Rifle · Proprietary
.275 Rigby
John Rigby & Company's commercial name for the 7x57mm Mauser — the cartridge used by legendary hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett to take man-eating tigers across India.
- Caliber
- 0.2854″ · 7.25 mm
- Introduced
- 1899
- Case
- Rimless
- Primary use
- Hunting
- Status
- Active
- Introduced
- 1899
- Type
- Rifle
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Inventor
- John Rigby & Company
- Manufacturer
- John Rigby & Company / Norma / various
- Standard
- Proprietary
- Status
- Active
- Availability
- Specialty
- Case capacity
- 60.2 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:9
- Primer
- Large Rifle
- Case type
- Rimless
- Max pressure
- 51,000 psi, CIP transducer
- Eff. range
- 300 yd
- Max range
- 4700 yd
- Recoil
- 12–16 ft·lb
Ballistics
Published velocity/energy data isn't available for .275 Rigby.
Performance
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
CIP TDCC · verified| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 7.25 | 0.285 | ✓ |
| Neck ⌀ | 8.25 | 0.325 | ✓ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | 10.92 | 0.430 | ✓ |
| Shoulder angle | 20.5° | — | ✓ |
| Base ⌀ | 12.01 | 0.473 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 12.10 | 0.476 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.15 | 0.045 | ✓ |
| Neck length | 9.59 | 0.378 | ≈ |
| Case length | 57.00 | 2.244 | ✓ |
| Overall length | 78.00 | 3.071 | ✓ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .275 Rigby is highlighted below.
Factory loads
Being verified
Advertised FPS, energy, and BC are withheld until loads clear verification.
Reloading costestimate cost per round vs factory
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Firearms chambered in .275 Rigby
Lineage
History
John Rigby & Company adopted the 7x57mm Mauser cartridge for their sporting rifles around 1899 and marketed it as the .275 Rigby. The cartridge gained its most famous association through Jim Corbett — the hunter tasked by the Indian government with eliminating man-eating tigers and leopards responsible for hundreds of deaths in the Kumaon region of northern India. Corbett used a .275 Rigby bolt-action almost exclusively, praising its accuracy, flat trajectory, and sufficient power for large cats. His books, including 'Man-Eaters of Kumaon' (1944), made the .275 Rigby globally famous. W.D.M. 'Karamojo' Bell also used 7x57mm for elephant hunting, demonstrating that precise bullet placement could take the largest game with a modest cartridge. John Rigby & Company — revived in 2014 after a long dormancy — still chambers rifles in .275 Rigby.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .275 Rigby use?
- .275 Rigby typically uses a 1:9 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .275 Rigby?
- .275 Rigby uses a 0.2854″ (7.25 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .275 Rigby still in production?
- .275 Rigby is active; typical availability is specialty.
- What is .275 Rigby used for?
- .275 Rigby is primarily used for hunting.
Sources & provenance
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 17 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →
