John Rigby & Co Sidelock .600 Nitro Express

Description:
An extraordinary John Rigby & Co. bespoke .600 Nitro Express double rifle, completed in the late 1980s and representing one of the most collectible modern Rigby dangerous-game rifles ever to reach the open market. With world-class Ken C. Hunt engraving, documented ownership in major collections including Mr. Feldstein and Robert M. Lee, and a spectacular Vincent Rickards exhibition case, this is a rare opportunity to acquire a museum-grade Rigby without the many-year wait typically associated with a bespoke build.

• Built by John Rigby & Co., one of the oldest gunmaking firms in continuous existence in the English-speaking world
• Rigby opened its doors in 1775, giving the firm over 250 years of gunmaking heritage
• Rigby is regarded as an elite bespoke maker, long associated with some of the finest custom guns and rifles in the world
• Completed in the late 1980s as an outstanding example of Rigby quality, craftsmanship, and bespoke artistry
• Chambered in the massive .600 Nitro Express, one of the most iconic dangerous-game cartridges ever produced
• Bespoke Rigby .600 Nitro Express rifles are very rarely encountered on the open market
• Rigby built only a very small number of these rifles, adding major rarity and collector desirability
• Offers the chance to purchase a finished bespoke Rigby .600 Nitro Express outright, without the many-year wait required to commission one from the ground up
• One of Ken Hunt’s most well-known engraved rifles
• Has been part of some of the finest arms collections in the world, from Mr. Feldstein to Robert M. Lee
• Featured in books and articles on engraving, adding important published provenance and collector recognition
• Configuration: double rifle
• Barrel construction: massive blacked steel saddlelump barrels, a traditional and highly respected double-rifle barrel system
• Front sight: nitre blued blade front sight on a ramped base
• Rear sight: stippled rear quarter rib with three-leaf rear sight
  • One standing leaf
  • Two folding leaves
  • Gold centerlines
  • Regulated for 50, 100, and 200 yards
• Maker’s name: gold inlaid “J. RIGBY & Co. LONDON. ENGLAND” along the rib
• Decorative barrel detail: flourish of deep floral carving on the spade head extension
• Proof marks: barrels bear 1986-dated London nitro proof marks on the flats
• Caliber marking: “CALIBRE 600 NITRO” engraved on the top rib ahead of the quarter rib
• Sling hardware: front sling swivel attached at the under rib
• Breech decoration: beautifully executed engraved band at either breech
• Ejection system: chambers fitted with automatic ejectors
• Action: highly attractive brushed bright-finished back-action sidelock
• Lockplates: Rigby dipped-edge lockplates
• Action scaled up specifically to accommodate the impressive .600 Nitro Express cartridge
• Engraving: magnificent relief-carved game scenes by world-renowned British Master Engraver Ken C. Hunt
• Decorative engraving includes beautifully executed leafy vine engraving surrounding “J. RIGBY & Co.” signatures inlaid in gold on either bolster
• Fences feature deeply carved acanthus leaves
• Three major relief-carved dangerous-game scenes extend across the action and continue onto:
  • Toplever
  • Both tangs
  • Lower tang, with the serial number in gold
  • Trigger guard, with “.600/NITRO” inlaid in gold within a shield
• Left lockplate scene:
  • Pod of hippos in the water
  • One hippo yawning and showing its impressive jaws
  • Waterbuck bull and cow watching from the banks
  • Pair of bee-eater birds watching from a tree branch
  • Signed “K. C. Hunt” at the bottom
• Right lockplate scene:
  • Pride of lions lounging beneath a camel thorn tree on the savanna
  • Lions watching a herd of wary wildebeests and zebras
  • Signed “K. C. Hunt” at the bottom
• Underside scene:
  • Hunter, likely Mr. Feldstein who commissioned the rifle, facing down a charging bull elephant in thick cover
  • Scene is cut in extraordinary detail
• Buttplate scene:
  • Same hunter following a local tracker through the bush
  • Tracker is toting a spear
  • Hunter carries his double rifle at the ready
• Mechanical and control features:
  • Bushed firing pins
  • Ribbed cocking indicators on either lockplate, allowing the user to see the rifle’s cocked status
  • Nitre blued double triggers
  • Tang-mounted manual safety
  • Gold inlaid “SAFE” indicator
• Forend:
  • Beautiful, well-figured beavertail forend
  • Mullered bordered multi-point checkering
  • Matching engraved and brushed bright-finished iron
  • Push-button release
• Stock:
  • Exceptionally attractive, well-figured wood
  • Matching multi-point checkering at the hand
  • Traditional carved drop points
  • Brushed bright and engraved trapdoor grip cap
  • Rigby double “R” logo on the grip cap
  • Shadowline cheekpiece
  • Blank gold stock oval
  • Rear sling swivel
  • Brushed bright-finished buttplate with relief-carved hunting scene
• Dimensions and weight:
  • Length of pull: 14 4/5 inches
  • Weight: 14 lbs. 9 oz.
• Includes an exceptional exhibition case by legendary case maker Vincent Rickards
• Case construction:
  • Oak and leather
  • Burled walnut veneer
  • Stunning multi-colored marquetry
  • Marquetry depicts the same highly detailed game scene of hippos, waterbucks, blue-bearded bee-eater, and a flying marabou stork
  • Additional inlaid borders and accents
• Interior:
  • French fitted, with shaped compartments for the rifle and accessories
  • Blue calfskin interior
  • Veneered compartment lids
  • Interior lid has the gilded gunmaker’s name and address in the leather lining
  • Casemaker’s name appears on a plaque in the barrel compartment
• Complete set of accoutrements by T. F. Wood & Son includes:
  • Glass oil pot
  • Steel oil bottle with brass plaque
  • Steel solvent bottle with brass plaque
  • Horn striker jar
  • Casehardened disk wrench
  • Horn striking block
  • Horn-handled turnscrews
  • Nickel boil-out funnel
  • Nickel snap caps
  • Fluted-handle two-piece cleaning rod
• Additional included accessories:
  • Three sight hoods
  • Leather sling
• A premier collector-grade Rigby combining extreme rarity, famous engraving, major collection provenance, published recognition, and exhibition-level presentation
• Particularly desirable for collectors of Rigby rifles, British dangerous-game arms, Ken C. Hunt engraving, bespoke double rifles, and high-art sporting firearms

Condition

Excellent overall, retaining 99% original black finish on the barrels, 98% original brushed bright finish with a tiny area of discoloration at the left rear of the action, vibrant case colors on the watertable and inside the trigger guard bow, minor handling evidence, and sharp checkering on the stock and forend. Mechanically excellent. The exceptional Vincent Rickards case is very fine with slight internal wear and the accessories are very fine to excellent with one broken top on the glass oil bottle. Do not miss out on this opportunity to own a stunning piece of functional firearms art that is both a show stopper and an elephant stopper!

Rifle Caliber: .600 Nitro Express
Manufacturer: John Rigby & Co
Model: Sidelock
Serial Number: 18600
Barrel Length: 24 inch solid rib
Condition: The bores are bright with sharp rifling.

Price: $374,999.99