Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/496918
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 1 9 T he new Rigby Big Game bolt- action rifle reminds me of the Rolling Stones. But only a little. Like the Stones, the .416 Rigby Mauser is an oldie but a goodie. Unlike the Stones, the .416 Rigby stepped off the world stage and out of demand for many, many years. Most fans thought it was not only obsolete, but also irrelevant, consigned to the dust bin of of his day. His bolt gun didn't fire two shots quite as fast as a double, but beat it to hell and back for five. And at one-third the cost, which appealed to professional hunters in Africa. This was a no-nonsense working man's rifle unencumbered by superfluous engraving or the kind of rich, swirling walnut you'd be tempted to leave behind when the going got rough. Today one can order the same purely functional Rigby, but I'm guessing buyers are looking to compliment the Rigby cache and performance with a touch of flare. The production rifle I recently Ron Spomer i f l e s R history—and an obscure bin, too. Only 189 of these iconic rifles were ever built by John Rigby Co. of London. Until now. The moribund Rigby Special .416 Bore for Big Game has been reborn. It's alive! And, unlike the Stones, it's as powerful and capable today as it was when it first exploded onto the world stage. It's better looking, too. That's saying something because the original .416 Rigby Mauser debuted way back in 1912. It was a solid, dependable, slick, controlled- feed bolt-action, John Rigby's answer to the expensive big-bore doubles The Rigby .416 is new again—and delivers the same satisfaction as the original. Ron SpomeR