Rigby The Revolutionary

The boar was crossing a cut lane. We immediately set up a stalk and noticed him. His profile alone showed a mature, good-looking hog. He was also a great shooter at 200 yards. We saw the boar running as we turned the corner. I grabbed his shoulder and pulled the trigger, causing it to cross the vertical plane of his vitals. I heard the bullet strike and, despite the fact the rains had just stopped, we found blood quickly. The.275 Rigby did its job well and effectively, as it had done many times over the past century. John Rigby & Company can trace their roots back to Dublin, Ireland in 1775, and London, England today. Despite a brief jaunt here in America, the company is right where it belongs making great firearms that are worthy of the pedigree. Many people don’t realize the importance of Rigby’s contributions in the cartridge world and their impact on modern ballistics. Left to right: The.450 3 1/4-inch Nitro Express and.275 Rigby. Massaro Media Group. All That’s Gold Doesn’t Glitter. While novice riflemen can name a few cartridges bearing the Rigby surname, one of the most important doesn’t bear the family name nor gets the credit for its performance. It did, single-handedly, set the benchmark for a dangerous-game-stopping rifle, though its tenure was cut short due to some colonial insurrections.The .450 3 1/4 -inch Nitro Express was developed by John Rigby & Co. in 1898. Although there were other.450s that could be used with blackpowder, Rigby’s first Nitro Express cartridge was designed to work with “nitro” or smokeless. It could drive a 480-grain bullet at a muzzle velocity in excess of 2,150 fps. This cartridge would be a favorite of professional hunters and traveling sportsmen alike. The Crown banned all.450 ammunition in its colonies in 1907 due to uprisings in India, Sudan, and it was soon out of favor. This was done to prevent colonials from having access to.577-450 Martini Henry rifles. Many companies created cartridges with similar ballistics to circumvent the problem. 2 Jefferies. 2 Jefferies. Mag. Mag. Massaro Media Group. The ballistic formula for the.450 NE would inspire Winchester’s 1956.458 Winchester Magnum. It tried its best, but it was not successful. The.458 Winchester used a 510-grain bullet with a advertised muzzle velocity at 2,150 fps. It didn’t reach these numbers for at least forty years. The.470 Nitro Express would be the most popular rimmed cartridge for single-shots or double rifles in this class. However, Rigby’s 7×57 Rigby remains a solid choice. Wait, What?John Rigby & Co. entered into a business agreement with Mauser of Germany in late 19th century. They imported their Model 98 actions and gave them British stocks. Rigby offered the 7x57mm Mauser as one of the chambering for their rifles–understandably, it was and is a fantastic hunting cartridge–but decided to rename the cartridge to make it more palatable to the British market. This was not unusual; the.404 Jeffery was also known as the 10.75x73mm in Europe. The.275 Rigby is the 7×57 Mauser with an alias. Massaro Media Group. The.275 Rigby is and will always be the 7x57mm Mauser. That’s certainly not a bad thing. The 7mm bullets are used in the classic design. The cartridge’s 175-grain bullets have earned a reputation. Anyone interested in the.275 Rigby should know about the.275 Rigby HV Chambering. The chamber’s lead has been modified to maximize performance with the 140-grain Spitzer bullet. Only a few of the 150-,156-, and 160-grain bullets will be accepted in the HV chamber. Walter Dalrymple Maitland Bell, better known as Karamojo, used the.275 Rigby for his famous ivory hunts across Africa. Col. Jim Corbett used a.275 Rigby rifle that was presented to him by the Champawat Tiger tigress to end many man-eaters’ careers. I have had the pleasure to hold Corbett’s rifle. It’s a light, balanced gun that is lightweight and well-balanced. Although it shows no signs of bluing or stock finishing from being exposed to the elements while hunting, it still retains the classic Rigby design. Bell and Corbett are two examples of hunters who have risked their lives hunting the most dangerous game in the world. Massaro Media Group. The.275 Rigby isn’t a speed demon but it isn’t slow to fire either. The.275 Rigby Magnum was a great choice for young hunters. It was created in 1908 and is an absolute masterpiece. The.350 Rigby’s sensible design is the 45-degree shoulder. This would be compatible with the.416 Rigby on a rimless case. It has a rim diameter that is close to the.375 H&H so the same bolt face can handle both cartridges. The.350 