Thanks for resurrecting this thread. Missed it the first time around. All I can say is Wow!

The load that day was a 1250 grain paper patched conical bullet over 9 drams (246 grains) of black powder.

The 1250 grain bullet translates to 2.857 ounces.

Here's a photo of one of the bullets sitting beside a .303 British cartridge for scale:



By the way, that rifle is not mine. It belongs to a friend who lives in Fredericksburg, VA. The other rifles I have displayed here are mine.

Curl

A Rigby side lock and an Army Navy box lock both are in 470 I have owned a number of English doubles over the years but even better have hunted with them almost exclusively. They are not only beautifully made guns but very functional when used for what they were designed for.

Attached Images

	DSC_2848.jpg (57.6 KB, 31 views)
	DSC_2850.jpg (66.9 KB, 30 views)
	DSC_2843.jpg (54.4 KB, 25 views)
	DSC_2845.jpg (56.9 KB, 28 views)

__________________
Len

Oh Man! Those Purdey .500 BPEs are the stuff dreams are made of! You can just imagine yourself stalking some horrible man-eating beast through the Velt in the Cape Colony or the bush in British East. Not to mention popping a zeppelin over London on a dark cloudy night.

That Rigby rising bite is a marvelous rifle. I'm green.

Curl

You have nothing to be green about your collection is fantastic i am sorry I sold so many off over the last 30 years.

My most unique was a White Hunter model Westley Richards 577 documented and owned by a poacher

__________________
Len

Amazing stuff and all I have is one old German Collath drilling. I had to manufacture ammunition for it, but haven't shot it in years. It is pretty cool and has wild pigs and birds and deer running all over it. They spent a lot of time back then with really heavy engraving.

__________________
Dr. B

CptCurl: I missed this thread until today. Thank you for sharing your passion with us all. The rifles that you have pictured here are absolutely exquisite!! What works of art! And of the pinnacle of fine craftsmanship.

Also, I am going to keep this thread bookmarked, and any time that my better half questions my purchase of a new snub nose, when I already have dozens, I can show her where fate might have taken me!!!

Truly a unique and splendid collection. And you shoot them also!!

__________________
SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Well, that answers all my questions. There are times in life when it's best to be an observer.

Any idea of the velocity of that cannonball? A previously noted I have a sliderule and would be happy to calculate the recoil impulse. Though you probably don't want to know.

I was just trying to remember if I have posted my little .360 Rigby. It fits into this group of antiques, but I didn't have it when I posted this thread. I checked under my "statistics" and found that I did post it back in January of 2013. It really ought to be in this thread with the other antiques.

Here it is:











And here is its thread:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/...e-15093-a.html

All of these originally were posted to the "Lounge". I think that was before we had "Firearms & Knives - Other Brands". They have slowly been moved to this forum, however. I apologize to the Mods and Admins for this trouble.

Curl

This thread makes my wallet hurt! Beautiful!

This is the photo of a Rhodesian who poached ivory in Mozambique just after WWII the photo was given to us by Westley Richards just after we beat them to the purchase they were obviously looking for the gun as they brought the photo with them.

The hunters name was Dennis M. Castell Castell his 4 initial were engraved on the guns receiver and on Westley Richards record as the buyer. I tried to research Dennis on my many trips to Zimbabwe but all I found was that he lived in Karoi and was a fireman.

Note his notation to W.R. 5 shots and the 5 pairs of tusks the gun was in pristine condition.

Attached Images

Copy of IMG.jpg (93.1 KB, 26 views)

__________________
Len

What a great bunch of double rifles.

__________________
Bill Bates

One of my Patrolmen said he had an odd rifle. He brought it in and I was kinda floored. Kreghof Drilling. I don't recall the caliber. He had no clue but I didn't try to buy it. Couldn't offer what it was worth and couldn't try to put the screws to him.