pay for something i what doesn't matter because it will not be for sale
From my experience and studying before the war Rigby was the importer of Mauser in to England and the other names bought the actions/ barreled action or complete rifles. I believe that Lancaster did the same with M/S from Austria. Then depending on what market they were sold in was the amount of work done by the firm. I have looked at Lee Enfield sporters made by BSA sold marked sighted and regulated by Holland and Holland. I had a 1901 Ross action sporting rifle cased and finished by Lancaster with there oval bore barrel. Gun was marked Lancaster and cased but the action was marked Ross
Another Ross i had was a civilian military target rifle as it came from the factory but was sold by Daniel Fraser and this was marked on the barrel a Fraser serial number stamped in the wood behind the trigger guard,
Then as now the guns were made for the market they wanted to sell in they can be a plain gun as it came from Mauser or they could use just the action and do a complete custom job
Jeffery Farquharson rifles some had Krupp steel barrels and it is believed that they send the actions to Germany to be barrel, Gibb Farquharson rifles ( the original Farquharson ) were all made in house unless it didn't have a Medford barrel then the barrel would have a B on the serial number under the forend to show brought in
I have some single shot rifle from different parts of the world and find the English guns fit me best and do have high workmanship to them but most of my guns are early. There are many well made guns now and if there is a lot of hand work involved they are expensive so getting what makes you happy at the end is what counts
A friend of mine once said what i pay for something i what doesn't matter because it will not be for sale
- Location
- Calgary, AB
Contact me should you be after a Swarovski. Without doubt, for your rifle, a Swarovski Z8i or Z8i+ in 1-8x24 or a Z8i in 1.7-13.3x42 if you need more magnification. A Rigby rifle deserves a GREAT scope. I also sell Recknagel and Rusan Pivot Mounts, should that interest you.
Cheers
Robbie
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
I'm pretty much there with you. But I also shot a springbook at a lasered 287 meters with my 416 Rigby and a Heavy Duplex in a 1.5-5x Leupold. But that baboon that i shot with the 375 wearing the Trijicon took it in the base of the skull rather than through the armpits as I intended. Didn't really make me mad, but it did kind of "change" the skull mount, a little. That said, I stoned my cape buff with the same rifle and scope at a little over 100 yards so it's probably just a me thing more than anything.
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