Inside the Rigby Big Game Vintage

Ontario Hunter · Wednesday at 10:37 AM

Jack Stevens said:
Good. I'd like one in .404 Jeffrey.

Ditching the oval cheek piece was a throw-back move. From the pistol grip to the pad, keep the stock lines smooth and sleek and the comb vintage, which is to say Old School, from an era when Big Dangerous Critters were taken with the front bead buried deep in the full quarter-rib's standing 'V.'

60-yard engagements were a rare maximum, and more commonly shots were inside 25-yards. The pucker factor was a vintage thing too, as was a culling belt and a few unfiltered Camels in a pack in your unbuttoned shirt pocket. .... Not to mention, if you survived the hunt there was high-end Bourbon waiting back in camp to enjoy around the fire.

View attachment 801950

I dunno, that erupting wooden collar backing onto the bolt handle's trough doesn't look very pack-o-Camels and tumbler-of-bourbon ish to me. Can't say I recall seeing that particular decorative nonfunctioning design element on any other rifle stock, classic or mass production.

It's a pretty rifle but definitely a "unique" design and clearly not very "vintage" looking ... which I don't entirely disagree with. The same old Golden Age Mauser "classic" look with decorative (albeit nearly useless) 3-leaf quarter rib rear sight, sleeved front sight/ramp with hooded bead, red recoil pad, barrel band sling swivel, flag safety, flat comb, etc is worn out with me. Like the new Rigby stalker model with no iron sights, this model can't seem to make up its mind what it wants to be re design. It has the classic flat comb stock but also modernish "pinned on" island style front sight ramp. The Model 70 style side lever safety is not vintage Mauser. I'm not opposed to everything new ... but calling this model "vintage"? That just doesn't seem to fit.

Rare Breed · Wednesday at 10:38 AM

RIGBY said:
The original Big Game is still offered in .416 Rigby and .450 Rigby: https://www.johnrigbyandco.com/guns/the-big-game/the-big-game-configurator/

The Big Game PH, the Big Game Lightweight, the Big Game Vintage, and the Big Game Vintage PH are all still offered in .375 H&H: https://www.johnrigbyandco.com/guns/the-big-game/

While the new vintage seems wonderful I am glad I got the old BGR PH in 404 given I like the bulkier stock

Ontario Hunter · Wednesday at 10:48 AM

RIGBY said:
A pinned front sight on a rifle is a front sight assembly secured to the barrel or based using one or more cross-pins that pass straight through the component and cutouts in the barrel.

I'm having trouble conceptualizing this. What do the barrel "cutouts" look like? How can a pin "pass straight through" a sight ramp that's above the the barrel and also pass through a "cutout" below the barrel's surface? Definitely sounds like a new not-very vintage concept.

farmer_john · Wednesday at 11:00 AM

Ontario Hunter said:
I'm having trouble conceptualizing this. What do the barrel "cutouts" look like? How can a pin "pass straight through" a sight ramp that's above the the barrel and also pass through a "cutout" below the barrel's surface? Definitely sounds like a new not-very vintage concept.

I guess just dont buy one and let others enjoy it

KJE81 · Wednesday at 11:56 AM

I guess it is as simple as the component is screwed into the barrel?

Ontario Hunter · Wednesday at 2:25 PM

KJE81 said:
I guess it is as simple as the component is screwed into the barrel?

Or perhaps a dovetail is cut into the barrel and the sight ramp is screwed to a "male" dovetail blank slid into the slot? But that would be quite unsightly so doubt that's what he means.

pc3 · Wednesday at 4:38 PM

Ontario Hunter said:
I'm having trouble conceptualizing this. What do the barrel "cutouts" look like? How can a pin "pass straight through" a sight ramp that's above the the barrel and also pass through a "cutout" below the barrel's surface? Definitely sounds like a new not-very vintage concept.

Gee not one post I've ever read of yours on equipment that is not a clunker meets your approval !

I really don't like "clunker" rifles regardless of weather they do the job or not....I've worked hard (as have many here) to get in a position that I don't have to hunt with ugly guns moving forward

I think the vintage Rigby's are quite positively beautiful...so much so that when Tom Auger (Aussie Dealer) provided a pic of the timber on a Big Game Vintage he had ordered for stock in his shop I said I'd take it. Would my CZ550 do the job just as well ? for sure, but for me owning a Rigby .416 Rigby Vintage...lets call it a "Hybrid Vintage" given your critique

is a lot nicer experience for me personally. And maybe down the track I'll gift the CZ550 to my son (which has taken my first cape buff).

