Now I don’t want you folks to think that staying at Free Market Towers is all Wadworth 6X, Full English Breakfasts and flogging of servants. Oh no. There are several downsides to all of this which burden the soul of your Humble Narrator. Here’s one.
Lying carelessly scattered upon a coffee table is the John Rigby gun catalogue, which features many a fine piece of weaponry. Now Rigby & Co. are not known for shoddy workmanship and never have been, and their prices reflect this. Here’s one such product that made my trigger-finger itch, and a low moan escaped my mouth. It’s the Rigby Rising Bite Double Rifle, chambered in the famous .416 Rigby caliber, and the Nitro Express (magnum) .450/400, .470, .500, .577, and .600:
…and here’s a close-up of the breech:
That was the cause of the itch.
Now here’s the cause of the moan: the reason there’s the word “Bite” in the description is because of what the purchase thereof will do to your wallet. You see, this gorgeous piece will set you back around $110,000.
Worse yet, there’s a three-year waiting list.
And next to the Rigby catalogue is the one from James Purdey & Sons, which I have not yet had the strength to open.
I don’t know if I can endure such hardship.
I fell in love with Peter Hofer’s “Hummingbird” double rifle.
http://www.hoferwaffen.com/hofer_52s.php?id=14&lang=en
I enquired about the cost of a more plain vanilla version: $124,000.
My traipsing days for squirrels and rabbits are pretty much done, so that little jewel is not a rational expenditure. Damn it!
If you’re looking for a sympathetic hug……TFB!
I love doubles,especially the fine English ones. And I love the thumping recoil of the big express rifles, but alas, my eyesight is too much a price to pay for continued use, I’m about to pass my personal 500 nitro double on to someone who can still shoot it. Meanwhile, it’s still free to look.
It is exquisite. A masterpiece. I fully accept, acknowledge, and share your admiration and desire. That said, how could any shotgun or rifle be truly worth a six figure pricetag? No matter how well crafted, it is fairly simple technology. We aren’t talking jet engines, here.