Educate Me on Rigby Rifles

[Brian Rothhammer]

For smooth, I have a Mannlicher Schoenauer 1910 9.5x57, tip the muzzle down and the open bolt will close under its own weight.

Ah, yes. The ol' MS 'smoother than snot' bolt trick.

My M1910 does it as well; the machining tolerances and overall balance of the MS is legendary for good reason.

 

[cajunchefray]

This is Thurston Howell III, and he owns a Rigby.
View attachment 705754

This is Al Bundy, and he owns a CZ.
View attachment 705755

A man should own a firearm befitting his station.

Thinking Al Bundy might be JC Higgins Model 53 type of guy.

 

[John Telford]

Ok here goes…
John Rigby was the first gunmaker to recognise the market for mauser actioned sporters that could be used with the new smokeless propellant developed around 1890 or so .Also he and Paul Mauser were house friends regularly visiting each other and the reason why John had the sole agency on Mauser actions at the turn of the century. The other English makers either had to make doubles or use the Mannlicher action or Mauser military actions ie the k98. Jeffery built his first .404’s on these in 1904. It was only after 1912 that the rest of the gun trade had a cess to the Oberdorf actions and this period also coincided with the boom of new cartridges and calibers for sporting use. Rigby where responsible for Mausers development of the Much sought after Magnum action. The Mauser action is the most copied action in the world for good reason and the reason why Rigby has always used it ( except for the periods when They were unobtainable and the California period…).
Rigby have since been acquired by L&O ie Blaser - who also own Mauser.

There are a handful of bespoke actions that are better or rather an improvement on Paul’s design. But nostalgia is what sells so expect the Mauser action in modern Rigby rifles. As to the argument about which is better or why pay for a Rigby when a Winchester can do the same job is like asking a fly fisherman why he doesn’t use worms as bait!
Of the modern gun builders Heym is probably my favorite for a working gun . But if you want in on a little secret the Vektor action is even better if you can find one. They were reverse engineered from a double square bridge solid side wall Magnum mauser and improved on by using the best German metal and modern production methods.

 

[PCC600]

This is Thurston Howell III, and he owns a Rigby.
View attachment 705754

This is Al Bundy, and he owns a CZ.
View attachment 705755

A man should own a firearm befitting his station.

I own both . Dress like Thurston Howell when I’m out and act like Al Bundy when I’m at home.

 

[PCC600]

Ok here goes…
John Rigby was the first gunmaker to recognise the market for mauser actioned sporters that could be used with the new smokeless propellant developed around 1890 or so .Also he and Paul Mauser were house friends regularly visiting each other and the reason why John had the sole agency on Mauser actions at the turn of the century. The other English makers either had to make doubles or use the Mannlicher action or Mauser military actions ie the k98. Jeffery built his first .404’s on these in 1904. It was only after 1912 that the rest of the gun trade had a cess to the Oberdorf actions and this period also coincided with the boom of new cartridges and calibers for sporting use. Rigby where responsible for Mausers development of the Much sought after Magnum action. The Mauser action is the most copied action in the world for good reason and the reason why Rigby has always used it ( except for the periods when They were unobtainable and the California period…).
Rigby have since been acquired by L&O ie Blaser - who also own Mauser.

There are a handful of bespoke actions that are better or rather an improvement on Paul’s design. But nostalgia is what sells so expect the Mauser action in modern Rigby rifles. As to the argument about which is better or why pay for a Rigby when a Winchester can do the same job is like asking a fly fisherman why he doesn’t use worms as bait!
Of the modern gun builders Heym is probably my favorite for a working gun . But if you want in on a little secret the Vektor action is even better if you can find one. They were reverse engineered from a double square bridge solid side wall Magnum mauser and improved on by using the best German metal and modern production methods.

The great irony is that John Rigby was also Superintendent of the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock . In that capacity he introduced the 303 SMLE rifle . His friend Paul Mauser helped develop the 8x57 for the military Mauser supplied to the German Army . What a tragedy .

 

[Muskox]

Early Mausers , Lee Speed ( the commercial Lee Enfield ) were hunting in Africa before 1900. Mannlichers were also well established in Africa by the early 1900s .

Neither one of those things is still going on today.

 

[Muskox]

Neither one of those things is still going on today.

