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The Rigby .275 n°1 rifle is the epitome of the light rifle perfectly suited to the pursuit of African plains game as well as to our European driven hunt. The 7x57 Mauser, although dating from 1893, is one of the few rounds that have been offered without interruption by the larger cartridge firms on the two sides of the Atlantic. The mythical success of sportsmen like "Karamojo" WDM Bell who shot 800 elephants with its .275 using DWM 173 grains solids or Major Edward James, famous for having put an end to the attacks of man-eating tiger of Kumaon, spot a light on the remarkable performances and terminal ballistic efficiency of that old caliber, superbly suitable for modern hunting, especially when using heavy bullets. The results on game are often better than those produced by modern ammunition advertised with flattering performance ... at least on paper! The renewed interest in this kind of rifle and growing demand from customers, have led us to review a "standard" established more than a century ago by the famous Rigby firm. Being lucky in having at the rack some original n°1 .275 Rigby rifles, but with a special taste for the very first model produced, we decided to use an Original Mauser mod.1896 action made at Oberndorf in 1899 for the 1894 Swedish rifle. That action has been fully blue printed before being carefully converted to cock on opening and receive a new traditional Oberndorf bolt lever. The 24" barrel bears the profile of the first models and carries a long five leaves express rear sight taken from a type "A" of the same caliber and fully restored. Front sight bead and its base remain purely DORLEAC and the front swivel holder soldered under the barrel is, like the rear one, of British standard. This rifle being not intended to be equipped with a scope, a fully machined Rigby style diopter completes the metallic sight line. The stock follows the simple shape of .275 n°. 1 while modernizing it with less drop and a straighter comb; however it retains the ball shaped grip and the abbreviated forend of the original. Indeed, the chosen walnut is of better quality than the ones used by the old English firm and the smoothness of the caliber allowed us to select a blank displaying a lot of figures. Lastly, the checkered steel butt plate hold an old Parker oiler, the leather-trimmed trap preventing any unwanted noise. The weapon bears no ornaments except hand engraved markings and serial number and, for the finish, we used a traditional slow rust bluing that was very slightly weathered with nitre blue for the extractor blade, bolt stop ejector box and screws. Only the hand-stippled trigger specially constructed on the basis of a single stage ERA mechanism was bone and charcoal hardened in color. Of course the rifle has been carefully regulated at the range with RWS 173 grains and it delivers exceptional accuracy. Hope you will enjoy the photos and will be pleased to read your comments. DORLEAC www.dorleac-dorleac.com At the range, regulating the rifle in the white Markings Newly machined Rigby style diopter Completed rifle |
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Beautiful, I love those older model mausers. |
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That is wonderful, such beautiful lines. My dream one day to own something so practical yet beautiful! |
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Beautiful, DORLEAC! PatagonHunter |
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This rifle demonstrates that Dorleac truly understands the concept of recreating a fine classic like the 275 Rigby. Although updated, the Magic has not been lost in translation. Bravo. |
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Beautiful rifle, but curious, why switch to cock on open, and furthermore is cock on close an undesired trait? I've grown quite fond to it on my swede builds. |
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Gorgeous wood and steel! |
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I like that little bevel in the wood on the right side just in front of the bolt. Haven't seen that before. A perfect light rifle to be sure. |
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Good work ! I have two questions: Quote:Why so ? Does original Rigby have this conversion ? I have understood that this action has quite a long lock time. Has anything been done with that ? |
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Impeccable execution as always. But conversion of a Swedish Mauser to cock on opening makes only sense for me in combination with a 98 bolt shroud and the known advantages. |
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Looks beautiful, love the aperture sight. How much ?? best, Mike |
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Magnificent stuff! I don't think it gets any better. The wood in the buttstock is stunning and the lines are lovely. One each of the three original Rigby rifles (.275, .350, and .416) and maybe a Mauser MS 350B or MM410 or MM410B, are about all a man could possibly need in the way of rifles. (OK, perhaps an English double rifle as well!) |
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Beautiful beautiful... On rare occasions one get to see a new produced rifle executed in true WW1 British style being faithful to original lines and craftsmanship. Thanks for sharing. |
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Quote: Maybe this one? http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=245824&an=0&page=0#Post245824 |
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Wow - hadn't seen that - another beautiful piece of work. |
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Certainly a most beautiful rifle . I am comparing your rifle and stock to my well worn original .275 Rigby. Your stock has less of a drop in the comb as mine has it just looks much straighter than mine is . Also your forend is much thicker than mine is ;my rifle balances perfectly right in front of the magazine plate.I am curious to know what your .275 weighs in at .Should give you a lifetime of service ;very ,very,nice. |
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Beautiful. |
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Superb! |
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'Mythical' means it doesn't exist. Like a dragon. Or a Scotsman who is free with his money. |
