The Rigby Campfire

Our series sharing Jim Corbett’s Jungle Stories is nearly at an end as we reach Episode 38 of the Rigby Campfire podcast, with Marc Newton returning to read the first part of his favourite Corbett story, The Chowgarh Tigers. In this penultimate episode of the series, Corbett recounts his pursuit of a pair of man-eating Bengal tigers that terrorised villages in eastern Kumaon between 1925 and 1930....

With the arrival of cool, blustery weather in Sussex, England, the fire is lit and Monty has donned his Jungle Jim 436 Safari Jacket for Episode 37 of the Rigby Campfire podcast. In this episode, he reads Chapter Six of Jim Corbett’s Jungle Stories, Wildlife in the Village. An Appeal. Corbett explores the connections between village life and the wildlife of India’s jungles, describing how fencing...

For Episode 36 of the Rigby Campfire podcast, we return to our Jungle Stories series, reading from Jim Corbett’s rare first edition. Rigby’s Head of Operations, Steven ‘Monty’ Monteith, reads Chapter Five, The Terror That Walks by Night. Corbett reflects on the superstitions of his era and those held by sportsmen he knew, before sharing one of his own. He then recounts a remarkable face-to-face en...

Episode 35 of the Rigby Campfire podcast comes to you from the heart of the action, recorded in a grouse butt in the south of Scotland as award-winning engraver and dear friend of Rigby Karen Wallace loads for Marc Newton. Two and a half days into a fantastic week on the moors, Karen shares the story of her journey from goldsmith to gun engraver, including the rather memorable mishap that marked h...

In episode 34 of the Rigby Campfire podcast, Marc Newton sits down on the side of a Scottish glen with his sister and Rigby Chief of Staff, Michelle Carter, to reflect on a Glorious Twelfth spent shooting in Glenalmond and at their family home in nearby Edradour. Their conversation explores the traditions that make the opening day of the grouse season so special: arriving the night before, the sou...

Step back into the world of Jim Corbett as Rigby's managing director Marc Newton reads Chapters Three and Four from the only known original copy of Jungle Stories, Corbett's legendary collection of hunting stories. In Chapter 3, A Lost Paradise and Chapter 4, Purna Giri and its Mysterious Lights, Corbett reflects on places that left a lasting impression on him, taking listeners to the foothills of...

Our special Jungle Stories series continues as Rigby’s Director of Operations Steven "Monty" Monteith reads Chapter Two of the book, transporting us to India in the 1930s and 40s.  In The Fish of My Dreams, Corbett turns his attention to the rivers of northern India, sharing his love of mahseer fishing and the unforgettable landscapes in which he pursued the great fish. Rich with vivid description...

In the first chapter of our Jungle Stories series, Rigby's managing director, Marc Newton, begins reading from the only known remaining copy from the original print run of Jim Corbett’s book. Chapter One is titled The Pipal Pani Tiger, and it’s a beautifully observed account that reflects Corbett's deep understanding of the natural world. As he follows the tiger's life from its earliest days, Corb...

There are so many incredible stories woven into Rigby’s history and revival, and the ones about Jim Corbett are among the most evocative. In this special episode of the Rigby Campfire Podcast, Rigby's managing director Marc Newton shares the journey that brought two of the Rigby Museum's greatest treasures together: Jim Corbett's famous .275 Rigby rifle and the only known remaining cop...

This episode of the Rigby Campfire podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of Rigby’s new London premises, as Managing Director Marc Newton is joined by Director of Operations Steven "Monty" Monteith for a tour of the building and a look at what this exciting new chapter means for the company. Recorded as they walk through the workshops, showroom, museum space and Rigby Academy during...

For admirers of the British double rifle, Episode 28 of the Rigby Campfire podcast is essential listening. Marc Newton sits down with renowned double rifle authority Graeme Wright for a conversation that spans decades of collecting, shooting, studying and loading some of the world’s finest sporting rifles. A lifelong firearms enthusiast from Australia, Graeme traces his fascination back to the Afr...

Marc Newton continues our SCI Nashville 2026 conversations in Episode 27 of the Rigby Campfire podcast, sitting down with South African artist Yolandi Van Aarde of Calvalry Skulls. Working with real animal skulls as her canvas, Yolandi transforms trophies into deeply personal works of art, carving intricate designs inspired by the stories behind the hunt, the landscapes explored and the individual...

Some friendships begin with a hunting story, getting out of a tight spot thanks to a great rifle. Others begin with lunch - in this case, a burger eaten in the Rigby workshop, wearing a gunmaker’s apron. In Episode 26 of the Rigby Campfire Podcast, Managing Director Marc Newton is joined by Laszlo ‘Laci’ Boross, a long-standing customer friend of the brand who travelled from Hungary to spend time...

