I haven't seen any of the Mexican Rigby rifles in person, but I don't think the people who bought Rigby are that stupid. I do think they bought the name and then decided they would try to improve upon it and came up with a loser.

If you want to nit pick from a logical standpoint you should be asking if they are purchasing complete unfinished Merkels and then applying whatever fancy finish they think is acceptable. And of the complaints with Searcys, the more I hear, the more I think that the complaintants haven't seen a recent Searcy.

Personally when I started wanting a double rifle, I wanted either a Rigby or a Westley Richards. That was based on reputation alone. I thought that all the other doubles, whether European or American, were just trashy copies of the English guns. The first Rigby I saw was a real disappointment because it was JUNK and I was proud of having "spotted a fake"...then the second Rigby was the same...and the third. The engraving was nice and pretty but the guns were junk. After doing my homework, the English guns came in last place and that wasn't just because of the cost. Searcy was the absolute last maker I thought I'd be interested in but I've decided to spend my money on Searcy, and Searcy has become my first and only choice and anyone would be hard pressed to sell me on any other double rifle. To be blunt about it, some research indicated that I was mistaken to think that the English makers were as good as their reputation.

Grade on art if you wish, or performance if you wish, but don't confuse those criteria.

And all the comments about Americans thinking they know something and are unwilling to change is getting old. Remember 30 years ago all the cops in the USA carried Colt or S&W revolvers? Quality dropped through the floor on those revolvers and almost every cop in the USA instantly switched to mostly European made semi automatics in a heartbeat. Hell Texas Rangers and Texas DPS carry SIG's. So how is the American consumer prejudiced? Most Americans buy what works and don't care if it is made by an American or a German or an Aussie or a Chinaman.

Richard