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mickey
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Reged: 05/01/03
Posts: 4647
Loc: Pend Oreille Valley, Idaho
The New Rigby
      #7310 - 23/01/04 04:44 PM

How come we never hear anything about Rigby anymore? I know the first ones were junk but are they still or are they a nice rifle now? Boddington used to pimp for them but even he doesn't say much about them anymore.

--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.

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Will
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: mickey]
      #7311 - 23/01/04 05:17 PM

Are they in trouble?

Cabelas has had a couple SxS's for a long while. They are grossly heavy, and also expemsive. Not of much appeal to me even if I had the money.

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_________________________________________________
Bill Stewart

Once you have been amongst them, there is no such thing as too much gun.

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ThomasEdwards
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Reged: 04/01/04
Posts: 246
Loc: Newport Beach, CA
Re: The New Rigby [Re: Will]
      #7313 - 23/01/04 06:03 PM

...on a trip up the california coast back in a couple of years ago, i stopped by rigbys main office in paso robles...

...to say the least, it was not what i had expected in terms of the exterior appearance (just a few offices in an industrial warehouse with a multitude of tenants)...unfortunately, the office was closed for the weekend...

...quite obviously, rigbys' workshop may have no bearing on the quality of its products...

te

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NitroXAdministrator
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: ThomasEdwards]
      #7315 - 23/01/04 06:15 PM

In reply to:


...on a trip up the california coast back in a couple of years ago, i stopped by rigbys main office in paso robles...

...to say the least, it was not what i had expected in terms of the exterior appearance (just a few offices in an industrial warehouse with a multitude of tenants)...unfortunately, the office was closed for the weekend...

...quite obviously, rigbys' workshop may have no bearing on the quality of its products...





Not what you would expect from a quality rifle manufacturer of considerable pedigree.

Then again you can't buy pedigree, you have to earn it.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
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275
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Reged: 24/01/04
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: mickey]
      #7325 - 24/01/04 03:28 AM

Shouldn't gossip, as I work for the 'old' Rigby, but I'm not sure that the company's products have been too well received...

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mickey
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Reged: 05/01/03
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: 275]
      #7329 - 24/01/04 04:00 AM

In reply to:

Poster: 275
Subject: Re: The New Rigby

Shouldn't gossip, as I work for the 'old' Rigby, but I'm not sure that the company's products have been too well received...




Why not? That's what we do here.

I talked to Paul at the SCI show where the first of the 'New Rigbys' was the main auction rifle. He was so embarrassed by it that he refused to stand by it to promote the raffle.

--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.

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DUGABOY1
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Reged: 02/02/03
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: mickey]
      #7335 - 24/01/04 04:48 AM

In reply to:

I talked to Paul at the SCI show where the first of the 'New Rigbys' was the main auction rifle. He was so embarrassed by it that he refused to stand by it to promote the raffle.



I have never liked the looks of Rigby rifles, new or old! With that said, that in no indictment on the quality of the product, just a personal like, or dislike of LOOKS!

Every Rigby I have ever shot was perfect in every way, and I could find nothing to cause me to turn one down except the looks. The afore mentioned take, is of the Britt version. The one, and only, American Rigby I have shot, did not regulate at all. This could have been the loads, rather than the rifle it's self. The rifle belonged to someone else, and he was shooting handloads, so that could have been the problem, I don't know! The one I shot was a 500 NE, and did not feel over weight to me, but smaller chamberings would, at the same weight! Of the ones I've seen lately, the fit, and finish was nice, but not PURDEY quality, for sure, but then the Britt Rigby was not PURDEY quality either, though better than the new ones!

I will defitently go along with Will's "over priced" statement.

--------------------
..........Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY1, and MacD37 founding member of DRSS www.doublerifleshooterssociety.com
"If I die today, I have had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"

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400NitroExpress
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Reged: 26/11/03
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: mickey]
      #7342 - 24/01/04 06:41 AM

Mick:

I found your comment about Paul Roberts' view of the "New Rigby" interesting. I spent the better part of an afternoon with Paul in his London shop in 1992, five years before the sale to the California Clueless, and often wondered what he thought of what has become of Rigby. I would have bet real money that it made him sick at heart. Sad.

