The John Rigby John Rigby & Co Rising Bite SxS Ser. 18857 is a Shotgun first produced in 1996. It carries a scarcity score of 89/100 based on tracked survey data, with 4 active listings currently on the secondary market and a global benchmark price of $215,690.
This John Rigby & Co side-by-side shotgun employs a rising-bite locking system, a robust mechanism in which the barrels' locking lump engages a bite that rises to secure the action as the gun closes, favored by British best-gun makers for its strength and longevity. Rigby, founded in Dublin in 1775 and later relocated to London, built its reputation on best-quality rifles and shotguns for the hunting and shooting elite, including extensive work supplying big-game rifles for African and Indian sportsmen. Guns of this quality were produced individually by skilled craftsmen using traditional hand-fitting methods rather than mass production, a practice Rigby maintained even as the London gun trade modernized through the twentieth century. This 1996 example reflects Rigby's continued commitment to traditional best-gun construction after the firm's ownership changes in the later twentieth century.