Which .416 Rigby?

[Rule 303]

If I was to get one of those I'd burn the stock and get some decent timber. Sorry gents but those lumps of wood are way to garish for me. I like plain timber with good grain flow and preferably on the dark side. Come to think of it, after reading this thread I see there are people that like these stocks so I'd probably sell it for a good price.

 

[Shootist43]

In my dreams, I'd pick the grade 9 i.e. the one on the right in the first picture. But then I'd have to convince myself that shooting it wouldn't result in a cracked or broken stock. It might be different if Rigby guaranteed free stock replacement with equal or better wood. In the meantime, WOW.

 

[franzfmdavis]

Third from left is the only one I have high confidence in the wood’s structure. Will the others hold up? Probably. For the price point, would it be better to have less flamboyance and better grain flow through the wrist? Definitely. Would that cost more and be less attractive? Yes and yes.

Very interesting consideration that I would not have thought of previously!

 

[Don458]

I dont even have 1/100 of the money saved for any of them

That’s what Credit cards are for.

 

[rookhawk]

Very interesting consideration that I would not have thought of previously!

Never fall for pretty wood. I can show you worthless wood that is 10x more attractive than the Rigby photos. Studying wood structure is like finding flaws and grading precious stones. It takes training, but that training is the difference between $300 wood and $6000 wood even though they have an identical aesthetic. You need to assume wood is going to crack and then look at where/how under stress of recoil.

Only one of those 6 rifle's stocks is "excellent" wood and it happens to be one of the less figured pieces. You're looking for a gentle curve of the grain structure flowing through the wrist, not straight grain running parallel through the wrist. You also don't want straight grains running due south of the tang and safety, that's a weak spot and where recoil forces are likely to split the wood.

 

[rookhawk]

How stuff works. Sincere apologies I have not one iota of artistic talent and can barely write my name. The only reason I can do anything of quality is that I'm anal and precise with guns and antiques, not because I can naturally draw a straight line.