Quality Myth

[BILLY D.]

OK BRIT

NOW YOU OWE ME FOR A NEW KEYBOARD. I DROOLED AND SLOBBERED ALL OVER MINE.

IT WAS ALWAYS MY DREAM TO OWN A RIGBY. AS A CHILD I CONTRACTED POLIO AND WAS HARNESSED BY BRACES. COULDN'T GET AROUND TO WELL AND CONSEQUENTLY DID A LOT OF READING. THE MOST FAVORITE OF THINGS I LIKED TO READ WERE STORIES ABOUT AFRICAN HUNTING. MY HEROES IN THOSE DAYS WERE WALTER DALRYMPLE MAITLAND BELL AND OSA AND MARTIN JOHNSON. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND A LOT OF WORDS AT THAT TIME, I WAS ONLY SEVEN, BUT I COULD SIT DOWN AND WITH A DICTIONARY WORK MY WAY THROUGH A STORY. OH, YA, MY BIG BROTHER HELPED ME A LOT TOO. I READ SO MANY BOOKS MY MOTHER AND FATHER JOINED THE READERS DIGEST BOOK CLUB.

READING ABOUT AFRICAN AND EUROPEAN HUNTING AND THOSE SWEET BRITISH HUNTING RILFES WAS AN INSPIRATION TO ME.

QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO I STARTED BUYING MAUSER ACTIONS AND MAKING MY OWN RIGBY IMMITATIONS AND MAKE BELIEVE HUNTING RIFLES. I FULLY REALIZED I'D NEVER OWN A REAL RIGBY. I HAVE ONE built on '98 mauser actions IN 30:06, 6,5x68ai, 458wm, 243ai and an fclass long range in 308win. talk about wacky, i purchased a 1909 argentine action 2 years ago and couldn't figure out which caliber to use for it. after much wondering and pondering i ended up making it a 7mm mauser. BLUEPRINTED THE ACTION AND DONE SOME LIGHTENING, PUT ON A KRIEGER TAPERED BARREL, 21 INCH AND USED A MPI STOCK AND ENDED UP WITH A 6 3/4 POUND SHOOTING POWERHOUSE. I DEDICATED IT TO OSA JOHNSON.

I STILL HAVE THREE MAUSER ACTIONS AND HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THEM YET. MAYBE THE LIGHT BULB WILL COME ON SOME DAY.

BUT I STILL COVET YOUR RIGBY.

[Brithunter]

Billy,

Your quite welcome my friend Sorry about the keyboard

I gather due to your handicap and the comment about "MAKE BELIEVE HUNTING RIFLES" that you cannot hunt. Sorry but I cannot imagine how that would feel Your dedication in making up these rifles speak volumes on courage. If only I lived nearer you would be most welcome to see, feel and even try out my classics. I do try to shoot them ever now and then.

One day I hope to make areturn trip to the US to hunt with a friend and his brothers again. Last time I used a fairly modern rifle, a BSA CF2 in 7x57mm which was made in 1986, however I am feeling more and more the need to get back to using a classic rifle with iron sights. Starting gently by using a sporting aperture sight as I have a couple of rifles with them fitted plus a BSA Sportsman Five .22R/F which is also similarly equiped.

Now the downside with having rifles like this is that once one has handled them and shot them it's very difficult to accept the short cuts which are obvious in most modern production rifles. I suppose spolit is a good word for this

As for projects........................... well I have a restoration one on-going. At a show I saw and brought a Mannlicher Schoenauer Model 1903 which had been heavily altered for either a small women or child. the butt is seriously shortened and in doing so they removed the pistol grip and chequred it Rigby style. At some time in it's life the barrel had been relined and as it turned out the chamber was out of round and wrecked cases . After having it laying about and even putting it up for sale I enquired with Ron Wharton of Rigbys' as to what cartridge it could be re-barreled. After a while he contacted me and asked if I would like a brand new Steyr made barrel chambered for the 6.5x54MS cartridge.

Well I brought the barrel and waited but Ron was far too busy building custom Rigby style rifles for his wealthy clients and so the work was farmed out to another smith whom Ron recommended. The new barrel was fitted and the whole rifle re-blacked now I am waiting until I can afford to get a new stock made up. What started out as a cheap Schoenauer now is an expensive one .................................. but it does have a spanking new bore so I will one day get a nicely figured piece of walnut semi inletted and then have it fitted in the traditional way and ave a nice custom Mannlicher. It's much to altered to try and pass it for a std mannlicher so I may as well as one built for me

[Old Timer]

Quality,
I believe that quality dosn't wear a name other than a good barrel that shoots consistency tight groups and a action that is smooth and preforms flawlessly, with a saftey that works and is dependable. a stock that is solid and as attractive as possible given it's price range a finish that will stay on for years reguardless of the weather, and sence this rifle is a personal thing it must please it's owner, as for me I would rather own a good looking accruate rifle than a ugly one. Just my opinion.
Old Timer

[Dan in the Delta]

Having owned most major rifle brands, there's no question in my mind that some brands are built with more quality than others. The difference does not show up in accuracy (if at all), however, nearly as much as it does in how well and how reliably they function. Cycle the bolt of a Sako and then do the same with a Ruger and you'll know instantly that more effort (quality) went into the Sako. I've never had a Sako, Mauser or Winchester pre 64 model 70 fail to function in any way, but I have had Remington 700's fail to extract spent cases on several occassions. This has as much (or more) to do with the design itself as it does with the execution of that design. In my mind the 700 is an inferior design to begin with, which means it's going to be of inferior quality from the get go. The Ruger 77, on the other hand, is a sound design, but because it's excecuted rather sloppily, the result is a firearm of lesser quality, again IMHO.

So, I can't agree that quality only refers to how "pretty" a rifle is. Then again, in my experience a rifle of higher quality can be and usually is very pretty. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

[fabsroman]

My view is that "quality", not just beauty, is in the eye of the holder (i.e., gun holder). It all depends what that person is looking for in a firearm.

[Montana Cowboy]

Howdy All
I like them all, ugly ones and pretty ones. MC