Frankly, at that price tag we've long left the realm of utilitarianism and crossed over into luxury goods, regardless of whether we're talking about a shotgun, rifle or any other type of small arm.
So yeah, at that point the justification boils down to "I like it, I want it and I can afford it" - and that's as good a justification as any.

Rifles like this are works of gun making art. I could never afford to own one but I'm glad there are others who can.

Yeah Johnny i am German so for me it is the other Way around, a Rifle is what i use mainly and a Shotgun is only a tool. I have many different Rifles yes in bad Weather i would not take my Blaser K95 with Grade 7 Wood with me (only if it is a Special Hunt like for a old Chamois Buck or a Red Stag) i would take my Mauser M12 Extreme or my SteelAction HS, but for Shotguns it is simple these are only Tools for me so i would pick my old trustfull Merkel 200E i bought 24 Years ago with my first Hunting License or my relativly new Franchi Affinity 3 (after i sold my old Winchester Semiauto)

Johnny needs to visit a few members of the "Custom Makers Guild" in the USA.  Truly "bespoke" rifles in every way.

We need more of those rifle videos!! Thanks for taking the time!!

This is how I approach deer now. I just go walk through the woods with an iron sighted 1903 Springfield manufactured in 1918 right after the updated nickel steel and heat treat upgrade. It has been sporterized with Williams open sights and Griffin and Howe stock. This was done in the 50s-60s timeframe. It shoots great and is so light and handy in the woods just clean sleek lines and wood with blue steel. It brings deer 🦌 stalking to a new level. I’d say the only thing more intense would be archery stalking. Because even archery stand hunting is really just waiting for a deer to walk by. But being on the ground with them with a beautiful rifle well over a century old and no modern tech mounted on it is my favorite way to spend time in the deer woods.

I  am the other way , i struggle to justify  two straight tubes and a relatively simple trigger and ejection system costing yens of thousands of pounds , and they do nothing for me , a rifle on the other hand has more machining in it

Other way around for me, I’ve never understood why a shotgun could cost so much. Hand work aside, it appears to me there’s way more going on in a rifle from a manufacturing standpoint.

People in the comments just don’t understand. All but one of my grandfathers shotguns have long since passed their lifespan being (I’m 60) but I have and still use a bunch of their rifles. Heck I’m on the third barrel on a 722 Remington but the action is as good as new. A good hunting rifle could last two hundred years or more with proper care and maybe a barrel or 10 if it’s a target gun. Although to be fair I’m just guessing because my oldest rifle I still hunt with is only 145 years old but it’s still going strong 👍🏼

If you go to any Holts Auction or look in good rifle shops such as Edinburgh Rifles you will plenty of beautiful rifles that a few decades old that will shoot just as well as the modern Rigby. You might want to add a slightly better scope, but a traditional 6x42 will allow you to shoot any deer. Most fine rifles will shoot a magazine full, perhaps 2 of cartridges a year. Most will only have shot a few hundred cartridges in their lifetime. Older calibres such as the 7x57 or 6.5x54 are built for long for calibre bullets so typically have a twist rate of 1 in 8” or so that work well with monolithics. In the early days they would be used with steel jacketed bullets so solid copper won’t hurt them.

And you can get a nice traditional rifle for a few hundred or low thousands of dollars£.

You spend that much because you can and because they are works of art.

Did Archie hit the mark at 100 yards? We seen him fire but didn’t see the outcome?

'If you put a decent scope on this, you could shoot red stags in Scotland at 200m with no problem'......I could do that with a 70 year old Lee Enfield No4 Mk1 using the standard iron sights at  under £600!

Johnny oh Johnny. Rifles are anything but purely practical.
A highland stalker is practical, but it's also a whole lot more than that.
Not to mention the old classics. Long may they live.

The historical significance of the Rigby is very hard to overlook, Jim Corbett, Ernest Hemingway, W.D.M. “Karamojo” Bell, John A. “J.A.” Hunter, Kermit Roosevelt & Wilbur Smith all used Rigby rifles and wrote stories of hunting in Africa and India that inspire the most romantic visions of these places.

I’m rather disappointed that neither of you mentioned the specifications of the rifles, are they controlled round feed, which calibres are they available in, how many rounds do they hold, twist rate etc.?

These are not just "tools for the job", they are an homage to the greatest writers of the 19th and 20th centuries, a way of connecting to the past and most importantly a celebration of the exquisite craftsmanship that has all but disappeared, but for the very few still keeping that tradition alive.

I have always wanted a high end firearm, but I am a very practical guy. All my guns are tools, I appreciate and take care of all my tools and keep them up and running. They put food on my table and I just love firearms.

These very high end firearms are way out of my price range, but I very much respect them, those who made them and those who own them. Their is so much soul in these firearms and their beauty is unmatched. Most guns today, are soulless, generic and much like cars, often boring with plastic not wood. The ones with a really fine stock, always impressed me. The fine engravings always add beauty, and some of these finishing are to beautiful to take in the field.

Just think of it like buying a nice krieghoff you wouldn’t think twice about spending that sort of money on a shotgun. 17k on a rifle you’d expect it to be nice like a best quality shotgun everyone needs a nice gun in there cabinet that is there simply to enjoy !

My model 70 classic 30.06 is my dream rifle and I love it. I have 700 in it used

A Pre-2020 Winchester Model 70, a Howa 1500, an old school Mauser, an old .303 Enfield, will all perform the same in the field in the hands of a competent hunter.  The guns in the video are beautiful pieces, but you are paying for looks and a brand name--which is fine, but its a luxury item like any other.

If you developed a taste for fine rifles you should really visit Hartmann and Weiss in Germany. Their guns are immaculate. And for your taste in shotguns they have these as well. Lovely Video!!