In case you didn't see this over here: http://forums.accuratereloadin...1019521/m/9871030771

Current production John Rigby & Co. 416 Rigby, patterned after an original pre-war Rigby. Delivered to the customer in May of 2012, going to Mozambique in July of 2012 after buffalo.

Here's the original rifle that we use as our pattern for our current production rifles.



And a few images of the new rifle, .416 Rigby, St. James Edition

It looks like you are building them with a higher and straighter comb than the early style rifles.

BEAUTIFUL, but, same grip cap pic as on the 275?

Yes, the St. James series of rifles have the same engraving. I didn't see any point of taking separate pictures of grip caps with the same engraving.

I much prefer the stock lines of the older Rigby rifles, and with that said would rather buy vintage vs. new. Just my personal taste.

It's nice to see the company is making rifles again with it's good English name......Rigby!!!

Glad to see you are up and going! Good luck.

It would have been useful to know the base price of a rifle with some idea of the add on feature costs. for example is it realistic to have one for say $6,000 or will it be $10,000 or more?

Also surprised that the website does not offer a 375H&H!

Once agin - wish you the very best.

From what I understand after years of looking at these rifles and their stock shapes,it is not easy even for todays best gunmakers or stockmakers to reproduce something very close to an original Rigby stock.I`ve never seen it happen and as someone else said here,everyone has their version but no ones comes close.Taking a look at the rifle posted above it is far off.It looks something like a factory Winchester African.There seems to be more to it than copying a pattern.IMO,it is a refined individual artistic skill or the product of a talented and experienced stockmaker.IMO,it doesn`t have to be identicle to be just as nice.

Fantastic rifle! Will be having my 458Lott built on similar design.

458Win, We do have standard measurements and we can and will make the stock to the measurements required by the customer.

Nakihunter, the rifles are made to order for each customer, therefore each rifle is priced based on the features that the customer requires.

You can call me or PM me is you would like to discuss the topic in detail or arrange to handle and/or test fire one of our house rifles. The price of our rifles is based on the cost of the components, of which we only use the absolute best in materials and or suppliers. The other factor is obviously the number of man hours that is required to produce a best grade rifle, and let me assure you that it is substantial.

Paul Roberts, our Master Gunsmith, has been building true Rigby's since the early 1960s.

Nakihunter, our standard calibers are 275, 416 and 450 Rigby. With that being said, I will be happy to make one for you in the caliber of your choosing.

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
From what I understand after years of looking at these rifles and their stock shapes,it is not easy even for todays best gunmakers or stockmakers to reproduce something very close to an original Rigby stock.I`ve never seen it happen and as someone else said here,everyone has their version but no ones comes close.Taking a look at the rifle posted above it is far off.It looks something like a factory Winchester African.There seems to be more to it than copying a pattern.IMO,it is a refined individual artistic skill or the product of a talented and experienced stockmaker.IMO,it doesn`t have to be identicle to be just as nice.

I am glad to see that the Rigby name is back in London and the rifles look very nice. No one can argue that Rigby built outstanding rifles that were meant to be used.

Here is a 20's vintage 416 Rigby that is still in use in Zambia and that has well over 1000 bull elephants to it's credit


But there are folks in this country who can also build virtual duplicates if that is what you wish. Here is a recently completed 416 by one of our top rifle builders. It doesn't have the Rigby name on the barrel but is about as close as you can get and the quality is there.

[URL= ]Rigby[/URL]

458Win,I don`t think the second one comes close.It is not as slim and elegant as the original.IMO,it is the small details that make all the difference.

You are right that it's the small details that sets all the great firearms apart from the also-rans. but many of those details, like overall balance, are not obvious from photos. in many cases neither is slimness.
All of the original 416 Rigby's I have handled felt lively but were certainly not particularly slim. That is why Harry Selby took a file and sandpaper to his.
By the way, the taper of the barrel in the photo you show makes it look more like a 350 than a 416 - they were a lot slimmer.

I also find that there is more shape than the second rifle-more dips,bends,edges,etc...Here is another rifle with a beautiful stock made by someone else. [URL= ]375[/URL]

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
458Win,I don`t think the second one comes close.It is not as slim and elegant as the original.IMO,it is the small details that make all the difference.

RIGBY 416s are not generally slim. Perhaps you where looking at one in a light calibre.
The rifle in your last post as nice as it is bares no resemblance to the classic RIGBY.

Guys, you are debating ShootAWay! Nuff said!!

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
I also find that there is more shape than the second rifle-more dips,bends,edges,etc...Here is another rifle with a beautiful stock made by someone else. [URL= ]375[/URL]

Are we discussing the shape of original 416 Rigby rifles or just slimness in general ? Because you can see from the photo of the 1920's Rigby that they are not particularly slim, especially when compared with 350's and the even slimmer 275's.
Do you know what the caliber is of that Rigby in the photo you sent ? It's not a 416 as you can see by the important little details like the barrel contour ahead of the rear sights.

Even styles change within companies, be it because of economy, trends, you name it, it influenced gun purchases.

I've seen enough variation and I think the new Rigby has picked the best one to reproduce.


I agree, those photos are unlikely / not likely to be Rigby 416 Rigby's. The barrel shape drops to much in front of the receiver for a start and from what I can remember, Rigby had a distinct shape to the barrel contour on most 416's.

