The Rigby is here...

What a beautiful rifle! Congratulations and best of luck hunting with it.
 
Stunningly beautiful gun!
 
Beautiful rifle. Nice groups
 
Nice to see a stunning British rifle being made again at a good price too. Well chosen options on yours very nice
 
You should be able to shoot that thing with a good quality sissy pad, or two:rolleyes::eek: instead of the sled. The other danger is stock cracking:(. Not that the SLED will surely do that but anytime you put something that doesnt move much behind a hard kicker the danger is there. The Rigbys recoil just isnt all that bad. Be a real shame to damage that beautiful stock. I know of it happening when guys have put a big sandbag between them and the rifle and broke stocks that way. The rifle needs to be able to move rearward.
 
Nice rifle!!! I have been looking at Rigby for a few months, this makes me look a little harder! :) Thanks for sharing!
 
You should be able to shoot that thing with a good quality sissy pad, or two:rolleyes::eek: instead of the sled. The other danger is stock cracking:(. Not that the SLED will surely do that but anytime you put something that doesnt move much behind a hard kicker the danger is there. The Rigbys recoil just isnt all that bad. Be a real shame to damage that beautiful stock. I know of it happening when guys have put a big sandbag between them and the rifle and broke stocks that way. The rifle needs to be able to move rearward.

Agree.

To my mind a 416 should have two cross bolts and have the stock relieved behind the rear tang, no more than a playing card in thickness.
 
Congratulations on being the owner of such a fine rifle.
 
I suppose this post is overdue, so here it is. In the fall of 2016, I placed an order for a Rigby Big Game with a few options of my choosing. After months of waiting I received it in June. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos, but without further delay;

View attachment 199475

View attachment 199476
View attachment 199477 View attachment 199479 View attachment 199480
View attachment 199482 View attachment 199483 View attachment 199484 View attachment 199486




I am very pleased with the fit and finish of this rifle, which is without a doubt, the nicest I have ever owned. In the months leading up to it's delivery, I had acquired the Swarovski Z6i 1-6 that you see mounted on it, and some reloading components. I already had several rounds loaded for it with a few different powders. This is my first large bore rifle, if you don't count my Marlin Guide Gun 45/70. So, off to the range I went. All load development grouping was done from my lead sled. I first fired 2 shots at 50 yards to make sure I was close to being on target, then moved to 100 yards to fire my first 3 shot group.

View attachment 199499



Needless to say, I was impressed. I had expected good accuracy, but was not expecting that good right from the start. Here are some more groups, each from a different load.




View attachment 199503 View attachment 199502 View attachment 199501



This is the worst group of the day:

View attachment 199563



4 shots fired off my shooting sticks at 50 yards at a semi-rapid rate:

View attachment 199562



A picture of the rifle on the lead sled at the farm (aka the range). Natural light really brings out the character in the wood.

View attachment 199500



I forgot my chronograph that day, unfortunately. I ended up loading some more of the "104" group and making it back out there, this time with my chronograph. It consistently clocked in right around 2400 fps, with a max spread of about 2393-2411 with a 410g Woodleigh Weldcore. That's going to be my load. These rounds also feed through the action as smooth as butter, even when working the bolt quickly.

This is the most powerful rifle I have ever owned. However, I find it surprisingly pleasant to shoot off sticks. I attribute that to the design of the stock, the weight/balance of the rifle, and how well the Z6i 1-6 Extended Eye relief pairs with the rifle.

It's maiden voyage is going to be a black bear hunt the end of this month. Overkill, yes, but I'm anxious to try it out.

The real test will come in 2019, when I take my first trip to Africa for a cape buffalo hunt. I'm currently looking at guides in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

That is an absolutely beautiful rifle.
I always wondered though why Rigby had the bolt handle the way it is.
If I owned this rifle I would be frightened to use it in the scrub in case it got scratched.
You must be very proud and excited.
 
How lucky can a guy get? A beautiful rifle in an awesome caliber that shoots sub MOA. Truly a gun we'd all love to own.
 
Update,

I loaded up a few Woodleigh Hydro solids. The end result was this group, using the exact same powder charge as my softs. 3 shots at 100 yards off the bench. I couldn't be happier.

IMG_2978.jpg



It would suffice to say that I'm done with load development, which was a faster process than I've experienced with any other rifle that I have owned. For those fretting about the stock, I'm done shooting it from the sled. I appreciate the concern. I've been shooting it some off-hand, and off sticks as well. The recoil is surprising tolerable for such a large cartridge.
 
If you don't mind, can you post a photo of the scope mounts? I'm curious what options Rigby has for optic mounts and it doesn't specify much on their website. What all options did they have for stock shape/mods? it looks like the only choice is length?
 
If you don't mind, can you post a photo of the scope mounts? I'm curious what options Rigby has for optic mounts and it doesn't specify much on their website. What all options did they have for stock shape/mods? it looks like the only choice is length?

Rigby uses Recknagel scope mounts on their Big Game. The front is a dovetail that pivots into place, and the rear is a claw that tightens by rotating a ring at the bottom. Mine have met my expectations and return to zero within 1/2 moa based on my experience. I think another user here had some issues with his Recknagel mounts, but I believe those may have been resolved by a gunsmith.

As far as the stock goes, I think they will do whatever you wish, but for a fee of course. I went with the standard 14.5" length of pull, which I have found to fit me quite well. If you order a London's Best, they ask that you come to one of their shops and be measured for your rifle, which will be built to your measurements. If I were a tycoon in any industry, I could see choosing this option and am sure the resulting product would be absolutely superb, given my experience with their Big Game rifle.
 
Nice load @CDorroh. H4831 and the .416 Rigby just seem to be made for each other. If you decide to try any other bullets, I believe you'll find the H4831 will work well with them too.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
57,899
Messages
1,242,545
Members
102,286
Latest member
AlanRooney
 

 

 

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

Grz63 wrote on Werty's profile.
(cont'd)
Rockies museum,
CM Russel museum and lewis and Clark interpretative center
Horseback riding in Summer star ranch
Charlo bison range and Garnet ghost town
Flathead lake, road to the sun and hiking in Glacier NP
and back to SLC (via Ogden and Logan)
Grz63 wrote on Werty's profile.
Good Morning,
I plan to visit MT next Sept.
May I ask you to give me your comments; do I forget something ? are my choices worthy ? Thank you in advance
Philippe (France)

Start in Billings, Then visit little big horn battlefield,
MT grizzly encounter,
a hot springs (do you have good spots ?)
Looking to buy a 375 H&H or .416 Rem Mag if anyone has anything they want to let go of
Erling Søvik wrote on dankykang's profile.
Nice Z, 1975 ?
Tintin wrote on JNevada's profile.
Hi Jay,

Hope you're well.

I'm headed your way in January.

Attending SHOT Show has been a long time bucket list item for me.

Finally made it happen and I'm headed to Vegas.

I know you're some distance from Vegas - but would be keen to catch up if it works out.

Have a good one.

Mark
 
Top