I haven't yet seen any of the new Jeffery stuff he's making now, but I'll bet that he does credit to another great name.
-----------------------------------


--------------------
"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

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mickey
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: 400NitroExpress]
      #7378 - 24/01/04 12:34 PM

400

I too first met his at his shop in the late 80s early 90s, can't remember exactly. The Rigby that was being auctioned was a monstrosity and brought the lowest figure of any of the Doubles SCI has auctioned. The best thing about it was the case and accesories.

I have never owned a Rigby Double but I have two bolts (Manly Bolts ) in 275 that are very nice to hold and to shoot.

I always thought his work was first rate and I am looking forward to seeing what he does with Jeffery.



--------------------
Lovu Zdar
Mick

A Man of Pleasure, Enterprise, Wit and Spirit Rare Books, Big Game Hunting, English Rifles, Fishing, Explosives, Chauvinism, Insensitivity, Public Drunkenness and Sloth, Champion of Lost and Unpopular Causes.

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500Nitro
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: mickey]
      #7405 - 25/01/04 01:02 AM


I hope you aren't talking about the USA Manufacturers when you made this statement
"Not what you would expect from a quality rifle manufacturer of considerable pedigree"

"Then again you can't buy pedigree, you have to earn it" - and Paso Robles Rigby's will
NEVER earn it.

They must have thought they could buy the name, make rifles and sell heaps of them on the name only
- sounds like an organisation that thinks consumers are stupid. I know my mates in the US are a bit
embaressed about it.

It's an insult to put a name like Rigby on a gun like that.

Anyway, everyone I know who owns an "Old Rigby" rifle knows that the value of it increased
when Paso Robles took over !!!

500 Nitro


Now I've got that off my chest, have a good day !!!

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Farkey
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Reged: 21/09/03
Posts: 40
Loc: Pacific NW
Re: The New Rigby [Re: 500Nitro]
      #7429 - 25/01/04 07:13 PM

What I have found most astounding about the new Paso Robles firm is their disregard for providing information on “old’ Rigbys. As the owner of two 'old' Rigby’s I attempted twice to contact the Paso Robles firm in order to obtain information about my pre-war guns. I recall talking to a monotone sounding receptionist on the phone who told me that they do not provide that information, but that someday they might support ‘something like that’ on their website. A few years have gone by since then and I haven’t noticed a single update to their webpage. On the other hand I have found Paul Robert’s firm incredibly helpful in researching their Rigby records for me. Promptly returning all emails inquires on Rigbys and providing all requested information free of charge. Next time I am in London I will certianly visit Paul Roberts shop and probably spend a few pounds.

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atkinson6
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Reged: 26/01/04
Posts: 678
Loc: Idaho
Re: The New Rigby [Re: Farkey]
      #7441 - 26/01/04 03:55 AM

I looked a couple of them over and it sure ain't your daddys Rigby!! I can think of better ways to part with my money.....

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JoeR
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Reged: 19/01/04
Posts: 41
Re: The New Rigby [Re: atkinson6]
      #7457 - 26/01/04 09:25 AM

Agree with Farkey. I just got my second "old Rigby" bolt and a call to California requesting information on the rifle was met with, "we don't offer that service at the present, but we may well offer it in the future. Leave us your name and contact information, and...(if we ever get around to it) we will send you your rifle's history, FOR A CHARGE OF $100." Called Paul Roberts, chatted a bit, he dropped what he was doing and went and looked it up (he copied all the records prior to sending them to California, thank God), gave me all the info, and chatted a bit more about the rifle and asked me to call back if he could be of further assistance. Nuff said.

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ThomasEdwards
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Reged: 04/01/04
Posts: 246
Loc: Newport Beach, CA
Re: The New Rigby [Re: mickey]
      #7663 - 29/01/04 05:24 AM

...as an avid book-collector, a big regret is that i will probably never have the opportunity to acquire a presentation copy of what should be entitled 'rigbys, the definitive history' to accompany books on holland&holland, purdey, westleyrichards, boss, churchill, greener, cogswell&harrison, etc...as it would appear that the current owners just do not have it in their 'dna/pedigree' to source, retain and continue the storied legacy of what should by all accounts be one of the most celebrated of modern gunmakers...

