Whilst hunting in Africa a few years back, a very good Professional Hunting colleague asked if we could put together a stopping rifle for him. Naturally the answer was 'yes' and so then came the classic question of calibre? At the time he was using a .505 Gibbs that he had borrowed and found to be adequate and so this was the immediate choice. A fine and reputable calibre, capable of stopping the largest of big game.
The order was raised back at the factory, but then later on a phone call came 'can you build the rifle in .460 Weatherby?' Well those of you in the know are very aware of the 'brute' introduced by Roy Weatherby in 1958. At the time it was the most powerful commercially loaded big game cartridge, capable of pushing 500 grain projectiles well over 2600 feet per second. Its reputation was formidable and whilst the idea of the power impressed many, the ability to shoot it was quite another!!!!!
So, back to the rifle in question. Yes it is a .460 Weatherby and yes it is a beast! That said knowing the history of the calibre we were careful to make sure that the stock was slightly thicker at the forend to obtain more grip, the open sights you will see are unusual style for our rifles and were manufactured specifically as wrap arounds so that the bearing surface on the barrel was the absolute maximum. The rifle is set up specifically for open sights so the stock is shaped specifically for this and set the foresight bead to hit point of aim.
The final result is a very handy and quite frankly devastating stopping rifle made to the PH's exact requirements 'bespoke', like all our guns and rifles.
Just be sure to stand behind it when the 'beast' goes off!
Trigger on November 18, 2019 at 2:28 pm
Dear Bill
22 1/2" barrel.
Best regards
Trigger
Francisco Machado on February 3, 2019 at 6:07 pm
I own a Westley Richards 460 Weatherby, similar to the one in the photo.
It is a fantastic( and beauty) rifle.The recoils not so brutal…..it just push back,
this shows the quality of the design and engineering, only possible with the experience of Westley Richards in doing this kind of rifles over the years.
Robert Batiste on February 14, 2018 at 5:23 am
I apologize for taking so long to thank you for the information. I bought a new Weatherby Mark V in 1980 chambered for the .460 and shot factory loads as well as reloads. I could only find 350gr Hornady and 400gr Speer flat points (really designed for the .45-70, I believe)and to this day regret selling it around 1985. I grew to dislike the sling stud mounted on the forend instead of on the barrel (I’m sure you know why). What encouraged the decision to sell it was upon shooting it one time, in the standing off – hand position, the rifle somehow recoiled into my trigger hand and dumped the cartridges from the magazine into the half- foot of snow that had fallen the night before. My fault of course, but I lost faith in my confidence to control the rifle as I should have.
Back to the price you mentioned, I stand in awe of the ability to create such a magnificent piece at anywhere near that dollar amount. I look at the photo from time to time, I still think the rifle is more elegant than the $150,000 + double rifles that are out there. Incredible combination of art and function. To each his own. …
Best wishes, R.B.
Robert Batiste on December 4, 2017 at 6:45 pm
The gorgeous 460 weatherby bolt action made for the ph……what price range would that be in?
Bill Johnson on November 10, 2019 at 11:09 pm
How long is the barrel on this rifle?