Rigby / Holland & Holland / Westley Richards

[uplander01]

Thats a beautiful rifle. He would be in my top 3 if I were to follow through on an american custom. Interesting guy to talk to, and does absolutely incredible work.

 

[275r7x57]

If the name on the rifle is important to you, get a Brit rifle from on of the aforementioned makers. If a true, high quality, custom rifle is what you need/want look at small American custom makers, which will cost you less than half as much and will be as fine as any rifle you can buy, at any price.

I ordered a custom 404 Jeffery from Reto Buehler and specified all the details, had a fitting at his shop with a 'try gun'in .375 H&H. I provided a French Walnut blank, subject to Reto' approval. It is built on a stretched, small ring Mauser 98 action from Granite Mountain Arms. The gun delivered is perfect in every way and is extremely accurate. It is fully the equal of any Brit rifle in all ways, and handsome as well. It is made entirely in the USA.

Cost? Less than $20,000... about the cost of a Brit 'production' rifle from a major name maker. I am not sorry I went this route and am taking the rifle to Tanzania for a 21 day safari this year.

View attachment 445643

Thank you for sharing. Absolutely beautiful! I may have to give Reto a call.

275

 

[Nevada Mike]

Thank you for sharing. Absolutely beautiful! I may have to give Reto a call.

275

Do so... he is a kind and gracious man. No downside.

 

[rjacobherman]

"...... simply tools designed for killing".
Hmmmm, so you view a black assault rifle and a London Best with exhibition stock as one in the same? Oh well.

I put some exhibition grade walnut on an AK47 once.

 

[rjacobherman]

I was in London once and walked into H&H. They made me feel like I was not welcomed. I took a taxi across the river and found the door to Rigby locked. A nice lady answered the door and showed us inside. They were packing for SCI. Marc took the time to show us around and answer questions. At that point the idea of buying a new H&H forever left my mind.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Has this ever gone anywhere?

 

[Rell]

My three top choices ….

1. Reto Buhler, I believe he actually makes many of the WR rifles …

Buehler Custom Sporting Arms LLC

Best quality custom guns built to order.

www.customsportingarms.com

2. Joe Smithson, functionally perfect in my limited experience.

JP Smithson Gunmaker

Maker of Fine Custom Hunting Rifles

www.smithson-gunmaker.com

3. Dorleac & Dorleac, uses primarily vintage Mauser actions and makes rifles that rival the best of the golden area London best.

DORLEAC & DORLEAC - L'Atelier de Chasse - Perpignan

L'Atelier de Chasse DORLEAC & DORLEAC fabrique, restaure et vend à travers le monde des carabines et armes fines de la meilleure qualité.

www.dorleac-dorleac.com

I have more confidence in these makers then any of the London Houses.

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi,

I went, more than once while one of our sons used to live in London, to H&H at Bruton Street and to Purdey´s South Audley Street beautiful and iconic corner shop.
When I entered in both, the first thing I said was I was there not to buy anything, just to look around. I was treated, in both places, as if I was an oil sheik going tu buy some of their new £ 200.000 plus double rifles!
By the way, the last time at H&H, the manager, after some talk, including hunting and fly fishing in Patagonia, the guns and rods I used here, he presented my wife and me with two nice H&H adjustable cups and let my handle when I asked for, as long as I wanted, a nice used Mauser .375 H&H rifle which belonged to Stewart Granger, showing the written specifications on the book. After a while I took a book of the book store section, seated on a very confortable chair and read it for more than 15 minutes. He was very glad to let me to do all those...
This about the attention, in my case, to a non buying "alien" customer.

But, to buy a bespoke british rifle I would chose a Westley Richards one...

Good luck!

CF

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi,

Agree 100% with the three options posted by Rell!!!

 

[Rell]

Hi,

I went, more than once while one of our sons used to live in London, to H&H at Bruton Street and to Purdey´s South Audley Street beautiful and iconic corner shop.
When I entered in both, the first thing I said was I was there not to buy anything, just to look around. I was treated, in both places, as if I was an oil sheik going tu buy some of their new £ 200.000 plus double rifles!
By the way, the last time at H&H, the manager, after some talk, including hunting and fly fishing in Patagonia, the guns and rods I used here, he presented my wife and me with two nice H&H adjustable cups and let my handle when I asked for, as long as I wanted, a nice used Mauser .375 H&H rifle which belonged to Stewart Granger, showing the written specifications on the book. After a while I took a book of the book store section, seated on a very confortable chair and read it for more than 15 minutes. He was very glad to let me to do all those...
This about the attention, in my case, to a non buying "alien" customer.

