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Westley’s introduced its .425 Magnum Express around 1906-1907 and patented the firm’s iconic “drop box” magazine also in 1907. 

The .425 Magnum Express offered a lot of advantages over other comparable cartridges, especially in early days of the bolt action rifle. The new cartridge was designed to fit on a standard length Mauser action and work with a standard bolt face. Westley’s also reduced the diameter of the case’s rim to the same size as the typical Mauser military cartridge so the new .425 cartridge worked with the standard Mauser bolt face and stripper clips, thus introducing the first “rebated rim”, also patented in 1907. 

When combined with the deeply shaped magazine box, there is enough room to strip 5 rounds of .425 free of the stripper clip into the magazine, allowing the shooter to chamber the first round as the bolt is closed.  This rifle was the choice of F.C. Selous and countless others who pursued large and dangerous game, and it remains alive and well today as a popular choice for our new bolt action rifles.

Featured here is a Westley Richards & Co. .425 Magnum that bridges the gap between the iconic vintage rifles and the new rifles the firm makes today.

Original Mauser actions made before the factory was destroyed in WWII, are the benchmark all other bolt actions are measured against and remain highly sought after for building new rifles. Completed as a new rifle in 1994, this rifle is based on an original commercially made, pre-war Mauser action in standard length with W.R.&Co.’s patented drop box magazine. 

After the first world war, Westley’s installed two spring loaded “clips” on the actions fitted with the drop-box magazine. These clips were fit perpendicular to the action’s raceways and intended to keep the cartridge straight in the magazine and ensure positive feeding of this short, fat cartridge.

This rifle is made on of the later versions that incorporated the clips. The action, drop-box magazine, and lever release are all original hardware.

The action was re-barreled and restocked by Westley Richards & Co. with a modern Lothar Walther barrel, a banded front sling attachment and Westley’s distinctive foresight with combination brass bead and flip-up night sight with a hinged sight protector that folds back towards the breech.

The island rear sight has 1 standing/2 folding leaves (100, 200, 300 yds), each one gold lined and engraved with their respective distance. The modern stock of tightly grained, nicely figured walnut has a traditional RH beaded cheekpiece, a 14 ¾" LOP over a red rubber pad, and full pistol grip with a smooth traditional horn grip cap. There is a single steel recoil bar and an ebony forend tip. The hand and foregrip are checkered at 26 lpi with mullered borders with a single ball sling stud on the toe line and a stock oval that has been polished.

In 2020, Gunmaker J.J. Perodeau installed a quick detachable claw mount for 30mm EAW rings and a  new bolt shroud and an M70 type 3-position safety to work with a scope. The rifle includes a Swarovski Z6i 1–6 x 24mm scope with an illuminated 4-Ai reticle. In addition, J.J. fabricated a new rear sight that fits the existing dovetail on the island base, that also serves as a mounting surface for a Trijicon RMR red dot. The original rear sight and Trijicon RMR are also included with the rifle.

The rifle shoots extremely well (test targets and load data available) and feeds and functions flawlessly. The rifle has been shot and hunted but overall remains in very good shape. Clearly the rifle has been well cared for.

Ammunition for this rifle is available. 

I have encountered a fair number of Westley Richards bolt action magazine rifles made around this same time, coincidentally, all of them made with original, commercial Mauser actions. The repurposing of the original Mauser action made prior to WWII, was the practice of the day when modern versions of the venerable Mauser action were not readily available. This was also a period in W.R.&Co.’s history when the firm created extremely nice rifles, transitioning from the 1980’s style and resulting in early examples of the rifles W.R.&Co. produces today.

Custom loaded ammo

This rifle is set up and ready for another 100 years of adventure. It also is a rifle I think any collector should consider, as it is an excellent example of what the firm was producing at the end of the twentieth century.

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