Here is my Rigby sporter, owned by WDM Bell.Pic to come next.

Posting for georgegibbs505:




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Very nice!

Very nice!!

What a piece of trash!

Come on, need more photos.

Exceptional. Didn't Bell own several Rigby 275s?

Yes he did, this rifle is the one that WDM Bell owned, then Robert Ruark owned and used, then give it to Harry Selby's son Mark as a gift.

The rifle's pedigree reads like a Who's Who list! I'm with Bill -- show us more pictures!!

That is one cool rifle. Love it. Scope looks pretty high but I love the rifle. Would love to here the stories it could tell!

A few more pictures:







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Does the scope come back to zero after a take down?

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
Does the scope come back to zero after a take down?

Don't be disrespectful, please.

Is that an early Lyman Alaskan in German claw mounts on that rifle?

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:
A few more pictures:



[Click images to enlarge.]

Well, I'll be danged!!!! The rifle that Robert Ruark gave to Mark Selby! I'm a big Ruark fan so THANK YOU VERY MUCH for sharing those photos of the rifle!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be sure to check out this thread:

Bell's 275 Rigby in the African hunting forum. Gail Selby made a few posts in the thread.

Here's a photo of Gail with the .275 and her elephant:


"Like Harry, his children Mark and Gail grew up in the shadow of acacia trees and within the sound of roaring lions. At the age of 14, Gail hunted an elephant with her father taking a bull with 50-pound tusks. On that hunt she used a Rigby .275 originally belonging to the legendary elephant hunter Karamoja Bell, and which had been given to her brother Mark by his godfather, Robert Ruark."
Harry Selby - An African Legend
By Joe Coogan
http://gabrimaun.tripod.com/HarrySelby.html

Gail's web site is worth a look: http://gabrimaun.tripod.com/


Cheers!
-Bob F.

OMG, what a classic. If you could put that and Jim Corbett's .275 in the same room, what a conversation they would have ...

Wonderful rifle....a unique part of African hunting history.

We need more pics....lots more pics!

Best Regards,
Dave

i say someone make reproduction rifles...they would sell like african hotcakes!

Very nice to say the least. Thank you very much for posting them for us to see.

A grand rifle and interesting piece of hunting history.
But owning a grand piano has never made me(or alot of other people) a Liberacy.

Harry Selby had the scope and mounts fit in I think Nairobi by the Treeble Bros, and yes it is a Lyman Alaskan and the rifle shoots excellant.

I have been looking for that rifle since 2002. Seems to be in good hands.

_BAxter

please tell us how that piece of history ended up here in the home state.

What is the point of this post? The 275, 7X57, 7mm Mauser has killed many elephants over the last 100 years.

I’m not much of a romancer of old rifles. Sorry if I offend someone.

The photograph of a young Miss Selby with her elephant and rifle is one of the best trophy pictures I have ever seen.
Thank you for posting it.

Old rifle? That's like calling a Shelby Cobra an old car......yikes!

I know that not all of us are infatuated with history, but that's okay......that rifle is flat out cool!!

Let's not let this thread deteriorate.
That's your privilege Mic...
For myself, I appreciate old rifles. Apparently others here do as well. We'll go on enjoying them, and respect your right not to.
Charles, thanks for sharing the pics...!!

great rifle, good to see appearently recent pics of it, thanks

quote:

Originally posted by georgegibbs505:
Harry Selby had the scope and mounts fit in I think Nairobi by the Treeble Bros, and yes it is a Lyman Alaskan and the rifle shoots excellant.

Cool!

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:
What is the point of this post? The 275, 7X57, 7mm Mauser has killed many elephants over the last 100 years.

Maybe so we can see what Bell's rifles looked like??

gg505

What a great rifle and piece of history you have. Thanks for sharing.

I must admit that after all of these years I did not realize that the rifle was a takedown.
I would love to see some more pictures. Can you possibly post a picture of the bottom of the forearm and a picture of the receiver and barrel plates with the rifle taken down. Any and all pictures appreciated.
PM me if you like. Thanks

James

This is an exceptionally cool post! Finding a documented rifle of that vintage is a rare occasion. With the Mannlicher Collectors, we are always looking for such guns, and rarely finding them. After having read about Bell for years, this is an exciting chance to see "the real thing".

LLS

i love the utilitarianness of it...no fancy wood, not gaudy look at my $10,000 rifle... it is a nice rifle for shure and worked flawlessly i bet but not extra fancy... what gave it the value was the people who used it, the animals it took and the memories it brings back...that should be a lesson to all.

p.s. love takedowns!

i hink it is a fine rifle to duplicate...with a better scope though

coolest post of the year...by a long ways!

Rich
DRSS

That is a wonderfully nice rifle, having read many of the books on Africa it is good to know that some of the historic rifles still exist.
My only question is........what is the slot in the butt for??? I don't remember ever seeing that modification before.

quote:

Originally posted by Rolland:
That is a wonderfully nice rifle, having read many of the books on Africa it is good to know that some of the historic rifles still exist.
My only question is........what is the slot in the butt for??? I don't remember ever seeing that modification before.

the slot i think is for the sling strap.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

Originally posted by JAL:
Does the scope come back to zero after a take down?

Don't be disrespectful, please.

Very good, I actually meant after taking down the rifle, with the scope on the action and all.
And I speak from ignorance, not with disrespect for such a wonderful old trooper. Heck it's worth having even if it never shot again.

Neat rifle! I like the old school cool almost more than the new stuff. I'm still trying to decide which is better - the rifle or the caliber...

Beautiful rifle! It is a Model No. 2 "take-down" version and the stock appears to be original though the sling cutout on the stock was not offered by Rigby's. Also, the scope mounts are not correct for the gun. Rigby introduced their see through scope mounts in their 1924 catalog and they are equally high as these to allow the standard safety to be used but the see through portion of the Rigby's mounts are round where these are square. Also, the bolt knob has been altered on this rifle (probably to clear the scope) and the contour is not quite right.

OOooops! Checked my files and it is actually a Model No.1 which is the .275 regulated through the irons for the 175 gr. bullet which Bell used and not the No. 2 which was for the 140 gr. bullet. Interesting that the take-down option was only 3 pounds extra at the time (roughly this rifle is in the ser. no. range of 5,000-5,500 I would guess) whereas the scope and mount option was 23 pounds, and this was on a rifle that base priced at 26 pounds!

georgegibs505, thanks for posting the pics!

Would you be so kind as to post some pictures of the fore end tip? I would like to see it's shape.

Thanks again george,Allen