Come to think of it the Savage 99, Winchester 94 and 95 were way more common. I have never seen a Lee Speed rifle in my life, and I am in my 50's and lived literally all over the world. MS rifles don't have huge production numbers either.

 

[BeeMaa]

@absales - Think of it like this. Rigby is the Rolex of the gun world. Even those who don't know anything about rifles, know that Rigby is a top quality brand. They also hold their value in a very similar fashion.

If it were me, it would be a full custom Heym Express Magnum Bolt Action Rifle. I'm not sure if they make their own actions, but everything else is done in-house including making the barrels, stocks, engraving, finishing and all the small parts. An incredible work of art that can be tailor fitted to the buyer at a fraction of the price of a Rigby. Call it the Omega of the rifle world.

 

[Altitude sickness]

I wonder where someone could buy a Heym worked on by Rigby ?

 

[RR 314]

I own both . Dress like Thurston Howell when I’m out and act like Al Bundy when I’m at home.

I own both as well. However, my give a damn is broken. I seem to be dressing closer to the Bundy spectrum in all aspects of daily life these days. Perhaps one day I will reach a self-actualization moment and have someone question, "How is that homeless guy shooting a Rigby (etc)?" Well, I don't think it is that bad yet, but I'm working on it.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Often when hunting. I pay a lot of money to live like a homeless person.

 

[Grandpa Moose]

John Rigby & Co. has always used Mauser Model 98 actions imported from Germany, as early as 1900. As a matter of fact, for many years… they were the only English gunmakers who were exclusively authorized to use the German Magnum Mauser action.

There’s nothing wrong with this. Holland & Holland uses FZH actions at the moment. In the past, they used Belgian Fabrique Nationale Series 300 & 400 commercial Mauser actions. James Purdey & Sons, Westley Richards and George Gibbs employed the (now no longer manufactured) Mayfair Engineering Mauser action.

The only British rifle manufacturer who ever actually built their own actions in-house, was B.S.A (Birmingham Small Arms).

If you really want to select a rifle manufacturer who builds their own actions in-house, then perhaps you would do well to opt for Waffen Prechtll or Reimer Johannssen or Mauser.

There is nothing inherently better or worse in choosing the John Rigby over the Mauser. It may interest you to know that both are owned by the same parent company.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Quite often I carry one of those damned 'Murican made M70's when I go to Africa. Comparing me to Al Bundy is an insult......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......to Al.

 

[skydiver386]

Quite often I carry one of those damned 'Murican made M70's when I go to Africa. Comparing me to Al Bundy is an insult......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......to Al.

I feel it a deep honor to own the same Rifle as Al, who played football and achieved legendary status by scoring four touchdowns in a single game.This feat, particularly the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against his rival, "Spare Tire" Dixon is an everlasting inspiration to me.

 

[RR 314]

I feel it a deep honor to own the same Rifle as Al, who played football and achieved legendary status by scoring four touchdowns in a single game.This feat, particularly the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against his rival, "Spare Tire" Dixon is an everlasting inspiration to me.

Polk high school—Four touchdowns.

 

[Huvius]

While I applaud Rigby in putting a classic blued steel and walnut sporting Mauser back in production, the new Big Game and Highland Stalkers aren’t really all that nice especially at the price point.
They (L&O) are simply producing a rifle that is “close enough” to an original 416 or 275 and leveraging the Rigby mystique to sell a production rifle at a custom rifle price.
I often hear, and it’s been noted on this thread, that modern production techniques allow gunmakers to produce a “better” gun. Maybe that’s true to a point, but only if they are implemented properly.
Case in point: this is a $20K used Rigby 416.
The barrel profile is not at all like a pre war 416.
The barrel band is bulky and sharp edged - unfinished looking IMO.
The fit and finish of the front sight sleeve is absolute shit! No self respecting custom gun maker would let THAT out of their shop.
I cannot tell if there is even any taper at all from the band to the muzzle.
I won’t even bother to show the very average inletting of the bottom metal - you can all go online and look at the Rigbys on offer to see that. There’s lots of them…
Again, a $20,000 USED rifle!
As for the Highland Stalkers, they all have the same barrel profile from 7X57 to 9.3X62! Not sounding very custom.
Winchester had at least three different profiles for their Model 70 and many variations within those profiles.
I don’t dislike Rigby. I now have and have had a few vintage Rigbys over the years.
I think my dislike of the current Big Game and HS rifles is that Rigby or whoever is at the helm, could have produced a more well executed product that is a closer or even exact replication of the original but for some reason just didn’t. I guess from a marketing standpoint they were correct.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

