Dear Cobbhead,
I own some Parkers, LC Smiths and soon 3 RBL's with the addition of my 16. It would be impossible to tell you what gun you should buy,I enjoy them all. I guess it depends what you are wanting in a shotgun. That said I really love the idea that I am building a story of my own, and history for several grandsons ( Or granddaughters} someday with my RBL’s.
I have bought my RBL's with the intention of hunting with them,and not as an investment, and I have done so at every opportunity. My 28 gauge with a unique s/n 2828, along with my 20 gauge have already experienced a season of Mearns quail hunting over my dogs. The exhibition wood has recorded the hunts in the inscriptions left on these fine guns. The first time I put a gouge in the wood of my 28, I felt like I did when I put the pen striping down the side of my new truck. This was done while pushing on towards that chance at a trophy Coues whitetail on a rough old mining road. Yes, it hurt at the time, but was much easier after that first scratch. I have saved the order forms, the shipping boxes, catalogs, magazine articles and correspondence with Galazan on the RBL’s I have ordered.
I have the stories of calling and talking to Lou and Adam, the guy’s involved in the day to day operations in producing the RBL. The stories of Adam making changes as requested to the trigger pull, or the changes to the choke configurations. The story of Lou taking my Iver Johnson Skeeter, on trade towards a new RBL 16 gauge. The opportunity to meet with Lou and Adam while on a business trip to Hartford, and them taking time out of there lunch hour to meet with me at the factory in New Britain. We could all argue the virtues of many fine guns, listing one over the other, but it is the history that we build into these guns that will live on long after we are gone. I know many of us grew up in an era of some really really cool cars. Listen to those stories the next time you are sitting around the lunch room at work. It’s not just the Corvettes and the GTO’s that we all talk about.
The other thing I have noticed is that I do not hear how granddad left me $4,000.00. I hear about the old Winchester, and yes the great old Parker that was left to them. The money is soon gone and forgotten about, while that old gun and stories still hang on, when that special grandchild inherits it. When I go to the Parker and LC Smith Web sites and read the many stories about how “I just inherited this gun”, they tell about the gun being bought new by their grandfather, and they post pictures of the hunts where they were used. All wonderful history.
I hope some day my grandchildren will be going through our family pictures and they will find a picture dated February 7, 2009. Written on the back of the picture it will read. Last day of the season, 6 Mearns taken, my dogs Jules and Harmony- 28 gauge RBL. Someone will say wow that’s the 28 gauge granddad gave me. Just one more guy's humble perspective.
Enough said.