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Sorry for the syntax mistake with the English word "Mythical" It lies in the meaning of the word "mythique" that, in French, designs something that as created a "mythe" in the sense of a "legend" I must have wrote : a legendary rifle… DORLEAC www.dorleac-dorleac.com |
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Beautiful craftsmanship ... I am always so impressed (overwhelmed, perhaps) by the artistry of a skilled gun-maker. |
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Dorleac, I think the use of "mythical" is fine in this context. Mythical can be used as a synonym for "legendary". See here: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legendary?show=0&t=1398092232 If Karen Blixen were around, we could ask her....... |
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Truely an exquisit rifle. The metal and wood work leave nothing to be desired. The only thing that I am not fussed on is the timber. Fancy timber leaves me cold but that is just me. |
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Dorleac, thats a stunning rifle! |
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Magnifique travail, very nice work... |
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Perhaps an even better translation would be : .275 Rigby no1: A New approach to a Legendary rifle.. ! |
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Venant d'un aussi grand graveur que vous, le compliment nous touche davantage. Merci beaucoup monsieur Baptiste. DORLEAC www.dorleac-dorleac.com |
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Beautiful rifle. I am increasingly getting besotted with Dorleac's rifles. They are elegant in form, the steel and wood are finished with finesse,the designs are loyal to the classics, and the lack of embellishments or being not too ornate actually enhance the appeal of the rifles.Thank you for sharing the photos. Best- Vikram |
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One question remains. The meticulously done engraving is very British.But what about the long Type A Express sight that was sighted from 100 up to 500 in meters and still shows these digits. The original Rigby was sighted 100 yards and folding leaves 300 and 400 yards. Is the rifle sighted in on metric basis or using yards ? |
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Perhaps there's here some misinterpretation. That rifle isn't a Rigby clone or some Rigby copy; it's merely a "Dorleac & Dorleac" rifle, a new creation mostly inspired by the light, simple, stalking rifles produced before WW1 by the great English firm in .275 (7x57). The action is different as is the barrel profile or the front sight, and, even if the stock follows the classic lines of the early n°1, it's different too, being modernized with specific Dorleac' touches. So there's not a problem for us to use and adapt a type A express rear sight. While rebuilding that part, we have re-engraved the original digits markings and even if they are in meters the sight is perfectly regulated, at least for the two first leaves…shooting with that kind of iron further than three hundred meters invariably ends with the same results at three hundred yards ! Indeed, the barrel is clearly engraved with our own specific marking and the rifle bears French proofs marks, so it would be difficult to take it for a genuine Rigby. DORLEAC www.dorleac-dorleac.com |
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Still love this. There is just so much that is so right with this rifle. The design, the choice of components, the restraint in NOT tweaking/modifying/updating except where required, and of course the workmanship. Superb in all aspects. More Rigby than most of the Rigbys made in the last 80 years. |
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Absolutely stunning |
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Quote: Legend and myth are synonyms. But a mythical rifle is one that doesn't actually exist. Whereas a legendary rifle and cartridge combination is one that is as famous as legend. There is a gap in meaning there that you could squeeze a volume of Shakespeare's sonnets into if you soak it for long enough. |
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man thats beautiful makes me want to throw my rifles in the river' well maybe not. love the peep sight and the express sights look a lot finer than the ones i've looked at |
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Nice rifle built more for show than use ;thats not a rip just an observation .My only question would be the height of the stock comb as it looks much too high to use with iron sights ;for me anyway.Quite excellent worksmanship |
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Deutsche_Vortrekker, I think that you are wrong. That rifle isn't for show as it's used very extensively and now has fired a lot of assorted cartridges, mostly 173 gr. reloaded ones. As for the comb, its height is perfectly adapted to the iron sights and we would not have bothered to make such a complete sighting assembly to be unable to use them because of a comb drop miscalculation. Perhaps have you been mislead by the perspective in the pictures. Best. DORLEAC www.dorleac-dorleac.com |
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Beautiful rifle as always Mr Dorelac! The comment that it is a show piece kinda gives me pause. Would you not sleep with a beautiful woman given the chance? Or drive a beautifully built car to its limits? Nice rifles are better when enjoyed and hunted with. The dents and scratches only make the memories stick in your mind better. |
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The German front-puller always has to air a different perspective based on assumptions.... Monsier Dorleac, excellent workmanship. Compliments |
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Deutsche Vortrekker I would also have to disagree. The thing I have always liked about Dorleac rifles is their useability. The work on the rifle is first class and I see nothing impractical about it. Just because a rifle is intended to be used doesn't mean it should not be a thing of beauty. |
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A thing of beauty. |
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Joel - you have created a beautiful rifle. Everything a hunter needs, and nothing he doesn't. |
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Amazing workmanship!! |
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Perfect, just perfect. |