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James Passmore wrote:
February 06, 2014
This rifle was purchased by Bell for a motorcar Safari with the Forbes, hence teh take-down feature. Bell wrote in one of his books that no serious hunting was doen on this trip, but mostly was to see how far they could penetrate in Africa automobiles. It is possible this rifle never shot an elephant in Bell's hands, and it may have been it's first elephant when Gail Selby shot her elephant with her Father. So, no, it is not the 'holy grail' or WDM BEll's 'elephant rifle'. Bell purchased six 7x57 rifles from RIgby and this was one of them. His first 7mm Mauser was the 'one', (if any one could be called that) and was probably bought about 1903. I would love to know where it ended up. It is possible that Bell traded them back in to Rigby when he got a new one and then they sold them on used...someone out there has got Rigby's actual 7mm Elephant rifle. (Unless it was lost in a gun buy back in the UK, or a confiscation in Kenya, and destroyed.)
Yes I read somewhere that Bell had 6 or 7 275 Rigby rifles (not from Bell) but I never could substantiate it. Bell did go to Afrika on numerous safaris, not just the Karamojo one. If so the spear hole or whatever it was in the stock was done out of habit or nostalgia as it was mentioned in writings. I am sure it is not his most famous 275 and I shudder to think that this Rifle had been destroyed.
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Re: WDM Bell's .275 Rigby Mauser #4968