Recently saw a Rigby rifle chambered in .416 Rigby. Said to have been made "probably in the 1980s".

The rifle is a single square bridge action, with thumb cut, and has a small Mauser banner stamp on the recoil lug. But it has Belgian proof marks as well as English proofs.

Barrel engraved: John Rigby & Co. 13 Pall Mall, London. S. W. 1.

So why the Belgian proofs?

Thanks!

Can you possibly post a few pictures?

I will try to get some photos of the rifle and proofs.

For many, many years Rigby never aactually made a rifle- the work was all outsourced. (actually as it was pre WWII - always makes me laugh when I read John Taylor praising the english workmanship and cursing the German inferior standards when we now know Mauser built all the Rigby magnum mausers including the stocks in Germany!)

When Paul Roberts owned rigby he outsourced to several makers - his doubles carried spanish proof marks, so a Belgian made rifle - why not

Thanks very much for the information. I have now been told the rifle was originally sold in 1975, per the Rigby records, so I guess this would be in the David Marx period.