Markel,
I have owned a 216 RL for about two years now. I knew I wanted a new, made-to-order gun, and decided on a Spanish one (couldn't afford a London best. I flew to Madrid, picked up a rental car and drove to Eibar (less than three hours' drive through spectacular country, and over the course of a couple of days visited all the name Spanish gunmakers (Grulla, Garbi, Arrizabalaga, Ugartechea, AyA, and Arrieta). Unforgettable experience, and one which I recommend to any and all who are considering purchasing a new Spanish SxS. I finally decided on the Grulla, since they seem to spend more time striking down their barrels and thus have a "livlier" feel, which I like. Best in terms of fit and finish is the Arrizabalaga, but their guns are built heavy; fine for driven shooting but not so good for the sort of walked-up shooting we do here. Garbi guns are comparable to Grulla in quality (as are AyA and Arrieta)but are more heavily built. AyA and Arrieta seemed to be the most "industrialized" in terms of number of guns produced. Ugartechea seemed quite sleepy, and my guess is they won't be around many more years. Didn't like their quality either.
Last piece of advice is "don't buy from some importer's stock." Take the extra time to have a gun made to your precise measurements. After you shoot a gun that fits you you won't want to shoot anything else. Email me if you have any more questions. Good luck!
