Heym versus Rigby

SStomcat said:

Probably I’m missing something. I see Rigby’s at 24K plus whereas a Mauser is around 15K. That is a significant difference to me ..

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It is a significant difference! Have you held a new Mauser 98 rifle, I have a Dos Original model in .375H&H, I've never run a smoother action in my life!

SStomcat said:

Probably I’m missing something. I see Rigby’s at 24K plus whereas a Mauser is around 15K. That is a significant difference to me ..

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In SA the Rigby Big Bore is expensiven, getting on for double the Heym Martini price, but on the shelf the Heym looks and feels more refined as you say. There are a lot of Rigby's on the shelves, but the Heyms go quickly, the SA market knows guns well.

rookhawk said:

I think a Shikari is running around $70,000

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The quote I got from Rigby at Nashville was mid-70K UK Pounds, in London, no case. Oak and leather case was another 12k pounds. The rifle had a basic scroll package, nice wood, nothing extravagant on either.

By the time converted to USD, import, tariffs and taxes, basic Shikari was well above $130k USD, so could have 3 new Heym 89b’s with decent wood, or 2 really dolled ones.

Wildwillalaska said:

The quote I got from Rigby at Nashville was mid-70K UK Pounds, in London, no case. Oak and leather case was another 12k pounds. The rifle had a basic scroll package, nice wood, nothing extravagant on either.

By the time converted to USD, import, tariffs and taxes, basic Shikari was well above $130k USD, so could have 3 new Heym 89b’s with decent wood, or 2 really dolled ones.

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Glad I ordered my Shikari 3 years ago . It was a lot cheaper than current pricing and a lot shorter waiting time compared with now . My guess is they are selling like hot potatoes . Obviously a lot of double rifle buyers prefer them to the other brands out there in the market .

Nostalgia and names aside..if I was to order a new double rifle today I would go Heym 89B all the way..

Rigby, or should I say Marc Newton, has succeded in building a new company around nostalgia. No problem with that if such is important to you..but as prices rise it seems that moneywise the Heym product is a better buy.. Heym has a stellar reputation for quality world wide..


I do not buy the argument that a recently made Rigby is that much more attractive on the used market that a similar Heym.. My 2 cents..

Pondoro said:

Nostalgia and names aside..if I was to order a new double rifle today I would go Heym 89B all the way..

Rigby, or should I say Marc Newton, has succeded in building a new company around nostalgia. No problem with that if such is important to you..but as prices rise it seems that moneywise the Heym product is a better buy.. Heym has a stellar reputation for quality world wide..


I do not buy the argument that a recently made Rigby is that much more attractive on the used market that a similar Heym.. My 2 cents..

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In double rifles I agree. In bolt rifles there seems a little more energy towards used Rigbys at this point.

Great question and questions. I have owned both and shot both.
Rookhawk and Muskox have shared a lot of great info. I have found that what they have said is true.

Let me add my "take".

1. Heym USA is a distributor of Heym guns. The flow of Heym rifles to the US is somewhat limited to keep demand high. You will hear that there are not many of them. True. But the truth is there are not many here to buy. There are plenty. They are well made and well engineered. The Martini Heym version resurrected their USA sales. Ralf Martini did the stock design and it replaced the clunky, Ruger-like stock on the older Heym big bores. There is no issue with quality as they are very well made.
If you like them, get one. You will not be disappointed in anything but the price. Because you can get a true custom where you pick the wood, set the specs you like and the add ons you like for about the same price or less from Parkwest (old Dakota), get the gun in a year and have exactly what you like.

2. Rigby is a name that has been resurrected after the disaster of WWII and the aftermath in the UK followed by lackluster sales in the 1960's-70's that had them cranking out guns to keep the doors open. The worse disaster in moving to California and calling them a respectable gunmaker was laughable. I personally handled one of the best bolt rifles and best doubles they offered out of CA and found them seriously lacking. Poor craftsmanship, stock work average and on and on. Craig Boddington was part of this mess and I believe cost him a great deal of money to see this go up in flames. In steps the Mauser/Blaser/Sauer folks and they breathe life and money into this dead duck.

They have rebuilt the quality and reputation of this "name". The Highland Stalker and Big Game guns are excellent. They are not pure custom, but well made, reliable and I am pleased to own one and have owned several. They shoot well and handle well.

3. Parkwest is an outstanding alternative to Heym and Rigby. Well made, tested action, seriously great quality, excellent service and they will do what they say when they say it. I fine their bolt guns as good as any and actually prefer their action to the Mauser (sacriledge I know). You will pay less and get more with Parkwest. To me, these rifles are closer to "custom" than Rigby or Heym.

