Musgrave Ambidex
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 584 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.72 kg
- Introduced
- 1988
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Musgrave Ambidex is a South African .22 Long Rifle straight-pull bolt-action rimfire sporting rifle produced by Musgrave in Bloemfontein. Launched in May 1988 and inspired by the Browning T-Bolt, its defining feature is a bolt that can be swapped to operate from either the left or right side of the receiver, making it fully ambidextrous. High production costs made it a commercial failure, and only about 400 were built before it was discontinued around 1990.
Built for both left- and right-handed shooters, the Ambidex let its owner unscrew and reinstall the straight-pull bolt on the opposite side of the receiver, a rare ambidextrous trick that nonetheless couldn't save it from being a commercial flop.
Offered in three grades. UK dealers requested suppressor-compatible barrel threading, which added to already high manufacturing costs. It competed unsuccessfully against cheaper CZ rimfire rifles.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Musgrave Rifles
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- South Africa
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1988 to 1990
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 584 mm
- Overall length
- 1054 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.72 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Straight pull
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 15
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Effective range
- 100 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Reversible ambidextrous bolt
Straight pull action
Cross bolt locking
Sporter stock
Detachable magazine
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 215 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 2.72 kg | 2.61 kg | Heavier than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 207 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 1054 mm | 1016 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 228 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 584 mm | 547 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 231 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 15 | 6 | Holds more rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Musgrave Ambidex
How much does the Musgrave Ambidex weigh?
The Musgrave Ambidex weighs 2.72 kg (6.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Musgrave Ambidex?
The Musgrave Ambidex is chambered in .22 Long Rifle.
How many rounds does the Musgrave Ambidex hold?
The Musgrave Ambidex holds 15 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Musgrave Ambidex?
The Musgrave Ambidex is 1054 mm (41.5 in) long overall, with a 584 mm (23.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Musgrave Ambidex?
The Musgrave Ambidex is made by Musgrave Rifles (South Africa).
When was the Musgrave Ambidex introduced?
The Musgrave Ambidex was introduced in 1988 and discontinued in 1990.
How does the Musgrave Ambidex operate?
The Musgrave Ambidex uses a straight pull action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
70%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/musgrave-ambidex' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "musgrave-ambidex", "name": "Musgrave Ambidex", "manufacturer": { "id": "musgrave", "name": "Musgrave Rifles", "countryCode": "ZA", "foundedYear": 1950, "website": "https://www.musgraverifles.co.za", "logoUrl": null, "description": "South African manufacturer of hunting and sporting rifles, founded in 1950 by target shooting champion Benjamin Musgrave, revived in 2009 after a decade of closure.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "69391aa1514f37347cb0181fdeea2a5cd2b6af86f1b0c905d48bf2043b0e726e" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "ZA", "year_introduced": 1988, "barrel_length_mm": 584, "weight_empty_g": 2722, "action_type": "straight_pull"}