Rigby recently brought a splash of safari spirit and some of its renowned rifles to one of London’s top shooting ranges. We asked Head of Sales, Andrew Ambrose, who oversaw the event, how it went.
Where was the event and will it be a one-off?
This first Rigby Experience was held with our partners at the West London Shooting School. It’s planned to be a quarterly event, with the next event taking place on Wednesday 20 May, followed by one on Wednesday 16 September 2020.
Did you have to be a seasoned safari-goer to take part?
Not at all. Clients who attended ranged from novices to highly experienced Shots and we make sure that there is something on offer for everyone.
Which rifles did clients get to use and what were the targets like?
Clients had the opportunity to use a classic .275 Rigby Highland Stalker, a .30-06 Highland Stalker and then, finally, the larger .416 Rigby Big Game rifle. Each individual was able to first fire several rounds on the moving wild boar target at 100 metres using the .275 Highland Stalker.
How did everyone do?
The results with the Highland Stalkers were very impressive, especially in the case of some of those involved who had never fired a rifle before and still managed to achieve excellent groups.
We then moved on to the longer range but walked up to approximately 45 metres and individuals had the unique opportunity to use the classic .416 Rigby Big Game on a life-sized buffalo target. This world-famous dangerous game calibre – dating back to 1912 – proved to be no problem for all those involved that day, with each person hitting the target. This was despite some very obvious and totally natural “pre-match” nerves before a shot was fired.
Did you celebrate with a sundowner?
Definitely. Once the shooting was completed, we returned to the West London pavilion, where I gave a talk on the history of John Rigby & Co., which also included our more recent milestones and our plans for the future. This was followed by a question and answer session and the afternoon concluded with a barbeque-style early supper.
Guests also had the opportunity to see a brand new .416 London Best that was ‘in the white’ and a classic limited edition .275 ‘W.D.M. Bell’ rifle. We had also brought along an original Rigby ledger dating back to over 100 years ago, containing some of the famous names of Rigby clients from the last century.
How can people sign up or find more information?
The best way to book is to email West London Shooting School directly at chris@shootingschool.co.uk. For more information, people can contact us via the John Rigby & Co. Facebook page or by phone on + 44 20 77 200 757 or email to rigby@johnrigbyandco.com.
