I don't bring this up lightly...

[rookhawk]

It’s also not priced at the cost of a “bespoke quality Rigby”.

It’s an amateur reworked gun that is a Merkel. Making any comparison to a Rigby is not a proper analogy. $20k+ puts you in a world of high grade London extractor guns, Birmingham ejector guns, and Heyms. If you’d like to make analogies, compare and contrast to those of a similar price point.

 

[Flewis]

Not picking sides here. All seemed to be going well until the phone call between op and rb where rb said he was threatened. None of us know what was said so we just don’t know the whole story. I do know that this post puts both sides in a bad light.

 

[skydiver386]

The photos were clearly not adequate to show potential buyers the true condition of the rifle. I can understand poor photos the first go round, but after all of this, then trying to do the same thing on another site with equally poor photos?

A flash photo would have shown the true extent of the damage. Is anyone really going to convince me the man has no idea how to turn on the flash so a clear, bright photo can be taken?

Just telling someone the rifle has been hunted with and saying it has a few scratches doesn't cover this one.

 

[dogcat1]

To be fair it is a California “Rigby”. I don’t mean any offense or disrespect to any party but at that price point I would’ve went with a Heym or K-gun. Maybe a VC. Those “Rigby” rifles are not desirable in the slightest. Virtually impossible to give away, let alone sell or resell. If a “Rigby” rifle says Paso Robles on it I would run away as fast as my legs could carry me.. IMHO.

I would agree with this statement as I was involved with 2 California Rigby's. Further, I bought a London Rigby at a very low price a few years ago. It did not function and feed as smoothing as I had hoped. I sent it to Lon Paul for evaluation and his opinion. As it turned out, the rifle I bought was a compilation of Rigby rifle parts left over after WWII. The SN's were various but were traced to guns made from 1921 until 1940. Was it a Rigby? Yes, but more of a Frankenstien than a Rigby. I sold it at a loss with full discloser of what it was.

The new Rigby's, made in London after the ownership change are very nice. I have two of the Highland Stalkers - fine, semi custom guns, over priced but good quality. As to a double, I am no expert as I have owned only one double. What I see in the pictures - before and after the sale - would make me run away on this deal. The buyer does not appear to get what he thought he was getting.

My advice -

Return the rifle, get your money back and chalk up the lost $500 in shipping to a very good lesson in gun buying. Next time, go through a gold standard expert or shop - such as William Larkin Moore and Sons, or a couple of others that offer services that prevent you getting hosed.