THE “RIGBY BATTERY”
This Rigby lineup displays in one group, the extraordinary breadth of John Rigby & Co.’s magazine rifle offerings during the golden age of the sporting Mauser. Built between 1901 and 1920, these rifles span the classic Rigby big-game spectrum, from the light, wonderfully efficient .275, the historic .303, to the powerful .350 Magnum and finally the formidable .416 Rigby. The .275 was Rigby’s British sporting interpretation of the 7×57 Mauser, whose case originated in 1892, light-recoiling, flat-shooting and remarkably penetrating, it became legendary in Africa through men such as W.D.M. Bell and was equally at home on deer and plains game. The .303 British, developed in 1888 and adopted in 1889, was not actually a Rigby proprietary cartridge, but Rigby produced some exceptionally fine sporting rifles for it, making it an important part of the firm’s early magazine rifle story. The true proprietary .350 Rigby Magnum, introduced in 1908, was an original rimless design firing a 225-grain .358-caliber bullet at roughly 2,600 fps, an exceptionally powerful and flat shooting medium bore for its era and one of the great African all-round cartridges. At the bottom of the image, but in my opinion at the top of the battery stands the .416 Rigby, designed in 1911, with the first rifle delivered in 1912. The .416 was built around the great Magnum Mauser action, its enormous rimless case drove the original 410-grain bullet at approximately 2,370 fps, giving hunters magazine-rifle handling with power approaching the great Nitro Express doubles. Together, the four rifles tell the story of Rigby’s transformation of the Mauser sporting rifle, from the elegant small-bore .275 to one of the most celebrated dangerous-game bolt rifles ever created, the .416 Rigby.
Which one is the most important?
These guns are part of my personal collection and not for sale.
This Rigby lineup displays in one group, the extraordinary breadth of John Rigby & Co.’s magazine rifle offerings during the golden age of the sporting Mauser. Built between 1901 and 1920, these rifles span the classic Rigby big-game spectrum, from the light, wonderfully efficient .275, the historic .303, to the powerful .350 Magnum and finally the formidable .416 Rigby. The .275 was Rigby’s British sporting interpretation of the 7×57 Mauser, whose case originated in 1892, light-recoiling, flat-shooting and remarkably penetrating, it became legendary in Africa through men such as W.D.M. Bell and was equally at home on deer and plains game. The .303 British, developed in 1888 and adopted in 1889, was not actually a Rigby proprietary cartridge, but Rigby produced some exceptionally fine sporting rifles for it, making it an important part of the firm’s early magazine rifle story. The true proprietary .350 Rigby Magnum, introduced in 1908, was an original rimless design firing a 225-grain .358-caliber bullet at roughly 2,600 fps, an exceptionally powerful and flat shooting medium bore for its era and one of the great African all-round cartridges. At the bottom of the image, but in my opinion at the top of the battery stands the .416 Rigby, designed in 1911, with the first rifle delivered in 1912. The .416 was built around the great Magnum Mauser action, its enormous rimless case drove the original 410-grain bullet at approximately 2,370 fps, giving hunters magazine-rifle handling with power approaching the great Nitro Express doubles. Together, the four rifles tell the story of Rigby’s transformation of the Mauser sporting rifle, from the elegant small-bore .275 to one of the most celebrated dangerous-game bolt rifles ever created, the .416 Rigby.
Which one is the most important?
These guns are part of my personal collection and not for sale.