While I applaud Rigby in putting a classic blued steel and walnut sporting Mauser back in production, the new Big Game and Highland Stalkers aren’t really all that nice especially at the price point.
They (L&O) are simply producing a rifle that is “close enough” to an original 416 or 275 and leveraging the Rigby mystique to sell a production rifle at a custom rifle price.
I often hear, and it’s been noted on this thread, that modern production techniques allow gunmakers to produce a “better” gun. Maybe that’s true to a point, but only if they are implemented properly.
Case in point: this is a $20K used Rigby 416.
The barrel profile is not at all like a pre war 416.
The barrel band is bulky and sharp edged - unfinished looking IMO.
The fit and finish of the front sight sleeve is absolute shit! No self respecting custom gun maker would let THAT out of their shop.
I cannot tell if there is even any taper at all from the band to the muzzle.
I won’t even bother to show the very average inletting of the bottom metal - you can all go online and look at the Rigbys on offer to see that. There’s lots of them…
Again, a $20,000 USED rifle!
As for the Highland Stalkers, they all have the same barrel profile from 7X57 to 9.3X62! Not sounding very custom.
Winchester had at least three different profiles for their Model 70 and many variations within those profiles.
I don’t dislike Rigby. I now have and have had a few vintage Rigbys over the years.
I think my dislike of the current Big Game and HS rifles is that Rigby or whoever is at the helm, could have produced a more well executed product that is a closer or even exact replication of the original but for some reason just didn’t. I guess from a marketing standpoint they were correct.

View attachment 705829

Perhaps a marketing strategy but perhaps also a business decision. It seems like a I read on here where someone said Rigby can produce a lot more of the Big Game and Highland Stalkers per year than they can their doubles. It suggested those lower priced bolt actions help keep the doors open and the company profitable.

 

[Muskox]

While I applaud Rigby in putting a classic blued steel and walnut sporting Mauser back in production, the new Big Game and Highland Stalkers aren’t really all that nice especially at the price point.
They (L&O) are simply producing a rifle that is “close enough” to an original 416 or 275 and leveraging the Rigby mystique to sell a production rifle at a custom rifle price.
I often hear, and it’s been noted on this thread, that modern production techniques allow gunmakers to produce a “better” gun. Maybe that’s true to a point, but only if they are implemented properly.
Case in point: this is a $20K used Rigby 416.
The barrel profile is not at all like a pre war 416.
The barrel band is bulky and sharp edged - unfinished looking IMO.
The fit and finish of the front sight sleeve is absolute shit! No self respecting custom gun maker would let THAT out of their shop.
I cannot tell if there is even any taper at all from the band to the muzzle.
I won’t even bother to show the very average inletting of the bottom metal - you can all go online and look at the Rigbys on offer to see that. There’s lots of them…
Again, a $20,000 USED rifle!
As for the Highland Stalkers, they all have the same barrel profile from 7X57 to 9.3X62! Not sounding very custom.
Winchester had at least three different profiles for their Model 70 and many variations within those profiles.
I don’t dislike Rigby. I now have and have had a few vintage Rigbys over the years.
I think my dislike of the current Big Game and HS rifles is that Rigby or whoever is at the helm, could have produced a more well executed product that is a closer or even exact replication of the original but for some reason just didn’t. I guess from a marketing standpoint they were correct.

View attachment 705829

I always get in shit from people here, when I shit talk the new Rigby.

It is a $10,000 CNC made gun. Sounds like the 416 in question is a $20,000 CNC gun.

Just like their other company Blaser, and I own a lot of Blasers. Build a $1800 rifle with a $3500 marketing campaign.

Rigby is a marketing campaign.

 

[Muskox]

Todd Ramirez | Custom Shop | Store | Guns: Mauser Square Bridged 416 Rigby Premium Rifle

customgun.com

This is what a custom rifle looks like, if anyone wants to know.