London gunmaker John Rigby & Co. is continuing to revive its historic links to India with a new partnership that will offer Rigby owners a bespoke maintenance and repair service. The new service will be provided in conjunction with Guns and Tackle, a specialist firearms dealer based in Secunderabad in the state of Telangana. They will also be selling a range of Rigby merchandise.
Rigby has had no official dealers in India since before World War II. Prior to that, large numbers of firearms were imported by its principal agents Manton & Co. and the Bombay Armoury. Rigby’s pre-war Indian business was so extensive that available records suggest that Manton & Co. was Rigby’s largest client in the 20th century and there are still many historic Rigby shotguns and rifles in the country.
This latest move follows a rekindling of Rigby’s old associations in the sub-continent that began in 2015 with the firm’s reacquisition of the .275 Rigby that Jim Corbett famously used to dispatch a number of man-eating big cats in the Kumaon region. In April 2016, Rigby made a donation worth £20,000 towards tiger conservation in India’s Jim Corbett National Park and managing director Marc Newton took the rifle on a tour of the area to raise awareness of present day conservation concerns. It was during this tour that the foundations were laid for the new partnership.
Guns & Tackle was established in 2013 by Marcus Campos (pictured, centre), who runs it with his business partner Saif Attari (pictured, left). Both are skilled competitive shots and have competed in ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) rifle and shotgun events. From a young age, they have been passionate about shooting and the outdoors and are lifelong fans of Jim Corbett and his writings. .
“During this year’s tour of Corbett country I was honoured to see that so many elements of Rigby’s history in India still survive,” commented Rigby’s Marc Newton (pictured, right). “Guns and Tackle are uniquely well-placed to provide present day enthusiasts with the high level of service such a longstanding relationship deserves.”