Step into a room filled with stories, legacy and no small measure of character. In this special edition of the Rigby Campfire Podcast, recorded live at Safari Outdoors in South Africa, Managing Director Marc Newton sits down with legendary gunmaker Paul Roberts - the original ‘Mr Rigby’ - in front of a packed audience. More than four decades ago, Paul acquired Rigby and, over the following fifteen...

Join Marc Newton and special guests around a black-tie campfire at Royal Thabane Lodge.  In this special edition of the Rigby Campfire Podcast, Managing Director Marc Newton gathers Alex and Danielle McDonald alongside two bona fide hunting legends — Paul Roberts and Buzz Charlton — for a chat under the African night sky. Recorded beside a crackling fire under the iconic silhouette of a baobab tre...

Recorded over breakfast in the stunning surroundings of Royal Thabane Lodge, South Africa, Episode 23 marks a first for the Rigby Campfire Podcast. Danielle McDonald joins Managing Director Marc Newton as our first female guest, bringing insight, perspective and experience from the heart of modern African conservation and safari life. In this conversation, Danielle explains how fenced preserves, u...

In the final episode of our Campfire Podcast for 2025, Managing Director Marc Newton sits down with gunmaker Olivier Leclercq to look back at 12 years of Rigby’s revival.  Olivier and Marc take us back to the earliest days of Rigby at Pensbury Place, when the company was little more than a vision, a box of paperwork and a handful of determined people. He and Marc reflect on the events of December...

In the latest Rigby Campfire podcast, Marc is joined by Martin Levis, Rigby’s Head Stock Maker and a man renowned for his craftsmanship, sommelier-like instinct for exceptional walnut and his lightning-fast reloading skills. With more than a decade in the gun trade, eight of those years with Rigby, Martin offers a rare window into the skill, intuition and patience that define this centuries-old cr...

Rigby’s Head of Communications, Simon K. Barr, is joined by Craig Boddington for an in-depth discussion on all things Rigby. Craig recounts his personal Rigby journey, beginning with his early fascination sparked by reading Jim Corbett’s works during his school years, through to his own expeditions—ranging from pursuing elephants across the African wilderness to stalking roe bucks in the English c...

Join Rigby’s Head of Communications, Simon K. Barr, as he sits down with Professional Hunter Alex McDonald at Royal Thabane, a five-star private safari lodge in Limpopo, South Africa. Recorded in the Rigby Gunroom, the only official Rigby Gunroom at any hunting lodge worldwide, the conversation takes place surrounded by a full complement of Rigby magazine and double rifles.  Alex shares how he and...

Join Rigby’s Managing Director, Marc Newton, as he welcomes long-standing client, trusted advisor, and friend Todd Fry for a conversation in the Rigby safari tent at this year’s SCI convention in Dallas. Todd shares his hunting journey, from adventuring on multiple mountain hunts a year, to eventually trying - albeit initially rather reluctantly - hunting in Africa. A decade on, with over 20 safar...

In the latest edition of the Rigby Campfire Podcast, Rigby Managing Director Marc Newton returns to HMS Victory, one month after our unforgettable 250th anniversary celebrations at Portsmouth’s Royal Naval Dockyard. Seated once again in Nelson’s Cabin, quiet once more after the hustle and bustle of the celebrations, Marc is joined by gunmaker Dan Rivers from Rigby’s finishing team. The pair reflec...

In this special episode of the Rigby Campfire Podcast, Head of Communications Simon K. Barr joins Rigby Managing Director Marc Newton as they drive to Portsmouth’s historic dockyard, the iconic setting for Rigby’s 250th anniversary celebration. Recorded aboard the legendary HMS Warrior, just steps from HMS Victory, this episode dives into the origins of an event three years in the making. Marc and...

Join Rigby’s Managing Director, Marc Newton, as he sits down with Slade Stevens in the very heart of Rigby’s workshop in London. Slade joined the Rigby team as an apprentice gunmaker three years ago and is now head of sales for the Highland Stalker and Big Game rifles, focusing mainly on the U.S. market and walk-in clients in London. The pair discuss Slade’s move from America to come and work for...

In another superb episode of the Rigby Campfire Podcast, Rigby Managing Director Marc Newton sits down with longtime customer and friend Merle Sampson for an entertaining discussion about their shared hunting experiences and Rigby’s journey back to the pinnacle of gunmaking. This episode was recorded in January at the SCI convention in Atlanta, and you can expect to hear evocative stories of hunti...