Guns & Outdoors Forum

I bought this old box lock from a friend.

Well used but not in too bad a shape, it's a Rigby 12 gauge, with a new pair of barrels by William Powell, 2 1/2" chambers, decent LOP, choking to be determined.
It comes up well for me and has that nice whippy English gun feel.

Marked as John Rigby but likely made by Webley in Birmingham, likely it was just finished off in their workshop.

Proofs and model history etc. to be worked out when I have a rainy Sunday afternoon handy and a desire for self flagellation.

Until then I'm as happy as a dog with a tin **** and can't wait to have a crack at some bunnies or turkeys with it.

Apologies for the bad snaps, I'm not going to be home before dark this week and I wanted to share.
Realistically though, my photos would still be rubbish even with the help of natural light, but I digress, To the pics!

That’s pretty!!

Very cool! How difficult is it to find 2 1/2" shells to feed the old girl?

Oh Yeah! That's my kind of shotgun!! Simple elegance!!

I has some nice figure to the wood, as does your floor

Very Nice
I don't know much about shotguns, but 2 1/2 in shells?

Love doubles. Old ones were the best.

Wow! That is cool!

Absolutely stunning classic!!!

Awesome
I have a Sauer from 1938 and was glad it happened to be 2 3/4 just for the convenience.
2 1/2 here isn't too bad to get. How hard is it there ?

Had to look again…. I LOVE those splinter forends

sakodude wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 10:50 am Very cool! How difficult is it to find 2 1/2" shells to feed the old girl?

Not too bad, game loads are a little bit harder, but not bad. The local CAS crowd means that even the nearby chain sporting goods store normally carries a #7 trap load in 2 1/2".

Chiro1989 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 2:00 pm I has some nice figure to the wood, as does your floor

Thanks, you have a good eye, it's good stick, has nice tiger stripe to it, which is what I like in stocks.
The floors are heart rimu, a native timber, and could do with a sanding, but they are pretty.

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 6:29 pm Had to look again…. I LOVE those splinter forends

Come on down and you can shoot it to your heart's content.
BTW I picked it up for less than a Ruger Wrangler...

That’s a pretty cool find!
If I may, what does a used “Rigby” Shotgun go for?

Looks great! Love the straight stock. What length are the barrels?

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 6:29 pm Had to look again…. I LOVE those splinter forends

Me I like the checkering on it.
To the point I'd see about having the butt stock touched up.

Waipapa13 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 8:01 pm

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 6:29 pm Had to look again…. I LOVE those splinter forends

Come on down and you can shoot it to your heart's content.
BTW I picked it up for less than a Ruger Wrangler...

If your looking for a you suck.....you got it.

Very nice...lovely old double...

Fine double! I love that long checkering. An old friend used to trim 20ga hulls to run in an English double.

My Spanish has been tarnished in AZ. I thought escopeta meant “let’s get married…soon!” Or duck!

Svelte! Love it - Al's jealous because he didn't find it first!

Waipapa13 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 8:01 pm

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 6:29 pm Had to look again…. I LOVE those splinter forends

Come on down and you can shoot it to your heart's content.
BTW I picked it up for less than a Ruger Wrangler...

DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, a touch of hatred right now

But it will pass. Talking to the wife about a trip to NZ within a reasonable time. Looks like she’s interested

Zee wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 9:50 pm That’s a pretty cool find!
If I may, what does a used “Rigby” Shotgun go for?

Not anything eye watering, I'm just an ordinary working man, making a very ordinary wage.

This was $300USD, a bit more than a Wrangler, I now see.

A lot of people see English shotguns and think dollar signs, but there are plenty of affordable ones out there.
A friend sold this to me, but he made what he needed to out of it.
Had it been put to auction I'd be bloody surprised if it went anywhere close to $600-700 USD

I haven't done a deep dive into the history of this gun and model, but I know enough to say that it's the bottom of the range of Rigby's offerings, the most valuable piece of it is that Rigby stamp.

Better condition than mine with a case should be in the $1,000 to $1,500 USD range from what I can see in the UK and Canada
and based on my knowledge of the NZ market.
I do not know enough about the US situation to comment.

https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/ Is a good read, and his selection of guns is good, priced well, and he exports (enable, enable, enable, enable), his sold guns will also give you a bit of a feel for what you can get, and, more importantly, he doesn't sell beaters.

Whilst it is true that English makers can get stratospheric, there are plenty of good guns out there for what you might pay for an entry level Beretta U/O or equivalent.

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Thu Aug 03, 2023 2:17 am

Waipapa13 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 8:01 pm

Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 6:29 pm Had to look again…. I LOVE those splinter forends

Come on down and you can shoot it to your heart's content.
BTW I picked it up for less than a Ruger Wrangler...

DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, a touch of hatred right now

But it will pass. Talking to the wife about a trip to NZ within a reasonable time. Looks like she’s interested

Cool! Let me know when you do make it down and I'll take some time off to show you around.

Orchidman wrote: ↑Wed Aug 02, 2023 10:16 pm Looks great! Love the straight stock. What length are the barrels?

Thanks, 28" tubes, I've got a bad wrist so prefer a straight stock