doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com What was the purpose of Rigby Flats?

Gentlemen,
Thank you for your replies, I didn't see the other thread on this subject until several hours after I posted my question.

LRF, I read somewhere that RF Ballards were the only U.S. rifles with three Rigby Flats. The weather here is no different from last years 'Summer' except it's no longer rain but snow. Temps down to -9 and have been for three weeks in my locality. Windchill makes it feel even colder.

Brent, I'm not at all sure they were put there for 'Bubba's' it would be far too confusing for them.lol.

Mr. Helsley, many British single shot rifles had a 'Nocks Form' but only one, on the top of the barrel and they usually were higher and much more substancial than the Rigby Flats. The British Military Martini-Henry 577/450 had a typical Nocks Form of the period. That shape would lend itself to assisting in removing and replacing a barrel, but not four of them surely?

Harry

There is an Alex Henry pictured in one of the Winfer or the Kirton book which has a brass wrench in the case which engages the rifle's equivalent of Rigby Flats in order to remove the barrel.
Perhaps Rigby did Intend them to facilitate barrel removal in the field where a vise may not be at hand. Possible I guess.

Huvius,
If you mean the the wrench pictured on pg.86 of Winfer's Henry book - it engages the hook, not the knox/nocks form.

For some reason, I am thinking of a wrench for farther back at the breech end. Of course, I could be totally wrong. Will take a look.

Steve, you are correct as I've handled this rifle with the bronze wrench, see page 52. The wrench engages the lug under the barrel used for the forearm to attach. The barrel screws into the action, different than most Henry takedowns. This gun has a permanent mount on the barrel and their is no Rigby Flat.

OK, how about this:
Two thoughts.
If the Rigby flats first showed up on their percussion match rifles, could they have something to do with allowing the gunmaker to shave off minute amounts of metal in order to reach an exact maximum weight for competition? I am imagining the flats being filed on the leading/rounded edge to "fine tune" the weight.
Also, that weight is between the hands where it is more likely unnoticed.
Secondly, gripping on the flats may simply be a more rigid and true form of fixing the barrel in the lathe for turning and the machine for boring/rifling. This being of utmost importance in an accurate match rifle as opposed to a standard sporting rifle.

That's all I can think of...

Gentleman, there are 2 post on the same Rigby Flat subject going on at the same time. I made a few post on the other.
Most certainly they didn't use the flat to torque on as the corners are soft as the barrel and like someone did to my original Rigby the front edge is damaged by a misused wrench. These guns are so accurate the barrels would have been turned on centers.
Yes, the weight of the Rifles had to meet the 10 # limit. Plus, with Rigby vs Nocksform he added 2 half flats on the sides. If weight was an issue for this little amount, why not remove it completely. The flat is about 0.010" above the barrel.
I think they're their for appearance only vs nothing at all.

In the absence of data to the contrary, I think Rick is 100% on the money. But those flats have puzzled riflemen as long as I have been interested in vintage rifles. I don't think the puzzlement will ever stop.

Now the big question: Why are they called Rigby Flats? Rigby percussion Match rifles were built years after Whitworth and Whitworth's had the same flat on their Match rifles.

Gentlemen I believe the concensus is correct, Rigby Flats are decorative. Such projections are not high enough to allow a tool to 'lock on' for barrel removal or replacement, also the steel of the period was usually soft and would show damage to its edges. Whatever the original intent was in making them is lost in time. They do look attractive but are somewhat labour intensive to make. It might be quicker to CNC mill them but you would have to make a lot of barrels to justify the time spent writing out the programming.

Harry