New Mauser vs New Rigby

[7MAG]

Looking at the new Mauser 98's and Rigby's, it seems to me Mauser is way over priced. When comparing the Mauser 98 Magnum Expert 375 H&H and the Rigby Big Game PH 375 H&H, there is basically a $500 difference(excl. tax and fees). Yes, the Mauser may have a grade 5 walnut stock, but the Rigby's grade 2 Turkish walnut looks better imo. The Rigby's barrel is a half inch shorter than the Mauser, but besides the stock and some cosmetics, the barreled actions are roughly the same. Both are finished in Nitride, which in my previous post we have come to conclude it's probably one of the strongest, if not the strongest finish on the market.

The top picture is the Mauser 98 Magnum Expert, and the following is the Rigby Big Game PH. Im curious as to what your choice would be and why, mine is the Rigby for its overall beauty and worth the extra $500.

 

[WAB]

They are both outstanding, but my nod goes to the traditional English styling of the Rigby.

 

[Joker12]

Both are lovely rifles with little to choose from one to the other. That being said I would choose the Mauser.

 

[wesheltonj]

I like the grip lines and red butt pad of the Rigby better, but really like the ebony tip on the Mauser. But in the end, the Mauser.

 

[7MAG]

I like the grip lines and red butt pad of the Rigby better, but really like the ebony tip on the Mauser. But in the end, the Mauser.

Agreed, if the Rigby had the ebony for-end it would make it even better

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I like the Rigby better, but really it’s splitting hairs.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

I like the look of the Mauser with the front sight at the front of the barrel, the rear sight farther forward and the wider sling barrel band. I also like the look of the wood. If I was buying I would choose the Mauser.

 

[Sarg]

Wow taste is a amazing thing, I would of thought every one would choose the Rigby & the English style on this site, I'm surprised .

I would like a Horn or Ebony tip also & the low sheen finish but I would take the Rigby myself.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Mauser.

 

[JPetroni]

Please don’t take what I say as denigrating either brand and the opinion is a broad one, They are both super nice rifles and I think that the Blaser Corporation is very smart in their marketing strategies for both of these iconic brands. The Rigby will appeal to those who fancy an English Gun, and styled accordingly with an English name that has some glorious history attached to It. The stocks are slightly different as well as other small cosmetic changes such as sights and sling attachments and a few other nuances. The Rigby also has the availability of a narrow band of options that are available as well as wood upgrades. It also does not hurt the marketing side that the Rigby/Mauser connection from a historical perspective is also there. I also realize that Rigby will build to order if that is what one would want. That section of the business model is not what where talking about here though.

The Mauser follows the same strategy as the Rigby in that again, take a name with a historically significant history and produce a super nice rifle along the historic Mauser line of styling, although with not many options that I know of other than wood upgrades. Caliber availability on each brand is limited but together they have a fair range overall i think. again great marketing on Blaser’s part.
So you have two iconic brands that are built on the same barreled actions basically, produced by Blaser and both the Mauser and Rigby are marked Made in Germany Mauser 98. Nothing wrong with that. I also really like the Nitride finish that Blaser uses for these rifles, durable as hell. Both Rifles are basically made for the rack and if you want either brand it is nowhere near the wait for a Bespoke Rifle as well as not having the huge costs that go along with that and still having a iconic history for both brands.

as a side note, in todays marketplace, Hell, Holland & Holland and Purdey build for the rack although they can be customized per requirements as needed to some extent. This is again, a broad statement for an example but on the English side only Westley Richards and on the German side Hartman and Weiss only build Bespoke to Order only, at 5 times the cost or so.

I really think that either the Mauser or the Rigby would be a joy to own, each has features that do not necessarily compete with each other in the marketplace, plus one gets a great History and upper end semi-custom production quality with each brand. Brilliant I would say.

I am not great at expressing myself in words but was trying to get across a very general layout of how I see it. If I am incorrect I would appreciate members correcting me. I alway like to learn from more experienced people.

Not considering caliber choice. Of the two rifles pictured above by the OP, I would have to choose the Mauser, just like the cosmetics a little better than that of the Rigby. Both are best for different reasons. Personal choice. And when we get to this level of cost what’s a couple thousand in price difference. For me the name Rigby rings just a little louder though.

