What's happend with this WR synthetic???

[homeless]

This notice has two years but i remember in this moment reading another things

A Westley Richards First - Synthetic All Weather Mountain Rifle / The Explora - Premier Online Field Sports & Gun Journal

Simon's project, first mooted in The Explora in December 2015, is a mountain rifle designed for the rigours of sheep hunting. Early protot

www.westleyrichards.com

 

[VertigoBE]

Very interesting article, thanks for sharing @homeless

I am surprised though, that they did not go for some kind of checkering. I understood from the article that the polymer stock is 'grippy' as it is, but I believe it would be more in keeping with traditional looks to have some checkering anyway.

Also, I'm unsure about an overall 'grippy' texture, especially for the cheek weld. It might be not so pleasant to shoot, if the stock cannot slide on your cheek, but grips it firm through recoil.

 

[homeless]

I would like one in 300H&H

 

[W.J.JEFFERY & CO.]

I think they just ended up being too expensive to produce to be viable.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

WR has a full order book and there is a 6 year wait on delivery. I had thought that this new rifle was some sort of attempt at a volume offering that could be easier to produce. Clearly that is not the case though.
Rigby, WR and Heym all appear to be flat out, the others may be too, I just don't know.

 

[homeless]

a pity.
It could have been an initiation product in the brand WR......

 

[Aaron N]

Hopefully common sense prevailed, and the decided it was in their best intrest to continue to focus on producing works of art.

There’s more than enough plastic available on the market.

 

[sierraone]

A plastic WR? Even if you could afford it, you should be shot in the ?ss if you bought one!!!

 

[BeeMaa]

A plastic WR? Even if you could afford it, you should be shot in the ?ss if you bought one!!!

It does seem a little off to be waiting 6 years for a synthetic stocked rifle.

 

[homeless]

A plastic WR? Even if you could afford it, you should be shot in the ?ss if you bought one!!!

even ferrari and bentley have released one SUV

 

[BeeMaa]

even ferrari and bentley have released one SUV

There's not a 6 year wait on a 4-door super luxury SUV.

 

[VertigoBE]

There's not a 6 year wait on a 4-door super luxury SUV.

A lot of the more luxurious car models in Europe (German makes) are getting to 1.5years and above in waiting time. A friend ordered a full option Range Rover new model, waiting time was 2years.

 

[BeeMaa]

A lot of the more luxurious car models in Europe (German makes) are getting to 1.5years and above in waiting time. A friend ordered a full option Range Rover new model, waiting time was 2years.

I'll bet the Range Rover comes with real wood trim.

 

[VertigoBE]

But back on topic. I actually see a synthetic WR make all kinds of sense:

If the specific purpose (as the article states) is to have a rifle for mountain and very wet/cold conditions, for someone who wants only the best (and maybe already has a WR to begin with and has money to spare) why not order this model with a synthetic stock and order a wood stock simultaneously. Just switch between them as conditions require.

However, I suspect the reasons they do not want to put this in production are many as well:
- impacts overall brand value. If you make it your main company statement to only work with the noblest of materials, to the highest standards, then a synthetic does not fit well

- They already have enough work as it is. They do not need this product to make extra money, they are already fully booked anyway. They would not even be able to produce it.

- Although it is a synthetic stock, the rest of the rifle remains WR, so a high price point. Which means that even if they are half price of a normal wood stocked WR, the sale volume will still be very low. Which means that the cost of the machinery for the extrusion of the synthetic stocks will be a big sum spread over very little volume. I'm not even sure it will be much cheaper than a wood stock for this reason. And of course no one (or very few) will want to pay the price of a WR walnut stock for a synthetic one.

anyway, I find it a shame that this will go nowhere, but I understand the reasoning behind. I could see a spin off brand of WR, or perhaps a sister company of WR without the WR name continuing on this. But it would be in direct competition with custom Blaser's, Mauser's, etc. (and then without the panache of the WR name to begin with).

The best that could come from this, is if another big company (Heym, Mauser, Sauer, etc. I leave Blaser out, because their design would likely not work so well with this classical stock design) would purchase the molds, or duplicate them. And would then produce a "modern interpretation of a custom British styled hunting rifle"

 

[WAB]

It does seem a little off to be waiting 6 years for a synthetic stocked rifle.

I was just in the Westley Richards shop in Birmingham discussing a build. ‘Trigger’ was indicating 2 1/2 years. Of course, this will be a proper wood stock!