Rigby Magnum will accept the.358-inch bullet diameters of the.358 Winchester and.35 Whelen. Massaro Media Group. The classic.350 Rigby load features a 225-grain spitzer cartridge leaving the muzzle at 2,600 feet per second, making it an excellent choice for larger game. Although it was used as an all-around weapon, many hunters found better options for dangerous-game animals with thick skins. Bror von Blixen­Fineke and Denys Finch Hatton loved it. It was a favorite of both Denys Finch Hatton and Bror von Blixen-Fineke. Photo by Massaro Media Group. Roberson Cartridge Company sells component cases. There are many excellent bullets available, with reliable load data in the Woodleigh Reloading Manual. The.350 Rigby Magnum is capable of holding 250 grains at 2,650 fps. The.350 Rigby Magnum is a great choice if you are looking for a beefy cartridge. It’s a good thing. It is still one of the most popular choices for thick-skinned, dangerous game animals. The.416 Rigby No. 2 has the same ballistics and rimless version, but it has a rim…making them easier to use in single-shot or double rifles. Massaro Media Group. Although the cartridge has a strong reputation, it was not used in many Rigby rifles during the Golden Age. From its introduction in 1911 to the outbreak of World War II in 1945, there were only 170.416 Rigby rifles in circulation. Although it was a favorite among professional hunters, the.416 Rigby wasn’t as popular as the proprietary cartridges the.375 H&H Magnum and the.404 Jeffery. Robert Ruark’s Horn of the Hunter was undoubtedly the one that cemented the.416 Rigby as one of the most iconic cartridges. From 1911 to the late 1980s,.416 Rigby was a commercial cartridge with a bore diameter of.4.16. The case, much like the.350 Rigby Magnum, is a unique design that has no parent case. The Federal Safari.416 Rigby ammo can be used for any animal that walks. Massaro Media Group. The.416 Rigby was advertised as having a 410-grain bullet and a muzzle velocity at 2,300 fps. Dr. Kevin Robertson tested some old Rigby ammunition and found that the speed was actually around 2,150 feet per second. This is how it works with century-old designs. Modern loads typically use a 400-grain bullet at speeds between 2,300 and 2,400 FPS. This produces around 5,000 ft.lb of energy and a few different bullet weights. The Woodleigh 450-grain Weldcore Softpoint and full metal jacket loaded in the Norma African PH line at 2,150 fps is my favorite. The Woodleigh 450-grain Weldcore softpoint and full metal jacket solid loaded in the Norma African PH line at 2,150 fps are my favorites. Massaro Media Group. The.416 Rigby should have a magnum-length receiver. That big case, which was designed to protect the cordite from the effects of tropical heat and keep the pressures low enough to allow for reliable extraction, will eat up magazine space. Many.416 rifles will come with an Oberndorf-style magazine extension to allow for additional cartridges. The 45-degree shoulder provides good headspacing and the cartridge’s low pressure makes it a popular choice for African hunters. Rigby also announced the 2019 release of the.416 No. 2 is a flanged or-rimmed version the.416 Rigby with identical bulletistics to be used in double rifles. Norma uses a 500 grain solid at a stunning 2,500 fps to produce over 6,900 ft.lb of muzzle energy. She also uses the 550-grain Woodleigh pair at 2,100 fps. Nosler offers their 500 grain Partition at 2,350 fps, for 6,130 ft.lb. Norma loads the 550-grain Woodleigh Weldcore softpoint (shown here) into the.450 Rigby at a muzzle velocity 2,100 fps. Massaro Media Group. Although it sounds terrible on the shoulder, the Rigby rifle that I shoot fits me well. The recoil is more of the classic push and less of the violent slap associated to cartridges that are both fast and heavy.Norma loads the 550-grain Woodleigh Weldcore softpoint and FMJ (shown here) in the.450 Rigby at a muzzle velocity of 2,100 fps. The.416 Rigby is not for you. I don’t know why. However, the.450 Rigby has more horsepower for larger beasties. There’s no denying the significance of Rigby’s innovations in the cartridge world. The.275 Rigby is a rebranding from the 7mm Mauser. Its popularity is due to the achievements of Bell and Corbett. Massaro Media Group. Add that to their.450 3 1/4-inch Nitro Express and you have an indelible mark on hunting. To be honest, I don’t know anyone who hunts with a Rigby cartridge. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be downloaded in MOA. This is a great option for long-range shooting. Enter your email address below.