BIG BORE RIFLES
Big Bore Rifles
Dating back well over 40 years, the predecessor of Northwest Magnum specialized in carrying big bore rifles for heavy and dangerous game. When Northwest Magnum opened, that baton was passed to us. We now have access to an outstanding array of fine big bore rifles that were not immediately transferred to this shop in Salmon, Idaho. Rather than that, and recognizing that big bores make up a very small portion of the market, the rifles have been retained at the previous shop location in the midwest. Carefully managed and stored in climate-controlled vaults, the rifles are now ready to be announced as available through Northwest Magnum. That's because our customer base is greatly expanding, with big game rifles having been shipped across the country as far as both coasts and to Alaska. Some dangerous game rifles have even been purchased here specifically for permanent transfer to professional hunters in Africa.
You might wonder why... Why is a tiny gun shop in a small town in Idaho being chosen by so many people from distant locations to be their supplier? We believe the reasons are quality of firearms, quality of service, and trust. Professionals and knowledgeable riflemen would rather deal with a true rifle enthusiast than with a sales clerk. It's just that simple. The "big-box" stores may have huge buying power and leverage that might save someone a few dollars on a lower-price-point product, but most of them don't even carry what we have available. Also, most of the chains, at one time or another, pledged that they would not carry AR- and AK-type rifles, but now most of them do. Their motive is profit. When it became clear that a fairly large segment of the adult population was willing to lay down a lot of money for such products, their tune changed. Consequently, these firearms have now been reclassified as "modern rifles," even though they are still ARs, AKs, and knockoffs of the M14. They seem to satisfy a need or perhaps alleviate the fear of some shooters that are not confident of their marksmanship. Whatever.
Back to the big bores... Here's a list of calibers (chambers) that we have available right now:
375 Holland & Holland Magnum
375 Ruger
416 Remington Magnum
416 Rigby
416 Weatherby
458 Winchester Magnum
458 Lott
460 Weatherby
In most cases, we have several rifles in each of the chamberings listed. For our opinions on some of the cartridges, please refer to Cartridge Talk on this website. If you are in need of a big bore rifle for hunting, or simply wish to own one, feel free to get in contact with us to discuss your interests, questions, or concerns.
JDC