JP

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

Martini Mauser caliber .404j

 

[fiocchi]

Mauser supplies Rigby unfinished stock, treated bottom metal and bolt/barrelled action, I believe they even fit the rigby sights at Mauser (pre-machined to rigby specs so they can be coated as well before shipping to London).

rigby puts on red silvers pad, cross bolts and checkers/finishes stock without an ebony tip. It then becomes a Rigby

the one thing that really puts me off the Mauser, is the laser checkering. No premium walnut stocked rifles or guns should ever have that bestowed upon them.

for the smaller calibers, they recess cut the bolt handle which makes it look nothing more than a Parker hale; why on gods earth they didn’t set the bolt handle aesthetically like an FN or brno ZG-47 I have no idea

there’s an opportunity for Mauser to get this right, really give the m98 a whole shelf placement again globally, but you cannot make what was once described to me by the UK Mauser importer as an ‘Ikea’ rifle, and charge those kind of prices.

It’s a price band which isn’t going to work for Mauser - only the wealthy who enjoy fine arms can afford these, but that same demographic will see right through the cheap finish of the Mauser, that actually, it’s not much more than Parker hale was, and probably no more accurate…and even the Parker gales had hand checkering!

that demographic, will want ‘more’ for their hard earned, they will likely be willing to spend just a little bit more on something really custom.
Even Dorleac and Dorleac can build a true custom masterpiece for not a great deal more than a new Mauser.

if Mauser wants to put the m98 back on shelves and into peoples hands like they should be, then they need to get the price point down to around $3k. The rifles are not worth more, they really aren’t….and then you hit the sako, blaser, s&l, Montana, etc etc user base…

on that case, yes, they will start eating their own market share from other sister brands, who might have better margins; however, if the Mauser 98 is to survive as a core model, it’s going to have to come down into the sako and blaser price bands…

sorry to be negative on this one, just not sold,,,no matter how much I love Mauser that is.

 

[Aussie_Hunter]

You can't go wrong with either, I went with Rigby but at the time if the Mauser was in stock and the Rigby was not I would have bought the Mauser. Purely from a looks perspective I think the Rigby looks slightly better, obviously personal opinion, I am very confident there is absolutely no difference in performance.

Rigby "Big Game" Model in 450 Rigby

Morning All, It is Sunday morning and I should be out hunting but the good old tropical north wet season is still at it, we have had nearly 1 meter of rain in the last week! So instead of hunting I finally have some time to spend on this forum doing some research. Unfortunately I am not finding...

www.africahunting.com

 

[R eight]

Kill two birds with one stone …..if you buy the Rigby you’ve also got a Mauser.
When I bought my first Rigby, a 375 Big Game, it was a couple of grand cheaper than the Mauser. That was back in 2016. Still haven’t figured that out ‍

 

[CJW]

If I had to choose between those two rifles pictured, I think I would choose the Mauser. I think it's because I've become a real fan of an ebony or horn forend tip. The wood on the Mauser is also much nicer. I would never pay the price of that Rigby for that unremarkable wood. Then again, the checkering on the Mauser looks like garbage. It looks like something one would find on a new model 70.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I think the slightly curved butt of the Mauser is going to be slightly slower to shoulder than would be the flat butt of the Rigby- have to push it ever so slightly away to clear the top before pulling it in. That’s splitting hairs. This is really a blonde vs brunette situation.

 

[Red Leg]

That is likely the plainest stock I have yet to see on a Rigby. Below is mine (a Highland Stalker - not Big Game - but the same basic stock), and is more typical of what I have seen on these production rifles.

But I do not think there is a quality difference between the two offerings, and they are clearly intended to compete for the same customer dollar but not really against each other. Hence, the now near identical retail cost. As long as customers are debating Mauser or Rigby, L&O and Blaser Group have a winning marketing strategy.

 

[roverandbrew]

I own a Rigby and generally like their look over the Mauser. What I am a huge fan of with Rigby is their reach back. If I have a problem they answer a phone call or e-mail. They get things sorted rapidly and do their best to make you feel taken care of. I am not sure how Mauser works.

 

[saswart]

From the pics above, the Mauser looks way better imo. But, I would choose the Rigby. I think Rigby still has the name and history, whereas yes Mausers are also historical, but this new "breed" mausers feels "new", not the historical traditional version.

 

[7MAG]

That is likely the plainest stock I have yet to see on a Rigby. Below is mine (a Highland Stalker - not Big Game - but the same basic stock), and is more typical of what I have seen on these production rifles.

But I do not think there is a quality difference between the two offerings, and they are clearly intended to compete for the same customer dollar but not really against each other. Hence, the now near identical retail cost. As long as customers are debating Mauser or Rigby, L&O and Blaser Group have a winning marketing strategy.

It’s probably the plainest wood option because it’s the PH model, which is the only model within a thousand or two dollars of the Mauser. If you want a big game with similar wood grade level of the Mauser you’re looking at well above $20,000 USD.