1735 —
Founded in Dublin, Ireland.

1820 to 1865 —
Doing business as W. & J. Rigby during the percussion
era. Particularly well known for dueling pistols.

1865 —
London office opens.

1880 appx. —
John Rigby becomes superintendent of the small arms
factory at Enfield and takes charge of development of the
.303 caliber rifle. He was mainly responsible for bringing
Rigby's name to the fore in the rifle-making field.

1897 —
Dublin office closes.

1897 —
.450 caliber Nitro Express Double Rifle is introduced

1899 —
Rigby .275 caliber (7x57mm) Mauser system and
Rigby .350 caliber Express Rifles are introduced.

1900 —
Rigby obtains the Mauser agency and
introduces the .350 Mauser System.

1900 – 1960 —
The Rigby Mauser System is predominately made in calibers
.275, .350 and .416, as well as some .303 caliber rifles in the
early days. After that, wider ranges of calibers are manufactured.
Rigby also makes shotguns throughout this entire period.

1907 —
Rigby .470 becomes Rigby’s main big game double rifle.

1912 —
The .416 Rigby caliber rifle is introduced.

1997 —
Rigby is acquired by an American investment group
headed by Geoff Miller, of Paso Robles, California.