messed up scope mount on old rigby

Mungo

Well-Known Member
For all those classic rifle experts:

I guided someone yesterday who had a 1906 Rigby in .275, built on an Oberndorf Mauser action. It was a lovely rifle, but whoever had added the scope mounts seems to have made a real mess. Could people take a look and tell me what the extra flange is coming off the left hand side of the receiver?
 
For all those classic rifle experts:

I guided someone yesterday who had a 1906 Rigby in .275, built on an Oberndorf Mauser action. It was a lovely rifle, but whoever had added the scope mounts seems to have made a real mess. Could people take a look and tell me what the extra flange is coming off the left hand side of the receiver?

In the absence of a photo I would guess it's a Holland and Holland type side mount Mungo. :D
 
A friend thought he was getting a bargain at an auction & snapped up an old Mauser for £125 & then had to have one of these H&H mounts made for it; I seem to remember it cost him about £500!
 
Many on here will know better than I, that there are many photographs of Russian snipers in WW11 with side mounted scopes. I can only imagine that this was to permit use of open sights as necessary, or, maybe not to impede the flag safety?
Pity that pietasvenatores is on his holidays or I am sure he could give us chapter and verse.
 
I can only see the photos as tiny thumbnails but it looks like the receiver has simply been drilled and tapped for dovetails which is pretty standard and straightforward as long as you are willing to drill the rifle. The old side mount has been left on but appears unconnected to the newer mounts.

My old 1911 Westley Richards was drilled and tapped for modern dovetails and rings by Lee Butler at EJ Churchills and it was a very simple and effective solution.
 
That will have been the original mount probably, with the scope either offset or canted across. It leaves the action clear to easily feed in rounds. Not the prettiest, but many early mounts weren't that pretty.

indeed Forums.NitroExpress.com

has some really good pictures..
 
Last edited:
For all those classic rifle experts:

I guided someone yesterday who had a 1906 Rigby in .275, built on an Oberndorf Mauser action. It was a lovely rifle, but whoever had added the scope mounts seems to have made a real mess. Could people take a look and tell me what the extra flange is coming off the left hand side of the receiver?

mess indeed! It's a nice original side mount to work as quick detach in the days where aesthetics were still appreciated but where scopes also were of fragile construction so access to iron or Aperture sights was of actual importance.

As soon as the receiver was drilled and tapped for standard bases and rings the rifle has become virtually worthless imho. The only right thing to do is to have the front bridge laser welded and re engraved where the screws are now, and prey the rear bridge charger hump was not filed off either, and have that welded too. I would speak with New England custom guns (Mark) about a new top mount for that side mount piece. If the original flag safety is still there then great! If some monkey installed a 'normal' trigger with a safety and cut a recess in the stock for the safety lever, well, then it is no longer a rigby, it's partially a rigby that's been ruined and ahould be treated as nothing but parts, sadly.

worth restoring if not been brutalised, otherwise just use as is.
 
Ah - You are around Peter! Great.

Could you pm me a phone number - I'd like to ask a few more detailed questions. I have a whole serious of pics of the action.

Flag safety still there, but appears to have been modified so it only has 2 positions (hard left and up). If I remember right, hard left is now fire and up is safe, blocking trigger and bolt. Would this make sense?
 
With a flag safety can you actually make that rifle safe with this mount system on?

This is what I'm really worried about.

You can move it between the left and up position, where it is just touching the scope. In one of those (I think it's the up position), you can't fire - but I'm not sure it's very secure. I did refuse to let him stalk with it, and lent him mine instead.
 
Back
Top