What do you-all think a used P.R. Rigby boxlock in .470 is worth??

Best regards;
Brett

$3.75

Okay, I'll bite. What does "P. R." mean? I presume "Peoples Republic"? Are we talking about a California Rigby here?
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

My guess is PR stands for Paso Robles the California location of Rigby. Don't pay more than $14K for it. You can get that from Cabelas if necessary. Last new price I saw for these was about $23K. Watch out for the weight. Some of the CA Rigbys weigh a ton!

IMO - You can buy a lot more gun for the money than a new rigby.

They're not trying to sell a "Best Gun" - they are trying to capitalize on an honored name in the DR world.

Thought so. You can buy a nice used Merkel for $7-8K. The Rigby is built on a Merkel action with monobloc barrels. As LJS said, those I've handled were heavy and swung like a brick. The Merkel is built on a Merkel action with chopper-lump barrels, handles better, and is finished at least as well. The only thing that could make the Rigby worth as much as the Merkel is the Rigby name, and that isn't worth much on the American built guns anymore. It will be worth even less when the current entity ceases to trade (soon). All kidding aside, I wouldn't go over $6K.
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

quote:

Paso Robles

Sorry for the late response. Yes, Paso Robles. The gun I have in mind is actually a very late Rouge River rifle. I have communicated with Rigby, the rifle has 28in barrels and weighs 12lb. Barrels are joined with solder. Having shot my 9lb William Douglas for a few years now, a 12lb gun sounds kind of good...

Brett

Brett, if they take those two mercury tubes out of the buttstock those Rigbys handle quite well and weigh in at about 10.5 lbs. That weight seems to be about right fo a .470 NE. Talk to Geoff Miller at Rigby, if you buy the gun, and tell him to take the tubes out. You'll probably like the gun a whole lot better and the recoil at that weight is not bad. BTW I almost bought a William Douglas, but it only weighed 9.25 lbs. I fired exactly 6 rounds through it, cleaned it, packed it up, and returned it to the seller. Man did that thing kick! I own 2 .458 Lotts, a .416 Rigby, a .470 NE, and a .500 NE. That Douglas was the hardest kicking gun I had fired to date.

Geronimo

Geronomo,

I have hunted ele and buff with the William Douglas. Love to carry it but working up loads on the bench is well, an experience...

I like the long barrels on the RR gun. The problem is knowing what it is worth. It seems better finished than the $7K Merkils that I have seen but how much more expensive is too expensive?

Brett

I wonder what will happen to the rifles regulation if you take the recoil reducers out.

465H&H

quote:

Originally posted by Brett:
The problem is knowing what it is worth. It seems better finished than the $7K Merkils that I have seen but how much more expensive is too expensive?

Brett

Brett, if it is any help, I would take the Merkel 140-2 470NE over RR, or a Cal J. Rigby at the same price, if I had to keep it. IMO, the Cal Rigby isn't as good a rifle as a Merkel, and the Rouge River is a persona-non-grata, in the double rifle world, IMO! I wouldn't buy a RR double at any price!

Of course, that's why they make more than one double rifle, so everyone can choose what they think is the best for the money! I'd rather buy the $6500 Merkel some one left a link to, than the RR any day!

If you wanted a California "Rigby" boxlock, you are getting a Merkel.

Guns were imported and cut apart for the actions etc.

I can't stand the looks of them. A friend of mine (Del) used to work for them.

I'd say---purchase something else.

I keep stressing Belgian made rifles! Lots of gun for the money. Too bad the dollar isn't stronger now.

Mark

I keep hearing that they are going broke but they always seem to have a large booth at SCI. The rifles they make are really ugly in my opinion.

The CA Rigby's may be very nice and well made rifles, using quality materials. I've never handled one so I don't pretend to pass judgement.

What raised an eyebrow though, were phrases such as "wanted to START gunsmithing at...", "I taught him how to use our regulating jig", "we put over 200 hours of labor in each gun."

Some firms claim to put 1000-1200hrs into each gun, and I doubt anyone working on a customer's gun just learned the process. I know I'm not going to get a best grade gun for 25k, but the name Rigby conjurs up the fine British guns of the past, made by higly skilled labor with decades of experience as close to perfect as human eyes and hands allowed (and even those all didn't live up to THAT standard!)

I think some of the hostility concerning the new Rigby is resentment that those days are behinds us in today's economy, at least for under 100-150K, and that's not a fair comparison. We certainly can use more DR manufactuers, and personally, I wish them luck. If they are well made and perform as well as claimed they'll eventually win over doubters, if not, someone else will buy the rights and hopefully learn from their experience.

Bob

That just about covers it, new guy.
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

Compare apples to apples. Have you seen the high grade Rigby side locks? You might be less skeptical. The engraving and wood is SERIOUSLY nice. 200 hundred hours is about right in todays world. What used to take skilled craftsmen weeks to months to do by hand can now be done BETTER by a CNC machine in under one hour on better steel. Today only the final fitting, stock work and regulating are done by hand by any gunmaker.

Geronimo

Erik Fryman – Obviously we’ve gotten Mr Miller’s knickers in a knot, and as he can't seem to get an account set up at AR, let him know that we're not angry, mad at, or tryng to discredit him or the guns he makes. (Whatever he and kyler have done is between them as well.)

We understand completely what he does, why he does it, and literally wish him well…

Heck, even Paul Roberts finished some Arrizabalaga guns with "Rigby" on them…

We’re just an opinionated bunch and remember a “Rigby†as being something that it no longer is.