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holland465
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: mickey]
      #7689 - 29/01/04 08:37 AM

I am sorry to say that, " the Rigby of bygone days is no more"! I had a really nice "D" grade Rigby 470 that I sold to Paul Roberts in 1994 and I should have kept it! It had 28" barrels but it would shoot right and left barrels touching @ 50 yards. I used the rifle in Africa and shot a nice buffalo and Zebra with it. The new stuff from Rigby is not in the same league. Try and sell one of the late models and see what happens.

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ThomasEdwards
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: holland465]
      #7779 - 30/01/04 07:09 AM

...perhaps rigbys will once again fall into proper hands if the current owners do not meet their roi objectives for the initial purchase (look at what recently happened to jefferies)...

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470Rigby
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Loc: Melbourne, Australia
Re: The New Rigby [Re: DUGABOY1]
      #13927 - 25/04/04 12:33 AM

DUGABOY 1
In reply to:

but then the Britt Rigby was not PURDEY quality either



Would you care to elaborate, since having been fortunate enough to have owned guns and rifles of both makes, this does not gel with my experience?

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iqbal
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: 470Rigby]
      #13945 - 25/04/04 05:09 PM

470,although i have never fired a 416 Rigby yet i have this insane desire to own one,probably because i've heard so much about it, as it was very common in the sub-continent and there are a lot of tales about hunting tigers with it.How do you rate it as a hunting rifle especaially in the context of African game.Is it suitable for big game like buffallo,elephant etc.How about recoil and accuracy.Would appreciate you comments as you seem to have used Rigbys.

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Morten
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: iqbal]
      #13951 - 25/04/04 08:04 PM

Steve sidki at gunstockblanks.co.uk have photos of a Jeffery gun that he has suplied a stock blank for. I think that this is the new Jeffery.
Does Jeffery have a web site?

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475Guy
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Reged: 22/08/03
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: iqbal]
      #13956 - 25/04/04 11:33 PM

iqbal, the recoil on a 416 is probably the max the average guy can shoot. If you've been shooting a 375 and think that a 416 is only a step up in power, you've got to rethink it. The 416 recoils more than a 375 and makes you think "Why am I subjecting myself to such abuse?" I don't know what kinds of big guns you've fired, but it takes quite a bit of mental gymnastics to concentrate on holding it down and not flinch. That being said, the 416 can be handled with quite a bit of practice.

--------------------
Lo do they call to me,
They bid me take my place among
them in the Halls of Valhalla,
Where the brave may live forever.

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470Rigby
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: iqbal]
      #13964 - 26/04/04 01:30 AM

Iqbal - The terminal ballistics of the 416 Rigby round need little endorsement from me - it's track record in Africa and India since it's introduction in 1909 is legendary.

But, since this thread relates to Rigby as a Gunmaker, let me address that.

Rigby actually only made very few, some estimate about 400. All but 4 or 5 were magazine rifles, with only one made up as a double prior to WW2. This was made for the Maharja of Surjoja, who was fond of shooting Tigers.

Originally made up on No. 20 Magnum Mauser commercial actions (Rigby was the original English agent for Mauser), many were made on French Brevex actions and standard length Mauser actions after WW2 when the supply of commercial Mauser actions came to an end.

You asked about recoil. Yes is is willing, but stock design plays a big part too, and the English Gunmakers had this all worked out, including Rigby.

But what set Rigby-Mausers apart from other magazine rifles of the era was that they fed from the magazine RELIABLY! Typical Rigby, whatever else, his products WORKED.

Probably why so many African Game Departments adopted them for Elephant control work.

I'd like to be able to quote the reference, but I heard it said somewhere that you could throw a handfull of cartridges and a Rigby .416 into a sack, shake it around, and it would emerge with the magazine full!

I have handled several Rigby .416's, and owned one for about 10 years, and can vouch for the fact that they are SLICK!

Hyperbole maybe - but THAT'S the attention to detail that Rigby was noted for. THAT'S what quality is about, not some bit of scratching on a lockplate or a fancy bit of wood.

So, perhaps I could answer your question by asking you one?

If you had the choice of facing a lion charge with a 416 made by Rigby, or some badly stocked whiz-bang modern Mega-Magnum made by some shonk that couldn't be relied on to transport a round from the chamber into the breech, what would you choose?

