350 Rigby re-barrel, re-blue

[Sinistral]

I have 32 rounds of original Kynock ammo and 10 cases from Bertram Brass

Is the ammunition you have original Kynoch (WR), or is it Kynamco?
Can you post pics of the ammunition and packaging please.

 

[FlyBoy270]

I have 32 rounds of original Kynock ammo and 10 cases from Bertram Brass

damn that is really great providence, and great plan. What’s wrong with the barrel?

Nothing - its not the original caliber though !

 

[FlyBoy270]

Wow - that has immense pedigree and the fundamentals of a very special rifle. Waffenfabrik sidewall puts it pre 1920s - maybe pre ww1, can you get a build date off Rigby? Who’s doing the barrel work? That action is extremely desirable, got any pics of the bolt? Is it matching? Those horrible scope bases are way out of place, please change them! And that abomination of a stock needs some heavy timber removal to bring it back to a Rigbyesque shape - everything HeymSR20 says, but also the forestock should be quite short.

1908

 

[FlyBoy270]

Is the ammunition you have original Kynoch (WR), or is it Kynamco?
Can you post pics of the ammunition and packaging please.

Can you suggest how I might drop the pics of the ammo in - this site always wants a link of some sort

 

[FlyBoy270]

Is the ammunition you have original Kynoch (WR), or is it Kynamco?
Can you post pics of the ammunition and packaging please.

 

[FlyBoy270]

Here you are

 

[palmer_mike]

Here you are

Have you got a picture of the batch number? Looks like a Kynamco box but the batch number will tell us more

 

[FlyBoy270]

Don't have them here - in Europe now for 3 weeks hunting - will post when I get back

 

[FlyBoy270]

 

[FlyBoy270]

this was published by Rigbys so I see it's the exact same ammunition I have - I don't know the date but the article suggests it was loaded with Cordite - I will pull one and see

 

[FlyBoy270]

1908

Extract from Mauser Sporting Rifles

 

[Sinistral]

Have you got a picture of the batch number? Looks like a Kynamco box but the batch number will tell us more

this was published by Rigbys so I see it's the exact same ammunition I have - I don't know the date but the article suggests it was loaded with Cordite - I will pull one and see

Here you are

Thanks, this is modern Kynamco. Made from Bertram Brass (kangaroo) cases, Woodleigh 225gr RNSP, and probably loaded with Hodgdon (ASI) powder. The batch of this I've got had amongst it a box of vintage .350 Rigby Mag with headstamps from several decades, 2 types of PSP, and the copper-capped bullets which Kynoch custom-loaded for Rigby. The definition of the pic isn't great, but the firm's name should be visible stamped on the base of one. The originals came in a Kynamco packet, as original John Rigby boxes sell for a small fortune.

If you intend reloading for it, Ken Waters 'Pet Loads' book has his results with Norma, Sierra, Nosler, and Hornady bullets & some cautionary advice. A reprint of his writeup can be ordered online as a PDF of a back issue of 'Handloader Magazine'. I'm not certain about the copyright implications of sending out the reloading data, but this is the foreword to it:-

The .350 Rigby Magnum
Introduced in 1908, this big rimless cartridge preceded the .375 H&H Magnum and became popular as a flat-shooting medium caliber in Africa because of its high velocity for that day. It drove a 225-grain semi-pointed soft nose or roundnose solid of same weight at a muzzle velocity of 2,600 fps with a muzzle energy of 3,400 ft-lbs from 24-inch barrels.

This was a delightful general purpose cartridge for lion and the large African antelope but lacked a 250-grain bullet load for taking heavier skinned dangerous game in thick cover. Had not the .375 H&H Magnum with its heavier bullets and 200 fps velocity advantage eclipsed it in 1912, it is likely the .350 Magnum would have gained an even larger following among big game hunters.

Its principal disadvantage is that it requires either a magnum Mauser action or opening up a standard action for a 2.74-inch case and loaded cartridge length of 3.57 inches. The British rifle makers know how to do this by gaining space at the rear of the receiver rather than at the front without sacrificing strength.

As factory loaded, it is only a little superior to our own .35 Whelen, but its large case allows the use of heavier charges of powder while maintaining lower pressures. With maximum loads it is easily superior to the Whelen. My loads to date, however, haven't yet come up to equaling factory rounds because I prefer to work up gradually . . . .

 

[Bo Diddley]

It's threads like this that make Stalking Directory a joy to scroll through.
The knowledge and passion you guys have is great

Keep us updated on the project @FlyBoy270 .

 

[Heym SR20]

 

[Heym SR20]

Here are some photos of mine. Built in 1974.