John Rigby & Company
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| Industry | Firearms |
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| Founded | 1775 Dublin, Ireland |
| Founder | John Rigby |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | Rifles, Shotguns |
| Services | Engraving |
| Website | http://www.johnrigbyandco.com/ |
John Rigby & Company (or John Rigby & Co. (Gunmakers) Ltd) is the oldest gunmaking firm in continuous operation in the English-speaking world. Rigby has a distinguished history of technological advancement for both sporting and military application. Rigby rifles, guns and pistols have played prominent roles throughout the British Empire and particularly in Asia and Africa. The company was established by the first John Rigby in Dublin, Ireland, apparently in 1775; his grandson, also John, opened a London branch in 1865; and Dublin operations had ceased by February 1897. The Company is now based in Vauxhall, central London, under the supervision of Managing Director, Marc Newton.
In a relationship that extends back at least to 1895, John Rigby & Co. is again affiliated with Mauser GmbH and is building big game and stalking rifles on Mauser barrelled actions. In 2013, the firm resumed production of double rifles based on its Rigby-Bissell 1879 Patent rising-bite action, the first of which was completed in late 2015. Rigby also offers a serial-number research service; refurbishes vintage Rigbys for owners and collectors around the world; and maintains a Rigby collection in its showroom. One of the collection's highlights is the Rigby rifle used by Jim Corbett (1875-1955), the famous hunter of man-eating tigers and leopards in India.
Some documents suggest the firm was established in 1735. However, since the first John Rigby was born in 1758, in Dublin, and entered the gunmaking trade there in 1775, Rigby today claims that as its founding date. (If John Rigby took over another gunmaking house, he would have inherited its founding date, in which case 1735 could be valid.) The surviving business ledgers date from 1781 and show that by then John Rigby was making, under his own name, shotguns, rifles, muskets, spring guns, carbines, blunderbusses and pistols to clients' specifications and a wide range of prices.
Rigby was nearly bankrupted during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 when the government seized the arms on his premises - those belonging to the firm and to its clients - presumably to keep them out of the reach of rebels. However, by 1810 (if not sooner) John Rigby had rebuilt his business and, in addition to sporting guns, was making, updating and repairing thousands of guns for Ireland's police, military, postal and customs services.
After the founding John Rigby's death, in 1818, his sons William and John Jason Rigby operated the business as W. & J. Rigby from circa 1820 to 1865, a period that spanned flintlock, percussion, pinfire and needlefire ignition and marked the start of the modern metallic cartridge era. Rigby was a leader in barrel-making and rifling technology and, at the time, it was also recognised for its high grade duelling pistols. (Irish gentlemen especially had a fondness for calling each other out over perceived slights to their honour.)
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Wikipedia