Rigby .600 Nitro Express

THIS month we have a special gun for a special issue – a John Rigby & Co .600 Nitro Express double sidelock rifle. This is the biggest of big beasts, weighing in at 15lb 7½oz (.600 rifles are usually built up to about 16lb to mitigate recoil). It has 25in chopper-lump barrels and an action built on the Rigby-Bissell risingbite system for extra strength. There are distinctive Rigby dipped-edge locks, and the square-bar action body, fore-end iron and latch, top-lever, trigger-guard and grip cap are all profusely engraved with deep chiselled work.

The ‘big five’ inspire the decoration