Announced in 2022, the unique rifle was commissioned by the Gunmakers Trust and is being built by five world-class gunmakers. Each of these craftsmen are past winners of the McMillan Trophy, an award given by the Certification Panel of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers for gunmaking excellence. A rare and unique award that is not given lightly and not every year. It is only awarded when an exceptional gunmaker presents his or her work to the certification panel, and the panel approves of the exceptionally high stand expected for such an award.
The Latest update is that the .416 calibre rifle has now received a traditional Rigby Barrel profile built onto the action thanks to Ian Sweetman and has passed proof. The rifle is now undergoing stocking by Vincent Lafont at Purdey; however, the stock will be a traditional Rigby-style stock.
The stocking will take approximately 2-3 months, and the Trust would like to thank both Rigby and Purdey for their contribution and support of this really unique rifle.
The next part of the gun build after stocking will be polishing up, which will then be followed by engraving. At the same time, running in parallel, the wood will have the grain sealed, and the first cut of chequering will be applied. At this point in the process, the bulk of the ‘oil finish’ is worked up, which is then followed by the final cut chequering after being cleaned out.
This remarkably unique rifle will be offered for sale later this year, with all the profits being donated to the Trust, and it goes without saying that the rifle will be an exceptional and totally unique rifle, one for serious collectors only…
By way of providing some background to the award, Count Andrew McMillan, Baron Cleghorn was quite specific and particular in the awarding of the trophy that bears his name, making clear that the trophy was only to be awarded for excellence within the craftsmanship and art of gunmaking.
The people listed below have demonstrated this high level of skill required and are all McMillan Trophy winners. The Rifle build is being coordinated by the Gunmakers Trust and the management team at Rigby, one of the most prestigious gunmaking firms known throughout the World for their rifles.
The craftspeople listed below are all contributing to the rifle build.
Ian Sweetman – Metal Parts and Finishing
Vincent Lafont – Stocker
Mark Renmant – Chequering
Saija Maija Koskialho – Engraving
Jamie Holland – Regulating and Gun Scheduling
The rifle will come with a high-quality leather case and a book about the McMillan Trophy and the gunmakers that contributed to the building, along with pictures of the various stages of the gun build.
If you are interested in purchasing this rifle, then we recommend you register early as there is keen interest already. Please register your interest with the Trust Secretary, who is also the Clerk to the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers: please contact the Clerk in the first instance.
