Started by late Simon Dominic Clode (Chairman & Managing Director of Westley Richards) in 2015, the Westley Richards Synthetic All Weather Mountain Rifle project has come to fruition. The company published an article telling the story of this rather unusual Westley Richards bolt-action rifle. Let’s take a closer look.

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As its name implies, the Westley Richards Synthetic All Weather Mountain Rifle is designed for mountain hunting, particularly, it was intended for Altai Argali sheep hunting. As per Simon Clod’s initial plan, this rifle is built on a new Mauser 98 action with a Westley Richards pattern synthetic stock and a fluted aluminum sleeved barrel. The barrel is cut rifled and chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum. The rifle prints sub-MOA groups at 100 yards.

The polymer stock is fitted with a pair of sling studs and has an integrated socket for attaching Spartan carbon fiber bipods. The finishes are a mix of old and new, a combination of the incredible Westley Richards bright blueing on parts like the trigger and extractor with Cerakote on the action, grip cap, magazine, and bolt handle. The magazine capacity is four rounds. The weight without a scope is 7 lbs 4 oz.

As you can see, the Westley Richards Synthetic All Weather Mountain Rifle ticks all the boxes of a perfect mountain rifle – lightweight, accurate, weather-resistant, powerful. Overall, the company’s goal was to create a modern rifle based on their philosophy – in pursuit of the best gun. Looks like they’ve reached it.

When it comes to firearms made by companies like Westley Richards, one expects to see classic deluxe guns with fine engravings, blued barreled actions and oiled walnut furniture. Polymer stocks, aluminum sleeved barrels and Cerakote are quite a bit of a departure. However, what we should keep in mind is that companies like Westley Richards used to be the producers of most modern hunting tools in the golden age of safaris and shikars, constantly coming up with innovations whether it was new action types and mechanisms or cartridges that were the best for the job. A good example is the .425 Westley Richards, a rebated rim cartridge that could be loaded into Mauser stripper clips making quick reloads possible, and had an overall length that allowed building remarkably powerful dangerous game magazine rifles based on standard length Mauser actions. That being said, I don’t see any reason why these companies should not continue innovating and building guns with the use of modern materials and techniques, continuing to provide the hunters the perfect tools for any specific hunting environment. Although Westley Richards is not planning to offer this rifle in their catalog and completing this project looks more like a tribute to Simon Clode, I think they should offer at least a limited edition run of the rifle especially considering that, as they say, everyone who has seen this rifle wanted to buy it.

Pictures courtesy of Westley Richards, www.westleyrichards.com