This post went a bit British on me. I cannot resist the glories of John Rigby & Co. rifles! It may be true, as my friend Craig Rullman insists, that EVERYONE wants a CheyTac. I’ll not gainsay it. But this Frontier Partisan is besotted by Rigbys.
Introducing the new Rigby Big Game Lightweight – a tribute to classic pre-war safari rifles. Chambered in .350 Rigby Magnum, the rifle is built on a Mauser M98 magnum double square bridge action, with a new slim profile 24-inch barrel fitted with express island style sights. The stock profile has been reproduced to mirror the vintage pre-war models, with no cheek piece and larger hand-chequered panels, offering a timeless aesthetic.
This Best boxlock double rifle is a modern interpretation of a classic British double introduced to the Rigby range in the late 1890s. Its resurgence pays homage to a rich heritage of hunting and opens the door to experiencing the thrill of an African double rifle safari with a Rigby in-hand.
There can be few in the exploration community who do not know the name Ranulph Fiennes, and even fewer who are unaware of his influence on the world of modern exploration during the past half century. His record, though it hardly needs telling, is worth repeating. He has been the leader of nearly 20 major expeditions, from his first in 1967 (the Jostedalsbreen Glacier) to his current Global Reach Challenge. In between, he fronted the extraordinary Transglobe Expedition (1979–1982), during which he completed the Northwest Passage, while in 1993, in the company of Mike Stroud, he spent 93 days on the ice to become the first to cross Antarctica unsupported. As an athlete, in 2003, he completed the Land Rover 7×7×7 Challenge, running seven marathons in seven continents in seven days. It is a feat that, in retrospect, he “wouldn’t do again.”
“Think of Fiennes as an Edwardian raconteur who pours you a dram and pulls you close to the fire.”
“I’m in.”
Air Force drone pilot Reaper (Russell Crowe) supports a Tier-One special ops team in the South Philippines when he has only 48 hours to drastically shift a mission gone terribly wrong into a wild rescue operation. Top-level extractors Cpt. Sugar (Milo Ventimiglia) and Sgt. Abel (Luke Hemsworth) are joined by a green Air Force officer, Kinney (Liam Hemsworth), before they redeploy on the battlefield to retrieve their captured man and a mysterious asset, both now hostages. As the eyes of the ground mission, Reaper becomes Kinney’s lifeline when the team is discovered by the enemy and the situation becomes a hellish full-scale battle. In the Land of Bad, you don’t leave anyone behind.
Matthew says
I think there are probably advantages to being half-cracked. Whole cracked, on the other hand, is not and they need institutionalization and not run our government.
JimC says
The half-cracked have the advantage of not recognizing limitations — which can be dangerous, but mighty useful. Or, as Lawrence himself said:
Wayne says
I’m with you. I’m half way thru Michael Korda’s Hero:The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia. On a day of heavy snow, I’ll be deeply immersed in T.E. Lawrence for the next few hours.
Monk says
Timely subject as the last original member of the SAS has just died.
Mad dogs and Englishman the saying is, very apt I would think.
I have always found the practice of ripping young boys from their families
and putting them in all male boarding schools at a young age, very explanatory.
I am keen to get into Scott Anderson’s book on Lawrence and the Middle East.
There’s a big fat Bio on Ian Fleming out as well.
Question for Wayne: cop any of Chris Offutt’s Mick Hardin novels yet ?
Wayne says
Monk,
I’ve read Country Dark and I need to read more of his stuff. He’s reminiscent of 2 of my favorite authors, Daniel Woodrell and Larry Brown. The three of them have the ability to immerse the reader in a totally believable country noir setting, then spin a good yarn. We ought to have a beer and talk about it.
Monk says
Wish we could, but as we say around here: it’s a long way to the shop
when you want a sausage roll.
Country Dark is an awesome gem, I would add Michael Farris Smith,
to my mind the best living American author, to your trio.
Later this year there’s Holy City by Michael Wise and a reprint of The
Knockout Artist to look forward to, I am about to get into Chris McGinley’s
Once These Hills. Check out Donald Ray Pollock if you haven’t already.
Wayne says
The Knockout Artist? Are you referencing Harry Crews? One of the all-time mad men of Southern literature. I believe I have read everything he wrote, including the compilation of essays he did for Esquire in the early 70s. Pollock – The Devil All the Time!
Monk says
Yep, lost my copy of TKA before I could get to it, new one’s got an intro
by S A Cosby, the Wise book gets blurbed by non other than James A
McLaughlin. Pollock’s The Heavenly Table is very Crews-like.