By Tank Hoover

Imagination is a great thing, if one uses it correctly, right? Not to be abused to the point of needing medication, but used in moderation, it can take us to places otherwise impossible to visit, I think.

Guns serve as the perfect vehicle to transport me to the fantasies rattling around in my noggin since I was a kid. Recently, Ruger, the temptress taunting my lust with affordable guns, came out with a real whopper of a wonder-lust for us.

While Tank wishes for warthogs and wildebeest, whitetails and whistlepigs will have to do for now.
But the Ruger African chambered in .275 Rigby lets Tank pretend he’s in Africa…

Jumpin’ in the Time Machine

Getting back to the classics follows the spirit and designs of William Batterman Ruger himself. Ruger, the company, had the audacity to tease and seduce us by producing a rifle sleek with English accents. The rifle allows us the opportunity to afford a gun roll-marked with a noble and regal cartridge, the .275 Rigby, without having to refinance our house, or sell half our gun collection, to obtain one.

This rifle is not from Rigby of London, but rather, Sturm, Ruger & Co., from Newport. One would be proud to own such a beautiful rifle, dubbed “The African.” It is the brainstorm of Jason Cloessner, a nice chap and VP from Lipsey’s, a distributor of fine arms in Baton Rouge, LA, and exclusive distributor of this rifle.

As I hold, turn, fondle and shoulder this exquisite piece, my imagination has started its engine and is already taking me back in time … .

Images of WDM “Karamoja” Bell come to mind when one sees the .275 Rigby rollmark.
The fine-line checkering is pretty classy, too.

Tank’s a Brit?

This classic cartridge is well overdue for resurgence, if not for nostalgic reasons, let alone practicality. For the uneducated lads who enjoy detonating caps and burning cordite, as we did in the grand ol’ days, the .275 Rigby is also known by its less sophisticated, but more common name and equal twin, the 7X57 Mauser. It appears the Germans and Yanks have a penchant for measuring caliber by bore, rather than lands, as we English aristocrats.

The walnut stock is sleek, with a delicate wrist, which feels good to my hand with its tight-line checkering. The forearm is also checkered and has a contrasting ebony-tip forend, promoting stylish good looks. The barreled action is a high-polished blue with barrel band for both form and function.

The barrel itself is a thin 24” wisp of blued steel, which swings effortlessly and beautifully balances itself just forward of the trigger guard, as a classic gun should.

The rear sight is a marvelously sculpted bridge-base with folding rear sight, while the front sight is fully banded, and just as handsome with a brass-bead. A soft red rubber butt-pad will absorb any felt recoil for those afflicted with cream-filled shoulders.

A well-rounded bolt knob makes cycling the Mauser-like, non-rotating extractor with controlled-round feeding and fixed ejector for positive extraction, a joy to handle. This is the first time Ruger has blued their bolt knobs since the tang safety M77. Jolly good show, Ruger.

Cast bullets from Lee molds make cheap, fun, accurate loads and kids love shooting them.
Hornady makes factory-stamped .275 Rigby cartridges and jacketed bullets to reload.
Here is but a mere sample Tank shot.

The .275 Rigby and 7mm Mauser are identical, as Tank explains.

Safari…with WDM Bell

On this Adventure (in my warped mind), I’m attired in my pith helmet and transporting myself back a century or so, as I make notation in my leatherbound field ledger and quill pen. The dim light, produced by the flickering flame of a burning wick stuffed in a cartridge case full of oil, produces shadows dancing on the walls of my canvas tent, as I record my day’s events.

“The air is hot, heavy and thick as my dilated pores are pouring with perspiration, soaking my safari shirt. I feel as if a thousand insects are crawling on my flesh, but I dare not move a muscle from my lair. For it is here I have the best chance of getting a shot at my quarry. Although I would much prefer to ambush a greater kudu or wildebeest, I must settle for the more common marmota monax, more commonly known as the groundhog.

“Known for their ferocious appetite and intimidating orthodontia, these whistle pigs will consume over 50 pounds of alfalfa a summer, stealing much needed food and causing much harm, risk and danger with their burrowed bungalows to any bovine’s boney ankles, for which the alfalfa is grown.

“Though my heart aches for more exotic game of Cape buffalo, leopard and numerous antelope species, I settle on the more common and realistic woodchuck and whitetail deer of my province … .”

Back to Reality … Sorta

See how easy it is? Just holding a classic, cool gun can really fire up some creative cranial cogitation. Lipsey’s only has 250 of these classic rifles. Better go getcha’ one so you can go on Safari, too … if only in your mind.

The Ruger Hawkeye African in .275 Rigby has an MSRP of $1,279 and is a Lipsey’s exclusive. Have your local dealer contact them.

For more info, click here.

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