Your criticism of nice rifles is getting dry to be honest, I find WAY more fault in the old ugly clunkers.

Bushog · Wednesday at 5:08 PM

I got a quote one of the Vintage PHs from a popular Rigby dealer in TX and without any upgrades other than a checkered bolt knob I was quoted over $16K once all was said and done....

Doug3006 · Wednesday at 5:15 PM

@Ontario Hunter, why must you berate a sponsor’s product that they are showcasing to our community?

farmer_john · Wednesday at 5:32 PM

Doug3006 said:
@Ontario Hunter, why must you berate a sponsor’s product that they are showcasing to our community?

Flipper Dude · Wednesday at 5:44 PM

He’s a special POS.

Like he’s ever gonna buy one. Never had a negative thought go unspoken.

Jack Stevens · Wednesday at 5:50 PM

Ontario Hunter said:
I dunno, that erupting wooden collar backing onto the bolt handle's trough doesn't look very pack-o-Camels and tumbler-of-bourbon ish to me. Can't say I recall seeing that particular decorative nonfunctioning design element on any other rifle stock, classic or mass production.

You have no idea what you’re talking about. “Erupting wooden collar”?

Ontario Hunter said:
The same old Golden Age Mauser "classic" look with decorative (albeit nearly useless) 3-leaf quarter rib rear sight, sleeved front sight/ramp with hooded bead, red recoil pad, barrel band sling swivel, flag safety, flat comb, etc is worn out with me.

That only proves all your taste is in your mouth. :A Whistle:

The classic full quarter rib rear sight with one standing sight and two folding leafs was extremely effective at close range, unless modified to three folding leafs due to installation of a bolt aperture sight, which allowed for better precision shooting beyond 100 yards. Unnecessary in most DG encounters.

Ontario Hunter said:
Like the new Rigby stalker model with no iron sights, this model can't seem to make up its mind what it wants to be re design. It has the classic flat comb stock but also modernish "pinned on" island style front sight ramp. The Model 70 style side lever safety is not vintage Mauser. I'm not opposed to everything new ... but calling this model "vintage"? That just doesn't seem to fit.

The only issue I have with this model’s front sight is due to my long-term preference for a barrel-banded front sight on a DG rifle.

Rare Breed · Wednesday at 6:09 PM

Bushog said:
I got a quote one of the Vintage PHs from a popular Rigby dealer in TX and without any upgrades other than a checkered bolt knob I was quoted over $16K once all was said and done....

Thats in line with what the latest batch of BGR PH models were selling for recently when I bought my 404 model. I got mine for $15K given they were willing to negotiate a little.

Ontario Hunter · Wednesday at 7:11 PM

pc3 said:
Gee not one post I've ever read of yours on equipment that is not a clunker meets your approval !

I really don't like "clunker" rifles regardless of weather they do the job or not....I've worked hard (as have many here) to get in a position that I don't have to hunt with ugly guns moving forward

I think the vintage Rigby's are quite positively beautiful...so much so that when Tom Auger (Aussie Dealer) provided a pic of the timber on a Big Game Vintage he had ordered for stock in his shop I said I'd take it. Would my CZ550 do the job just as well ? for sure, but for me owning a Rigby .416 Rigby Vintage...lets call it a "Hybrid Vintage" given your critique is a lot nicer experience for me personally. And maybe down the track I'll gift the CZ550 to my son (which has taken my first cape buff).

Your criticism of nice rifles is getting dry to be honest, I find WAY more fault in the old ugly clunkers.

Not critical of the rifle. Not at all. It's a beauty. But the marketing hype is ... well ... confusing. Here's what AI says about vintage: "an item, wine, or style that is old, high-quality, and characteristic of a specific past era." There are a few "characteristics" of this rifle that do not seem to be readily identifiable with a "specific past era" of Rigby manufacture. Not that I can see anyway. The 3-position side lever safety might be 1930s vintage Winchester (but not this one ... before 1957[?] the lever was on top of Model 70 bolt shroud). Is that safety design "vintage" Rigby? Don't misunderstand, I very much prefer the 3-position Model 70 style safety over the vintage/classic Mauser flag safety. If I bought a used Rigby with flag safety, I would change it or sell it. Changing the safety would make the rifle less "vintage Rigby" and no doubt seriously devalue it.

