Champlin Firearms have just listed a very interesting Rigby DR in .416

http://www.champlinarms.com/Default.aspx?tabid=30&mid=3...StyleID=3&GunID=1027

An article in Guns & Ammo, Jan 1975 got me searching for John Taylor’s African rifles and cartridges, that got me “hooked†on double rifles and I purchased my first one (Watson .450-400 x 31/4) a few years later. I saved that article and as the same Rigby rifle is now listed by Champlin Firearms I have taken the liberty of posting it here as I am sure it will be of interest.

An article in Guns & Ammo, Jan 1975 got me searching for John Taylor’s African rifles and cartridges, that got me “hooked†on double rifles and I purchased my first one (Watson .450-400 x 31/4) a few years later. I saved that article and as the same Rigby rifle is now listed by Champlin Firearms I have taken the liberty of posting it here as I am sure it will be of interest.

AND! It was engraved by Harry Kell!

(If I'm not mistaken, he taught Ken Hunt...)

Good read, thanks for posting it here!

Did anyone catch the concern over $2.00 usd per shot? Man he'd crap today! Hell the bullets, alone, cost more than the cartridges cost then!


That is a beautiful rifle, and has some history as well, and it won't last long if the right collector gets wind of it! I just checked my disposable capital, and I'm just short $60K or I'd buy it!

Thank you, I enjoyed the article a lot. I don't undersatnd why

Rigby used the .416 diameter. He could have just as well used

the .408, .410 or .423. Has anyone ever heard why he did in fact
use the .416 diameter?

quote:

Originally posted by BigFiveJack:
Thank you, I enjoyed the article a lot. I don't undersatnd why

Rigby used the .416 diameter. He could have just as well used

the .408, .410 or .423. Has anyone ever heard why he did in fact
use the .416 diameter?

Because evey gun maker in those days were trying to corner the market for themselves by makeing their rifles for propietary cartridges, and patenting the bore size, and cartridge, so not only the rifle, but the ammo had to be bought from them, exclusively!

Theyalmost killed themselves by doing this, and the reason the 470NE round became so popular is not because it was any better than the old reliable 450NE 3 1/4" is, but because the 450 bore rifles were outlawed in India, and the Sudan,in 1909, and the cartridge was made available to the public, for anyone to build rifles, for, and for anyone to make ammo, for!
Addtionally, the 474 dia was an easy re-bore, and re-regulate of existing 450 bore double rifles so they could be salvaged after the ban on the 450 bore!

contact george@ champlins firearms and for $64,000.00 us you can own it