doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What's the big deal on RBL's?

The way I see it, to each his own. It's that simple for whatever the reason anyone buys anything.

JM ,well said! I did not order my two RBLS, yes i have one and am expecting another soon to please others, but ordered it because i think they are great guns for the money.I do not and never will criticize other people's choice of guns! Some i do not like but it may be a prize gun to others that was passed down from father to son or they worked their tail off saving the money to buy it, and they think the world of it! Bobby

Thanks everyone for your replies. Okay, now I understand the factors that are influencing a lot of RBL buyers. I appreciate the time you spent to write a reply.

PS to a couple of replies; I never said I'm tired of the number of RBL posts, having to read them, etc. Maybe you'll want to go back to the first post and read it again. All I wondered about is the inordinate number of RBL posts as compared with those for most any other SxS model. Silvers

What are you guys yapping about American made, my Kimber made in Yonkers shoots as well or better than the 3-4 Anschutz rifles I've owned.
Fit and finish over the Meister grades too!
Thats tops the RBL, who's competition is the entry level Spanish guns.

OK, its Friday night and its been a l-o-n-g week. I have an RBL. It was ordered within minutes, literally, of the offer being made. I ordered the standard gun, it cost me exactly $US 2554.00 up front, paid in full. I received a call that it was ready to ship shortly after the 4th of July. I have posted [Rabbit actually; Thank you(!), Jack] pictures of the gun. I have shot it .. at the pattern board first, it met my expectations .. at targets, ditto .. at dove in the rain opening day and the day after, the shooter made a few errors, but the gun had no faults. The season pretty much played out just that way. What's more to say? Does that make me a groupie? I have a coupla or three other guns, but no others from CSMC. I have to date perhaps a thousand rounds thru the RBL. It has not failed to fire, eject, open, or anything else. I really wanted to kill the first few dove shot at with it, but it was W. TX and the birds were wary and it was windy .. yeah, right! I missed some, that's all. The gun is as well regulated as anything I have ever owned and I enjoy shooting it.

The mystery part of the deal is no mystery at all. For me, its American, it is fun to shoot, it is a twenty gauge, it weighs under 6.5 pounds, it has a ROUND action [RBL, remember?] making it easy to carry, it in some ways resembles an SKB, arguably the better Japanese 20, it was slightly more expensive than a USED BSS 20 in excellent condition, but it has by any comparison drop dead nice wood and other desirable features, remember the action profile? OK, I quit. And please no one take offense, it is not intended to be read as anything but what it says .. no more, no less. It's an attempt at an honest answer to the question.

Nothing 'special' at all in some senses and then again IT IS TOO! There are, in fact, some very nice features with metal choices, choke treatments, finish .. the off-gold color that some object to on the trigger is not there for it color. Decide for yourself if it suites any need you may have or perceive to have. I bought the one I have to shoot and I am trying to do just that as time and opportunity permit. Do I care that it didn't resemble the photographs in every exact detail, e.g., engraving on the action balls and bbl.? NO, I don't. But, hey, I still like the SKB model 100 20ga. that I purchased in 1966 for $154. I bought a Chevy fleetside P/U a year later with a six, limited slip dif, A/C, HD cooling & suspention, etc. for $2563 turn key, inclusive of tax, title & lisc. I can actually remember that, so buying an RBL prolly makes me like a round earther who has gone & run off the edge .. but the free fall allows me to enjoy what minutes and moments I can garner playing with it, on targets or afield. Will there be hard landing ahead, could I sell it for more than I paid for it? Who cares?
"Not I.", said the blind man.

Again, no disrespect intended to anyone. I'll take it to South America this coming July and give it a real test then. Dove season here ended on Halloween ;-)

One of our Vintager Club members received his RBL yesterday. He had the gun less than two hours before bringing it to the monthly Charlotte Chapter meeting. His RBL has upgraded wood, H&H type self opener, single trigger, a frosted type of metal finish(not shiney), pistol grip, and a BT forearm. The wood to metal fit was excellent and the engraving pattern looked very nice. Overall the owner has every right to be very pleased with the new gun. This is a lot of gun for the money. We're looking forward to see the owner shoot the gun at an upcoming sporting clays shoot. An other club member also has an RBL on order - this one will have an English stock, splinter forearm, and double triggers.I'm not certain what grade wood he ordered but last night he was talking about adding the sping opening option.

Exhibition Black Walnut-Dick

I've heard most of the arguments pro and con in the last year plus. Options, gimcracks, pretty wood, respect for Galazan and expected quality of execution, chance to be a patron of American arts and industry at an attainable level of outlay, the siren call of delayed gratification. And conversely, no gauge option, dismal track record of recent efforts by other volume makers, unconventional and/or risky marketing strategy, low tolerance for delayed gratification. In the beginning there weren't any and the speculative babble was loud and long. Now there are. I see no reason that the babble shouldn't be followed up by some apercus of personal experience and a judgment, collectively arrived at, of just how good, bad, indifferent this gun is. I'm still listening.

jack

The big deal is plain and simple. American made (as mentioned before) and the simple fact that a gunmaker that makes 12K to 100K guns has decided to enter the "affordable" double gun market. What do you think the buzz would be if H&H or Purdey decided to make 3K boxlocks. I think you would see 20 pages of BBS BS about that project as well.

This is just the beginning for the RBL. I know there are plans for this gun that include other options and gauges.

Form the guns I have seen in person and on the net I will say one thing; Galazan's smiths know how to apply an oil finish. Some of the oil I have seen applied to European guns look like the finish on a lumberjack's axe handle.

Bob,I am not a computer person and had to get my daughter to take pictures and Chuck posted them and did not save them, unless there is some way to pull the old thread back up. Bobby