Rigby rifles are extremely expensive. For that reason I think the company should be accurate in their description. Someone who pays tens of thousands of dollars for a "vintage" Rigby might be more than a bit put off if another hunter at safari camp points out his new vintage Rigby really doesn't resemble very closely anything in the past lineup of production Rigby rifles. "Here, look at mine with set triggers, barrel band front sight, etc. Now that's a real vintage Rigby." Let's face it. Most people who pay the money for a Rigby are looking to acquire an expensive work of art that's a status symbol. And that's fine. My rifles are a status symbol too, just at the other end of the spectrum. That's where I come from ... and I am okay with being what I am. But I think anyone who pays that much money for a designer rifle should at least be clear about the design he's purchasing. That's just my opinion.

Like the newly introduced Rigby "classic" stalking rifle that isn't very classic in design, it might be better to give a new concept/design an entirely new name. This reminds me of Winchester post-1964 Model 70. Initially those weren't even remotely comparable to pre-64 vintage Model 70. Or Browning's new A5 shotgun that is nothing like the classic humpback Auto-5. Kinda cheesy marketing tactics on both counts. Okay maybe that's the kind of thing one might expect from mass production gun manufacturers ... not Rigby.

Perhaps the safest approach is to number the models (e.g. R8, 550, etc). Or just throw some consonants with a few vowels into a blender and see what it pours out (must be how parents pick the names for most pro football players). It seems to have worked for Browning Citori. Or maybe Rigby could have a contest on a forum to name a new design concept. The prize could simply be a framed congratulations correspondence/certificate from the London office. I think any one of us would wet our pants for something like that to hang on the wall in our trophy room. So let the competition commence! My entry: Rigby's Refined Mauser or simply RRM for the new age acronym addicted crowd who like to be vintage ... sometimes ... sorta.

pc3 · Wednesday at 7:51 PM

Ontario Hunter said:
Not critical of the rifle. Not at all. It's a beauty. But the marketing hype is ... well ... confusing. Here's what AI says about vintage: "an item, wine, or style that is old, high-quality, and characteristic of a specific past era." There are a few "characteristics" of this rifle that do not seem to be readily identifiable with a "specific past era" of Rigby manufacture. Not that I can see anyway. The 3-position side lever safety might be 1930s vintage Winchester (but not this one ... before 1957[?] the lever was on top of Model 70 bolt shroud). Is that safety design "vintage" Rigby? Don't misunderstand, I very much prefer the 3-position Model 70 style safety over the vintage/classic Mauser flag safety. If I bought a used Rigby with flag safety, I would change it or sell it. Changing the safety would make the rifle less "vintage Rigby" and no doubt seriously devalue it.

Rigby rifles are extremely expensive. For that reason I think the company should be accurate in their description. Someone who pays tens of thousands of dollars for a "vintage" Rigby might be more than a bit put off if another hunter at safari camp points out his new vintage Rigby really doesn't resemble very closely anything in the past lineup of production Rigby rifles. "Here, look at mine with set triggers, barrel band front sight, etc. Now that's a real vintage Rigby." Let's face it. Most people who pay the money for a Rigby are looking to acquire an expensive work of art that's a status symbol. And that's fine. My rifles are a status symbol too, just at the other end of the spectrum. That's where I come from ... and I am okay with being what I am. But I think anyone who pays that much money for a designer rifle should at least be clear about the design he's purchasing. That's just my opinion.

Like the newly introduced Rigby "classic" stalking rifle that isn't very classic in design, it might be better to give a new concept/design an entirely new name. This reminds me of Winchester post-1964 Model 70. Initially those weren't even remotely comparable to pre-64 vintage Model 70. Or Browning's new A5 shotgun that is nothing like the classic humpback Auto-5. Kinda cheesy marketing tactics on both counts. Okay maybe that's the kind of thing one might expect from mass production gun manufacturers ... not Rigby.