But, to buy a bespoke british rifle I would chose a Westley Richards one...

Good luck!

CF

I’m pretty sure Reto Buhler actually makes WR rifles …. At half the price.

 

[baxterb]

Reto is making rifles under the Jeffery name as well as his own. I don’t think he has anything to do with WR, but no doubt his work is on par.

Of the three originally mentioned, if I could afford a WR it’s the first place I would go. Rigby are nice rifles, many of the high-end ones made out of house. Same with the doubles. I believe IS Sweetman works with them a lot.

 

[Rell]

Reto is making rifles under the Jeffery name as well as his own. I don’t think he has anything to do with WR, but no doubt his work is on par.

Of the three originally mentioned, if I could afford a WR it’s the first place I would go. Rigby are nice rifles, many of the high-end ones made out of house. Same with the doubles. I believe IS Sweetman works with them a lot.

That sounds right, I must have been wrong on WR, it was Jeffery. Apologies.

 

[Monsai52]

As much as I love the history and beauty of the guns from the classic British makers, if I was actually in a position to purchase a full custom built rifle, my first choice would be Dorleac & Dorleac. M. Joel Dorleac is a true gentleman and an artist in steel and wood.

Best regards,

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi Monsai,

Of all those first rate gunmakers, I would also select Dorleac & Dorleac as the first choice for MY rifle/rifles, Mauser 98 of course. No doubt about that.

Best

CF

 

[AES]

That sounds right, I must have been wrong on WR, it was Jeffery. Apologies.

As in WJ Jeffrey? I don’t assume that is what you were referring to as that is a brand owned by G&H.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I know that Reto Beuhler did build rifles for W. J. Jeffery at when I first met him. I am uncertain if he is still making them for Jeffery. He is pretty busy with private customers. When I first contacted him to build a Ruger No. 1 rifle for me he was too busy to undertake the project. The .404 came a little later and, I think, was a bit more appealing to him. He does quite a few big bore rifles.

I agree that Dorleac & Dorleac make first class rifles. But they are in France, and I am here in Arizona. I wanted a US builder of first quality rifles and Reto, though Swiss-born, is now a US citizen.

 

[Clodo Ferreira]

Hi N. Mike,

Of course!!

 

[Wayne Johnson]

I just became aware of the name Dumoulin a few weeks ago. Is it a rifle anyone would consider? Even if it is Belgian. Wayne

 

[rookhawk]

I just became aware of the name Dumoulin a few weeks ago. Is it a rifle anyone would consider? Even if it is Belgian. Wayne

They made entry level guns that were retailed by Montgomery Wards, JC Penneys, and Sears. Then they made mid-grade guns retailed by Abercrombie & Fitch and Von Langerke and Detmold. Then they made true best-of-best guns like the example owned by @VertigoBE.

Their values range from $350 to $50,000.

They were built on FN / Belgian actions of high quality, even the hardware store mausers were pretty good.

 

[VertigoBE]

I just became aware of the name Dumoulin a few weeks ago. Is it a rifle anyone would consider? Even if it is Belgian. Wayne

Although I'm Belgian, I would consider @rookhawk the bigger expert on Dumoulin, but from what I have seen here in the stores, is that all Dumoulin branded rifles were excellently built, of good quality and well balanced, but have very different grades of fit and finish.

Some are very, very basic, quite cheap and were often abused in that case, but are apart from the cosmetics still very serviceable rifles and guns. Others are a bit more ornate. I was very lucky to have found a prime example, had its quality validated by the more knowledgeable members of this forum (@rookhawk and @Red Leg), that I got to pick up for small money in comparison to its quality. It is a Dumoulin centurion in 7x64.

Below a few (badly taken pictures), once it is back from the gun store getting its wood back to presentation level quality, I'll try to take some nicer pictures.