szihn
(.400 member)
09/01/08 02:43 AM
Re: Bore calibre muzzleloaders from South Africa


Oh no Daryl, my big bores are not that little. I was referring to the quote above of $5,450

I sell my Purdey and Rigby style rifles up to 66 caliber for about $3200, plus or minus some, depending on grade of wood, engraving and metal finish. My 8 bores go for about $3800. My 4 bores go for about $4,400 or more
Bigger costs more, because of the fact that fewer and fewer parts can be purchased as the scale gets bigger, and the bigger the barrel, the more wood you need to wrap around it. On 4 bores the wood has to be quite thick. Sometimes I have to pay more to have it sawn as thick as I need. Also a big rifle has to have the best grade of wood in hardness, to take the recoil. No fancy, but hard! Fancy cost more than plane, but so does hardness.

The bigger the rifle, the more hand work has to be done. Up to 66 caliber, parts can be purchased as raw castings from a few foundries, and I have to file fit them and polish. Only a few parts need be hand made in the 12 bore guns.
In 8s many parts have to be hand made and 4s have most parts made from bar stock.

Anyway........I too thought the pictures of the Mkonto guns looked very cheep and amateurish. Maybe they are better, but the pics sure don't look very good.
My comments were NOT supposed to be from a stance of competition, or advertising. Not at all.
I was only saying that I was shocked that they would ask so much for that grade of gun.

As a reference point, here's a rifle I sold for $3100, 2 years ago
I dare say it's a bit nicer than what they are advertising.



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