doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com CSMC changing

Got a call from Lou @ CSMC earlier this week. He was just checking in with me because we did not make it to the Southern SxS. We had a good, long conversation about the current double gun market and how much things have changed and how the double gun market is winding down. Bottom line, they are moving away from the double gun mfg. business and toward the current market for modern firearms. Sure, they will still build a Mod. 21 or A.H. Fox if you've got the coin, but even those are probably coming to an end before too much water goes under the bridge, and the days of introducing any new o/u or sxs, or a repro of either, are pretty much over. The new Savage/Fox offering is probably a last hurrah.

I could see this coming when they introduced the DP12 double barreled pump shotgun. It was certainly a nice run from Tony Galazan to give us what he did. Wish them the best going forward...
JR

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should cause the value for csmc brand sxs guns to go up... just like it did for browning, ruger, skb, etc...

There are dozens of A10's and RBL's in inventory at CSMC. and a good many on the secondary market right now, so any immediate desires are going to be met IF you can find the configuration you want. But as word gets out, they will begin to dry up fairly quickly. The better looking wood and longer barrels will go first. Discounts will dry up and values will begin to rise, slowly, until all the outliers suddenly realize theses American iconic shotguns are going away and they don't want to be left out, for whatever reason. The lines will soon begin to form. Wish I had bought a .410 RBL w/30" barrels...
JR

Always hate seeing an American company that makes pretty decent guns stop producing their stuff. I don't own any CSMC stuff, the only gun business I've ever done with them is when I sold them a Darne and then bought a nice small bore Zoli Expedition from Lou. Other than that, I wasn't really interested in their other guns. For years I thought I'd might want to order a Fox from them, I honesty just saw a few Fox guns that had issues. That in itself turned me off. And then came the RBL's, the A-10's, Inverness, etc. None of them did anything for me.
Are you sure you regret not buying a long barreled .410 RBL? Why? So you could bed down the forend to make it stop wiggling around? BTW....why didn't Lou fix that (serious question)?

I am similarly saddened to hear the news. When I think of CSMC, the phrase "modern interpretations of classic doubles" immediately comes to mind. Some double gun enthusiasts want only new guns, or US built guns and galazan's departure from that scene will leave a void in the market.

Personally I feel that their used guns were priced too high, but I do enjoy the variety of accessories offered in their catalog.

I agree they price their used on the high side, but the one I did buy from them, 20g Louis Christophe SLE, was exactly as described and I was happy with the deal.

That sad I am saddened to hear they are stepping back. All there Foxes and RBLs I have held were nice and the three guys I know who brought them and hunted with me are happy.

None of their new guns, save their Foxes, ever tempted me.

The RBL .410 was very nice to hold. Although I had grave concerns about the overall quality control on RBLs, if the price had not been so high I might have bit the bullet. I have a weak spot for long barreled .410 doubles. Lou is a heck of nice fellow, and has a memory unequaled by anyone I've ever known. Sorry to hear of their impending departure from the double gun business.

When I showed Lou the little Yildiz Elegante 4 at the fall Southern several years ago he sat there looking intently at it and commented on how amazing it was that it could be bought for what I told him. He was obviously impressed at the quality for the price. I would not be a bit surprised if he and Tony had some long discussions, about the Turkish gun manufacturing trade, after that. Not that the Yildiz was anything near the workmanship of CSMC guns, but that there was some stiff competition on the horizon, in the double gun business.

SRH

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The Turks are getting better, practice does that.

However, I believe they have always been capable of better, but breaking into the higher end niche is hard.

Spanish guns have never really overcome the stigma of the low end stuff that came out of Spain, even though they always were capable of some good work.

CSMC is a smart company, maybe not perfect, but smart overall, the market for $10k and above American SxS is only so big and They are looking down the road.

I have to admit the more I read this thread the more I think about a Fox from them. I just can't see where it would fit amongst what I have now and I am about to cull to pay off an auction buy.