Perhaps the safest approach is to number the models (e.g. R8, 550, etc). Or just throw some consonants with a few vowels into a blender and see what it pours out (must be how parents pick the names for most pro football players). It seems to have worked for Browning Citori. Or maybe Rigby could have a contest on a forum to name a new design concept. The prize could simply be a framed congratulations correspondence/certificate from the London office. I think any one of us would wet our pants for something like that to hang on the wall in our trophy room. So let the competition commence! My entry: Rigby's Refined Mauser or simply RRM for the new age acronym addicted crowd who like to be vintage ... sometimes ... sorta.

The Big Game "Modern Vintage" or the Big Game "Hybrid Vintage" will suffice as a name for my .416 impending status symbol/s...plural, as I'll have the "Big Game Lightweight" in .350 Rigby to go with it

Rigby for mine have nailed it....did I add they have a great marketing team and it works really well

!

Its not lost on any of us in your post that I've quoted the "snide criticism" within....its your character that's evident suppose.

Ontario Hunter · Wednesday at 9:59 PM

Jack Stevens said:
You have no idea what you’re talking about. “Erupting wooden collar”?

That only proves all your taste is in your mouth.

The classic full quarter rib rear sight with one standing sight and two folding leafs was extremely effective at close range, unless modified to three folding leafs due to installation of a bolt aperture sight, which allowed for better precision shooting beyond 100 yards. Unnecessary in most DG encounters.

The only issue I have with this model’s front sight is due to my long-term preference for a barrel-banded front sight on a DG rifle.

Here is the "unusual" collar of wood behind the bolt handle. Does it serve any purpose? Have you ever seen anything like that on a "vintage" Rigby rifle? I've never seen it before on ANY rifle.

KJE81 · 2026-10-22T00:30:46-0500

Ontario Hunter said:
Here is the "unusual" collar of wood behind the bolt handle. Does it serve any purpose? Have you ever seen anything like that on a "vintage" Rigby rifle? I've never seen it before on ANY rifle.
View attachment 802185

My M98, albeit not a Rigby as a similar look, I thought most M98s had them? Or do you mean how it is designed? On mine its a bit wider but in the same position, just a bit less rounded.

pc3 · 2026-10-22T00:48:06-0500

KJE81 said:
My M98, albeit not a Rigby as a similar look, I thought most M98s had them? Or do you mean how it is designed? On mine its a bit wider but in the same position, just a bit less rounded.

View attachment 802190

Awsome rifle must be a pleasure to hunt with that lovely looking set up.

Can you please tell us more about it

KJE81 · 2026-10-22T01:14:53-0500

pc3 said:
Awsome rifle must be a pleasure to hunt with that lovely looking set up.

Can you please tell us more about it

Thank you, its a custom rifle that I ordered from a german gunsmith just after new years 2024 and recieved in may 2025, unfortunately it has yet to see Africa, so far it has only been used for domestic moose and bear hunting. It was also the reason behind the choice of calibre, .375 H&H to be able to use it as much as possible as home aswell without feeling completly overgunned.

Ontario Hunter · 2026-10-22T04:35:43-0500

KJE81 said:
My M98, albeit not a Rigby as a similar look, I thought most M98s had them? Or do you mean how it is designed? On mine its a bit wider but in the same position, just a bit less rounded.

View attachment 802190

Very nice! I confess to never having seen that before. Just looked at Mauser's website and yes it does appear to be a standard feature on the stocks for all their models, although they do leave a bit more wood. I wonder if it has a purpose? Possibly makes it easier to operate the safety? Checked my 404 without the cutout and I don't see that it would make any difference. My safety appears to be similar design. Seems to shave a lot of wood at a very critical location. The wrist must be reinforced with steel rod down through pistol grip. And what kind of safety is that? Appears to have a release button on top of lever? Two position or three? Is there a similar recess in the stock behind the bolt release on the other side?

Edit: I do note that Mauser does not label any of their models "classic" or "vintage." In fact, one of the features listed is the "newly manufactured Mauser systems" though it is unclear exactly what is "new". Perhaps the safety setup?

Inside the Rigby Big Game Vintage

Ontario Hunter

Rare Breed

Ontario Hunter

farmer_john

KJE81

Ontario Hunter

pc3

Bushog

Doug3006

farmer_john

Flipper Dude

Jack Stevens

Rare Breed

Ontario Hunter

pc3

Ontario Hunter

KJE81

pc3

KJE81

Ontario Hunter

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