So, unless you can lay your hands on one of those original 400 Rigby's, I'm afraid all bets are off!





Edited by 470Rigby (26/04/04 01:40 AM)

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475Guy
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: 470Rigby]
      #13965 - 26/04/04 01:42 AM

Your quote came from a Ross Seyfried article sometime ago.

--------------------
Lo do they call to me,
They bid me take my place among
them in the Halls of Valhalla,
Where the brave may live forever.

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DUGABOY1
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: 470Rigby]
      #13966 - 26/04/04 02:51 AM

470Rigby , make no mistake, I'm not downing either of the Britt rifles, as to quality, or fit and finish. It is simply that I do not, personally consider the Rigby to be of the same quality, over all, as the Purdey. That is simply a personal opinion.

The fact is neither of them are my favorites, where double rifles are concerened! I like Westley Richards better than either of them.

To me quality is not the "SHINE", or the premium price ones pays for a NAME, but how it acts on the target, and I don't find either Rigby, or Purdey, to be any better than any well made double rifle, regardless of make or country of origin, and certainly not enough better to justify the price difference. When the rubber meets the road, how well they kill dangerous game is what matters to me! After all, the only real reason for a double rifle is for hunting!

Suffice to say I'm not into the SNOBB appeal, that some apply to the UK names only! Thats' good for me, because I can own more useing doubles that way! All others may do as it pleases them!

--------------------
..........Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY1, and MacD37 founding member of DRSS www.doublerifleshooterssociety.com
"If I die today, I have had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"

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470Rigby
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Reged: 23/02/04
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: DUGABOY1]
      #13974 - 26/04/04 09:50 AM

Dugaboy - Like many Australians (and it seems, North Americans),I have no particular "truck" with things "English" per se. However I could be rightly accused of being "Anglophilic" when it comes to guns.

"That's my cross, etc...",so, for a moment can we put aside questions of Country, Investment Potential, Upfront Cost etc, and focus on what is quality when it comes to guns - in particular, English Guns, since that is the subject at hand.

Someone once noted that, when it comes to shotguns the ranking of the top three would be: Boss, Purdey then Holland and Holland, but, when it came to rifles the ranking was turned on it's head to: Purdey, Rigby and Holland and Holland.

So, if we are talking about Double Rifles, whoever this was, he is in agreement with you!

Having had limited experience with Purdey double rifles, only having owned some "blackies", I am at a loss to know why they would be ranked over a Rigby?

Yes, Purdeys can be racy, a .369 that a friend of mine owned was a real thoroughbred, but some of those snap underlevers were real dogs to use.

Probably, one of the prettiest doubles I have seen was a game-scene engraved .400 Light, but only because of it's "SHINE" factor.

But, historically,nobody seems to have commented on how Purdey's shoot, and since the original ammo that they were regulated for is no longer around, we may never know!

That being said, it's drawing a long bow indeed to compare the shooting ability (if that's your definition of quality?)of rifles built three generations ago for ammunition that no longer exists, with modern rifles built for contemporary ammunition. The fact that most of these old guns can still be made to shoot accurately, is I think, nothing short of a miracle!

Otherwise, they would be relegated to relic status.

Instead, they are still out there doing what they were designed for nearly 100 years ago; the flip-side of the sentiments that dispose you to "modern" guns is that that the old classics are kept more affordable for the likes of me, and that pleases me.

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DUGABOY1
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Re: The New Rigby [Re: 470Rigby]
      #14262 - 04/05/04 02:45 AM

470Rigby, I meant no disrespect to either of the names mentioned in this thread, they are both great rifles! It is, simply, that neither is my favorite, and if I had the money to buy as many of any kind I wanted, neither of those two would be my first choice! As I said in my post, Westley Richards is my favorite, but I see nothing wrong with any double rifle, regardless of make, or origin, as long as it is well built. All double rifles are good, in my view! I've owned many doubles in my life, and have found fine examples from almost every country in the world.

--------------------
..........Mac >>>===(x)===>
DUGABOY1, and MacD37 founding member of DRSS www.doublerifleshooterssociety.com
"If I die today, I have had a life well spent, for I've been to see the Elephant, and smelled the smoke of Africa!"

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