.350 Rigby

The .350 Rigby and .350 Rigby No 2 are proprietary medium bore rifle cartridges developed by John Rigby & Company.

.350 Rigby
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Production history
DesignerJohn Rigby & Company
Designed1908
Produced1908
Specifications
Case typeRimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.358 in (9.1 mm)
Neck diameter.383 in (9.7 mm)
Shoulder diameter.455 in (11.6 mm)
Base diameter.517 in (13.1 mm)
Rim diameter.534 in (13.6 mm)
Case length2.742 in (69.6 mm)
Overall length3.44 in (87 mm)
Case capacity91.4 gr H2O (5.92 cm3)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
225 gr (15 g) 2,625 ft/s (800 m/s) 3,440 ft⋅lbf (4,660 J)
Test barrel length: 24 in
Source(s): Barnes[1] & Kynoch.[2]
.350 Rigby No 2
Specifications
Parent case.400/350 Nitro Express
Case typeRimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.358 in (9.1 mm)
Neck diameter.379 in (9.6 mm)
Shoulder diameter.419 in (10.6 mm)
Base diameter.468 in (11.9 mm)
Rim diameter.518 in (13.2 mm)
Rim thickness.050 in (1.3 mm)
Case length2.749 in (69.8 mm)
Overall length3.685 in (93.6 mm)
Case capacity78.1 gr H2O (5.06 cm3)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
225 gr (15 g) 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) 3,400 ft⋅lbf (4,600 J)
Test barrel length: 26 in
Source(s): Barnes[1] & Kynoch.[2]

Design

The .350 Rigby and .350 Rigby No 2 are both bottlenecked centerfire rifle cartridges, originally both cartridges fired a bullet of .358 inches (9.1 mm) weighing 225 grains (14.6 g).[1][3]

.350 Rigby

The .350 Rigby, also known as the .350 Rigby Magnum and the .350 Rigby Nitro Express, is a rimless cartridge intended for use in Mauser magnum length bolt action magazine sporting rifles, it fires its bullet at a muzzle velocity of 2,625 feet per second (800 m/s).[1][3]

.350 Rigby No 2

The .350 Rigby No 2 is the rimmed version of the .350 Rigby, intended for use in single shot and double rifles, it shares the same cartridge case as the Rigby's earlier .400/350 Nitro Express, but fires the lighter 225 grain bullet of the .350 Rigby at a muzzle velocity of 2,600 feet per second (790 m/s).[1][3]

History

John Rigby & Co introduced both cartridges in 1908, intended for use as an all-round African hunting rounds, they were somewhat overshadowed by the arrival of the .375 Holland & Holland in 1912, although some sportsmen preferred these cartridges to the latter as the Rigby cartridges had less recoil.[1][2][4]

Use

The .350 Rigby and .350 Rigby No 2 have been used successfully as general purpose African hunting cartridges on most African game species.[3]

Famous users included Denys Finch Hatton, Pete Pearson and John "Pondoro" Taylor. In his African Rifles and Cartridges Taylor wrote of the .350 Rigby "There is nothing spectacular about this cartridge; it has never had the write-up that the .318 and .375 Magnum get from time to time; nevertheless, it is a splendidly effective shell and at ranges of up to at least 150 yards kills as instantaneously as the .375 Magnum. In addition, it has an appreciably lighter recoil."[3][5]

See also

References
  1. Frank C. Barnes, Cartridges of the World, ed 13, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2012, ISBN 9781440230592.
  2. Kynoch Ammunition, "Big Game Cartridges", kynochammunition.co.uk, archived 8 September 2016.
  3. John Taylor, African rifles and cartridges, Sportsman’s Vintage Press, 2013, ISBN 978-1-940001-01-2.
  4. John Rigby & Co, "Our history: More than 240 years of experience", johnrigbyandco.com, retrieved 17 August 2017.
  5. Sarah Wheeler, Too Close to the Sun: The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton, Random House, London, 2006, ISBN 9780099450276.
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