This is my John Rigby & Co. No. 17445 — .500 Nitro Express Rising Bite
Completed on 28 April 1908, Rigby No. 17445 is a Best-quality .500 Nitro Express Rising Bite double rifle, built for H.H. the Maharajah Scindia of Gwalior.
Rigby’s ledger records the rifle as a “Best top-lever, vertical-bolt, hammerless ejector,” the terminology referring to the celebrated Rigby Rising Bite action. The distinctive vertical locking bolt rises into engagement with the rib extension as the rifle is closed, providing an exceptionally strong third fastener in addition to the conventional under-bolting. It became one of the defining features of Rigby’s finest double rifles.
The rifle was built with 26-inch barrels and a weight of 11 lb. 10 oz. Its sighting arrangement consists of a standing rear sight with two folding leaves, recorded with Rigby’s No. 2 “V” configuration. The stock was finished at 14½ inches, while the ledger preserves the rifle’s original bend and cast-off measurements.
The records also identify the craftsmen involved in its construction. Shelley stocked and finished the rifle, while Rowland Hill filed its barrels. The action work is recorded simply as having been undertaken within the Rigby workshop.
Most compelling is its provenance. No. 17445 was built expressly for H.H. the Maharajah Scindia of Gwalior, placing it firmly within the extraordinary tradition of Best London sporting rifles commissioned by India’s princely rulers during the age of shikar.
Completed on 28 April 1908, Rigby No. 17445 is a Best-quality .500 Nitro Express Rising Bite double rifle, built for H.H. the Maharajah Scindia of Gwalior.
Rigby’s ledger records the rifle as a “Best top-lever, vertical-bolt, hammerless ejector,” the terminology referring to the celebrated Rigby Rising Bite action. The distinctive vertical locking bolt rises into engagement with the rib extension as the rifle is closed, providing an exceptionally strong third fastener in addition to the conventional under-bolting. It became one of the defining features of Rigby’s finest double rifles.
The rifle was built with 26-inch barrels and a weight of 11 lb. 10 oz. Its sighting arrangement consists of a standing rear sight with two folding leaves, recorded with Rigby’s No. 2 “V” configuration. The stock was finished at 14½ inches, while the ledger preserves the rifle’s original bend and cast-off measurements.
The records also identify the craftsmen involved in its construction. Shelley stocked and finished the rifle, while Rowland Hill filed its barrels. The action work is recorded simply as having been undertaken within the Rigby workshop.
Most compelling is its provenance. No. 17445 was built expressly for H.H. the Maharajah Scindia of Gwalior, placing it firmly within the extraordinary tradition of Best London sporting rifles commissioned by India’s princely rulers during the age of shikar.
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