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Just thort that some of might be interested to learn a little bit about the history of one of my old rifles. If this is in the wrong place, Mods, feel free to trash it.
Back in 1990 I bought a Mauser Model B sporting rifle in the best sporting rifle calibre of the day, the 7x57 Mauser, also known here in yUK as the .275 Rigby, from our LGS in Chester, England. It had been in an auction, and the gun-store owner had picked it up for me after calling me at home about it. It cost me £120, including the auction commission. Dated 1912 on the large ring, it was in fair condition, but had obviously been carried over the shoulder as the barrel blue was very thin where the holding hand had been- African bush-style. I asked Jim about this, and he told me that the rifle had been bought in the famous Army & Navy stores in London in 1913, by a family heading out to Rhodesia to grow tobacco or similar. Even had their name, too. When that great African ''hero', Robert Mugabe, started up his destruction of Rhodesia in the late '80s, the family decided to split up. Half came back to UK, where they still had assets that were not being plundered by Mugabe, and the other half went to neighbouring Tanzania, to start over. The bunch coming back to UK brought the guns with them, in hope of getting a better price.
Fast forward to about seven years ago, one Sunday morning on the range here. My shooting pal, who just happens to be from Tanzania, got me talking about this rifle, and while we were chatting I made a short Youtube movie of him shooting it.
Hey, he said, you know I went to boarding school in Harare with a guy called +++++, eh? I wonder if he knows anything about the family - maybe a relative?
We took photos, and he made contact with his ex-school friend pal.
Well, yes, he replied, I know that rifle well, it belonged to my grandfather, and I learned to shoot with it....bottom rifle, of course, top is my Boer War carbine, with another story............................
Anyhow, it's very plain, but the checkering is still good, and it shoots quite well for its age - about 2" at 100m with my home loads. Incidentally, a friend from northwestfirearms.com offered me a few hundred flat-base 175 JSF bullets of the style that was commonplace when it was new. He sent me a sample lot to try, I tried them, pronounced them excellent, and then he sent me the rest [thanks again, Jim]. They have a long cylindrical bearing surface, unlike most modern BT designs - those it does NOT care for.
Back in 1990 I bought a Mauser Model B sporting rifle in the best sporting rifle calibre of the day, the 7x57 Mauser, also known here in yUK as the .275 Rigby, from our LGS in Chester, England. It had been in an auction, and the gun-store owner had picked it up for me after calling me at home about it. It cost me £120, including the auction commission. Dated 1912 on the large ring, it was in fair condition, but had obviously been carried over the shoulder as the barrel blue was very thin where the holding hand had been- African bush-style. I asked Jim about this, and he told me that the rifle had been bought in the famous Army & Navy stores in London in 1913, by a family heading out to Rhodesia to grow tobacco or similar. Even had their name, too. When that great African ''hero', Robert Mugabe, started up his destruction of Rhodesia in the late '80s, the family decided to split up. Half came back to UK, where they still had assets that were not being plundered by Mugabe, and the other half went to neighbouring Tanzania, to start over. The bunch coming back to UK brought the guns with them, in hope of getting a better price.
Fast forward to about seven years ago, one Sunday morning on the range here. My shooting pal, who just happens to be from Tanzania, got me talking about this rifle, and while we were chatting I made a short Youtube movie of him shooting it.
Hey, he said, you know I went to boarding school in Harare with a guy called +++++, eh? I wonder if he knows anything about the family - maybe a relative?
We took photos, and he made contact with his ex-school friend pal.
Well, yes, he replied, I know that rifle well, it belonged to my grandfather, and I learned to shoot with it....bottom rifle, of course, top is my Boer War carbine, with another story............................
Anyhow, it's very plain, but the checkering is still good, and it shoots quite well for its age - about 2" at 100m with my home loads. Incidentally, a friend from northwestfirearms.com offered me a few hundred flat-base 175 JSF bullets of the style that was commonplace when it was new. He sent me a sample lot to try, I tried them, pronounced them excellent, and then he sent me the rest [thanks again, Jim]. They have a long cylindrical bearing surface, unlike most modern BT designs - those it does NOT care for.
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