I don`t know what caliber it is.I am sure it is not a 416.I used to have some pics of larger ones that looked just as nice.The original 416 in your pic does look slimmer in the forearm than the second rifle in your picture.The pictures of Rigby rifles I`ve seen all have really nice shapes.They may not be slim everywhere but they are slim where they should be.All there proportions seem to compliment one another and the end result is very appealing.

Having handled a fair number of original Rigby rifles I can assure you that there is no difference in either balance or slimness. But Photos can sometimes be deceiving - as any "reader" of Playboy can tell you.
Maybe the fancier wood than was used on most Rigby rifles makes it look fatter to you. I handed Paul Roberts another 416 built by this maker and even with it in hand he thought it was an early Rigby until he read the barrel markings.
My point is that whether by hand or by pantograph, the Rigby style can be duplicated by talented smiths. And I'm sure the rifles that are being put out by Rigby in London will reflect that.

And you are correct that the old rifle is a tad bit slimmer, in fact, after a century of being used heavily in Zambia all the checkering is worn off.

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
Here is a 20's vintage 416 Rigby that is still in use in Zambia and that has well over 1000 bull elephants to it's credit

I hope my rifle looks this worn the day I die. A great memento from a life well lived.

Ah, yes, the balance and feel of the original .416 Rigby by Rigby ... at least one of which I have hefted in Botswna (Ronnie Mcfarland's),
felt just like my old CZ 550 Magnum.
Both were 9.25 pounds dry, and had 25" barrel,
perfectly balanced and lively.
That one was on a standard M98.
Some were on true Magnum actions and had heavier barrels.
I got to swing one of those in Tanzania, broken stock glued together, awaiting restocking.

The final iteration of the Ruger RSM .416 Rigby (Generation 3) was delightful too.
9.5 pounds with 23" barrel, and well balanced.

... From my cold, dead hands,
... or when I go blind,
... but I will keep the shotguns if just blind.

quote:

Originally posted by Sevens:

quote:

Originally posted by 458Win:
Here is a 20's vintage 416 Rigby that is still in use in Zambia and that has well over 1000 bull elephants to it's credit

I hope my rifle looks this worn the day I die. A great memento from a life well lived.

+1

Old Rigbys from the early 1900`s look stunning and I am not saying that to be kind.They really are stunning.The rifle that you say looks just like a Rigby is far from stunning,IMO.Also,the old Rigby you have pictured is so worn such that the real beauty of it has disappeared-but it still has those perfect proportions.I`l take a guess and say that whoever was responsible for the stocks that Rigby turned out in the early 1900s,was someone who just did stocks and made many of them.

quote:

Here's the original rifle that we use as our pattern for our current production rifles.

The 2012 Rigby looks like it have no drop at all from the picture!? I didn´t think I would se a Rigby rifle with a comb paralell to the bore.......

Clearly shooting styles and forms have changed over the last 75-100 years. Back in the day, shooters tended to fire their rifles from a more upright standing position, and in most cases did not have a scope.

Today's shooters shoot from a greater variety of positions, certainly from a less upright stance, even when standing, and most want a scope or the ability to add a scope to their rifle, ergo the higher combs. Each Rigby rifle is made to the client's specifications and we can easily accommodate a lower comb or forend style.

Kent, you are correct. Rigby made it's reputation by building rifles for hunters and most hunters of today shoot off a rest and want a scoped rifle.

Wish you luck with your rifles and thanks for posting. They are beautiful rifles.

And shootaway - to paraphrase Anthony St Exupery; for a real hunter, the true beauty of a rifle is not visible to the eye.

458Win, thanks for the compliments. I have often said, "Wine is like art, not everybody likes the same thing." I guess now I'll have to add rifles to my saying!

You could probably safely add women and song as well

So true!

Kent,

It is really nice to see the Rigby name going forward and to see the rifles being built. I wish you all the luck with the company.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:
Kent,

It is really nice to see the Rigby name going forward and to see the rifles being built. I wish you all the luck with the company.

Ditto - especially after the ridiculous California incarnation!

So is there a thread somewhere that gives the details of what has exactly happened with Rigby? Last I thought the London Rigby was changing its name by court order? Then I thought the California Rigby went out of business. Now there is this company posting as located in London/Dallas. Who exactly are these guys? I see they have Paul Roberts back but I thought he was tied in with California Rigby?

quote:

Originally posted by McKay:
So is there a thread somewhere that gives the details of what has exactly happened with Rigby? Last I thought the London Rigby was changing its name by court order? Then I thought the California Rigby went out of business. Now there is this company posting as located in London/Dallas. Who exactly are these guys? I see they have Paul Roberts back but I thought he was tied in with California Rigby?

+1

Agree. I must have missed a bit of the story as well.

Filling in the gaps would be good.

Thanks

.

Here's the short version. Paul Roberts sold Rigby to a Texan back in 1997. He licensed the gun making rights to the California folks. California went out of business in 2010. We acquired the business and are now making Rigby's out of England. Anybody using the Rigby name other than us during that period is no longer using our name. Anybody that was involved with California is no longer involved with Rigby, and hasn't been for a couple of years.

Clean slate, good people, great guns.

Perfect, thanks.

Another member asked how the rifle shoots. I just happen to have the regulation card on my desk.

quote:

Current production John Rigby & Co. 416 Rigby, patterned after an original pre-war Rigby. Delivered to the customer in May of 2012, going to Mozambique in July of 2012 after buffalo.

Here's the original rifle that we use as our pattern for our current production rifles.

Nicely done Kent! What is the serial number of the pre-war .416 in the picture? Mine is 5295. Keep up the good work!!

How much does one of these cost?