Westley Richards rifles are always of a high finish standard, the ones they present at least. Excellent wood grain, very shiny finish. More for fondling with arv0chival gloves than the dust, heat, mud, rain, cold,veetness of the field. And especially shiny reflections scaring off animals.

How important is that shine? I remember a feral goat hunting the Northern Flinders Ranges, my first in 1982. Chasing a herd of goats the three of us got split up. I was on a high ridge in some rugged country and wondered where the other two were. I saw a flash. Off a shiny stock kilometres away. I wondered how they got that far away? But that flash off a shiny stock taught be something. My own rifle was a Parker Hale 1200 Delux .30-06 with its Monte Carlo shiny stock. Since restocked with a oil classic stock. Though if it was the first hunt I carried a plainly stocked Remington 788 .222. The Parker Hale went later.

Sad that lovely station is now owned by a non hunting youth outreach charity. It has some lovely rugged mountainous country side. One block was called Mandarin. And had something like a mini Grand Canyon. Bad for sheep, good for rugged hunting.

Back to Westley Richards. Always lovely to look at. Usually exhuisite examples of a classical theme. They would function well for real hunting if the owner did not mind dings, scratches, rubs, and dents.

But probably gonwell with the $5000 safari clothing outfit.

Someone has to do it!