4. Custom guns - here is what you can really debate. There are loads of custom gun makers out there. Most are pretty darn good. I have worked with several. I will not name them here but will tell you all have been from good to outstanding. My favorite is Matt Roberts. He is a soft spoken guy in Vermont that is at the shows. He is not flashy. He is not a glad hander. He is a serious craftsman and artist. You get an outstand gun from him to your specs for what you will pay for Heym or Rigby or some others in the class. Again, there are others out there that are excellent. If you go this way, call around, go visit them and get to know them. You will find one you can work with.

Summary, get what you like. You can pay too little for one and not get what you want. If in doubt, call Parkwest and talk to them. Or go down the full custom path.

I did all of the above. I learned a lot. It cost me some money to learn hard lessons, but now I shoot exactly what I like.

Wildwillalaska said:

The quote I got from Rigby at Nashville was mid-70K UK Pounds, in London, no case. Oak and leather case was another 12k pounds. The rifle had a basic scroll package, nice wood, nothing extravagant on either.

By the time converted to USD, import, tariffs and taxes, basic Shikari was well above $130k USD, so could have 3 new Heym 89b’s with decent wood, or 2 really dolled ones.

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Madness.

For $130,000, you can buy a mint, all original, between-the-wars Rigby large-bore double rifle that holds or gains in value. No shade on a Rigby Shikari, but a boxlock predominantly built in Belgium of no particularly extraordinary characteristic and retailed for $130,000 is not at all sensible. For $130,000 I could buy TEN Rigby magazine rifles on sale. Or TWENTY used dakotas. Or I could buy 3-4 gently used Heym Double rifles. Or two top of the line brand new Heyms.

Having said all of this, there are a number of forum members that pre-ordered Shikaris half a decade ago and spent under 30k GBP on them. They might have gotten a deal, but the new guy at 2.5x the purchase price is not getting a deal.

rookhawk said:

I think a Shikari is running around $70,000

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Yikes!!!

About 4 years back there was a 500 ne Shikari brought in by the Rigby rep at Houston SCI.The price was around 50K if I remember correctly

Andrew62 said:

It is a significant difference! Have you held a new Mauser 98 rifle, I have a Dos Original model in .375H&H, I've never run a smoother action in my life!

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The actions on both are identical and both superb. I like the barrel contour and 1/4 rib on the Rigby better…and before the last couple years, the finish on Rigby stocks were heads and shoulders above Mausers…which were not priced far behind the Rigbys. While the Rigbys have gone up more dramatically in price, the Mauser offerings have dropped about $2,500+ from the $16,500-ish you’d see a couple years back.

Those new Mauser Das Original (while I could do without the gold script on the floorplate, their wood and finish are gorgeous). And I don’t ding them for the ugly gold script, it’s just not my cup of tea, same as I didn’t care for Rigby’s anniversary model with the gold on the floorplate. I like real gold in some parts of the guns, the barrel script, the sights, SAFE, and the serial number are all cool…but not the gold anodized looking stuff.

I’d happily hunt one of the current production Mauser M98’s.

I love my Rigby, but I have yet to have the fortune of experiencing the Heym. My misfortune is not having the funds to buy them all.

My advice would be to seriously look at a custom made rifle from a US builder and or find a used Dakota Arms for much less than the above prices.

HH

I had the chance to handle both at S&O in Pretoria.
Thay are both beautiful, the Rigby is chunkier, the Heym sleeker.

Kevin Peacocke said:

I had the chance to handle both at S&O in Pretoria.
Thay are both beautiful, the Rigby is chunkier, the Heym sleeker.
View attachment 776244

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Whats the price of those in SA

farmer_john said:

Whats the price of those in SA

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The Rigby in this photo was about R440k and the Heym about 240k. Both were 404's I believe. I chose these two to show because the wood on both was comparable.

Kevin Peacocke said:

The Rigby in this photo was about R440k and the Heym about 240k. Both were 404's I believe. I chose these two to show because the wood on both was comparable.

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Very comparable to here.

Kevin Peacocke said:

I had the chance to handle both at S&O in Pretoria.
Thay are both beautiful, the Rigby is chunkier, the Heym sleeker.
View attachment 776244

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The drop on the stock of that heym gets me, those irons would come straight into line when the rifle is shouldered. Superb.

JPbowhunter said:

The drop on the stock of that heym gets me, those irons would come straight into line when the rifle is shouldered. Superb.

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They do indeed!

I really like the Color Case Hardening look that Heym will do on their Express Magnum bolt action rifles. If one were to order a rifle custom made from Heym, what’s the wait time?