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Traditions Rigby Rifle

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Vic P

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Hi all I'm new to this forum. I own three muzzleloaders one of which I don't know very much about. It's a modern day reproduction of the Rigby Rifle in .451 by Traditions. As you are more knowledgeable about this type of firearm please give me a reading on this gun. Quality? Desireability?
Thanks
 
Wow! Traditions apparently made a Creedmoor rifle in .451. I'd link where I found it with pics but its another forum. Just google Traditions Creedmoor and you should get a hit. Its what I did.

As a side note, the guys on that forum said exactly what you said Semisane. But since there are pic links you can see the rifle. One guy said it looked like an Ardessa (?) like the ones Navy Arms used to sell
 
Welcome to the forum. :)

I'm not sure how much experaince you have with muzzleloaders so I'll assume your kind of a newbie and you want to shoot it.

The pictures I saw on the google link show the rifle to be a nice gun.

It's 1 in 20 rate of twist is made to shoot long bullets and usually, the rifling in these barrels is rather shallow. That makes shooting a patched roundball not a very good option.

That leaves bullets as the best choice.

Track of the Wolf, a very reputable company, has bullets they say is for a .451 caliber barrel.
They are shown on the page in the following link.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/129/1

These bullets might work as received or they might need resizing to fit into the barrel.
They should be about .001 to .003 inch smaller than the bore of the barrel.

Don't be tempted to buy .45 caliber bullets made for cartridge guns. They are all oversize. .45 handgun cartridge bullets are .454" in diameter and .45 rifle bullets are .458".

All muzzleloaders are safe to shoot if you use real 2Fg black powder or one of the black powder substitute powders like "Pyrodex R" or Triple Se7en powder.
Do not use 3Fg or pistol type powders like Pyrodex P.

Under NO circumstance should you try to use a modern smokeless powder of any type in your gun.
It is not made to take the pressures modern smokeless powders will make.

You will need percussion caps to detonate the powder. Look for #11 size caps.

You should start with a powder load that is about 50 grains of 2Fg black (34 grains actual weight if you are using one of the synthetic powders).
I don't think it's wise to go over 80 grains of real 2Fg (56 grains actual weight if you are using one of the synthetic powders).
If you are measuring the powder charge by using a volume type measure like most of us do, the same size can be used for any of the different powder types. That is, a 50 grain by volume measure will measure out enough powder to create pressures of a 50 grain real black powder charge.
Likewise a 70 grain by volume measure will measure any of the synthetic powders needed to produce about the same pressures as the black powder.

All of these powders leave corrosive fouling after they have been fired.

That makes it absolutely necessary to clean the gun as soon as possible after your done shooting.
Plain water along with some dish washing soap works best. You do not need any of the "special" cleaning solutions for sale on the market.

As I said before, do not try to use any of the finer pistol powders like 3Fg with your bullets.

The members on the forum often substitute 3Fg powder for 2Fg powder and they get away with it because they are shooting patched roundballs.

Heavy bullets like you will be using create MUCH higher breech pressures than patched roundballs do so stick with the slower burning 2Fg type powders.

Have fun and if I didn't answer your questions please ask for more. :)
 
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I had tried googling Traditions Rigby Rifle before my reply, and got nothing.

Just tried Traditions Creedmoore and still get nothing.

Are Creedmoore and Rigby the same model gun?
 
Try "Traditions Creedmore" in your search.

In mine, about the third thing that pops up is "FOR SALE Traditions Creedmore Match Rigby..."

Following that link gets me to a forum where a person posts a bunch of links to pictures.

Opening each link in its own separate tab on my browser gets me to the pictures.


I don't know if this link will work or not because it is directly to the for sale topic on that forum.

https://www.go2gbo.com/forums/104-...-rigby-type-451-cal-black-powder-percuss.html
 
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Vic, a member of another forum I deal with sells the bullets below at a very reasonable price. They shoot extremely well out of my .451 1:30" twist Green Mountain barrel, loaded over 75 to 85 grains GOEX and a felt wad. Sub-3" groups at 200 yards. They enter the bore with a firm thumb start and go down easily.

Several guys on that other forum are shooting them from a 1:20" twist with spectacular results. If you want the guy's contact info let me know by Private Topic.

36435997411_305eacdaed_c.jpg


36435998481_bb56c73773_c.jpg
 
Thanks Zonie, that link worked. That's a darn good looking rifle. I'd love to have one.

Vic, I have a really nice .54 caliber Lyman Great Plains flintlock sitting in the closet that I don't use. (I have 3 GP's - a .50 and two .54's. Don't need two .54's.) If you'd be interested in talking swap let me know. :rotf:
 
I am a active long range ML shooter, and on the US International LRML team.

I dont think I have ever seen one of these. They certainly are not common.

I can not speak to the quality of these rifles.

I also have not heard of anyone seeking these rifles.

If I can be of service to help you figuire out a load to shoot, please let me know.

I just sold a LRML last weekend to a new guy that is on the North side of Chicago.

Harris MN there is a 1,000 yard match coming up in a few weeks. If you come there you will find myself and plenty of people willing to help you out.


Fleener
Ames Iowa
 
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Check the groove corners very well, looking for any remaining residues. Just my observations, that's where lubed lead rifles have greater tendency to develop corrosion.
 
Hi,
I have had a Pedersoli Volunteer rifle somewhat similar in operation as yours, the gun really shoots well with real BP, one of the issues with this type of rifle, is that it eats nipples.
The vented gas pressures literally burns the hole larger in the nipple.
To keep shooting get a platinum lined nipple (expensive!) or get a stainless steel nipple, it will last much longer.
You can use .457 cast bullets in soft lead if you size them to .451, much cheaper than buying seven sided formed bullets.
There are a few YouTube videos on these guns being shot.
Best regards!
Fred
 
Traditions is just an importer. Their guns are made mostly be Ardesa, but some are made by Italian firms and probably elsewhere. Ardesa sells some models that Traditions does not import to the USA. For instance, Ardesa made a massive drilling pistol that had three seventy-five caliber bores and a select fire, box lock hammer. To my knowledge, never sold in the USA. Pedesoli makes some models that are only available in the USA, if you special order them, and at that there may be a 10 month wait. A few guns are sold here by Traditions on a limited trial basis, or may be available from them overseas, but not here.
 
Old Ford said:
You can use .457 cast bullets in soft lead if you size them to .451, much cheaper than buying seven sided formed bullets.

The Creedmore rifle has regular shallow Rigby or Metford-style rifling, not Whitworth's hexagonal rifling.

tac
 
I bought an Ardessa marked gun a couple of years ago that is similar to a Traditions "hawken" style rifle, but with more of a fish belly stock. It was missing the barrel key and the screw that holds the lock to the stock. I made a key and used a hardware store screw to get it back together. The bore had some minor rusting, but cleaned up pretty well. The darn thing is accurate. Not bad for $50. I have no idea as to it's age, but suspect from the 1970s.
 
zimmerstutzen said:
Traditions is just an importer. Their guns are made mostly be Ardesa....
I note in other posts link to another forum post with pictures, where the rifle is shown as 'made in Spain'.

A reproduction Rigby match rifle, marketed under the 'Creedmoor' name, was available from Spain for a number of years. Originally manufactured by Intermarco, later production was by Ardesa. Outward appearance is that of a full match rifle, the rifle is however scaled down in size slightly from the original and consequently lacks in weight.

My wife had one of these and had good short and mid-range shooting with it, however the larger charges and heavy bullets generally employed at longer ranges resulted in felt recoil being uncomfortable for her.

David
 

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