doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com SKB Royal Deluxe: Anyone ever see one?

Just picked one up from Mark Beasland. I'd never seen an SKB like this one, and neither had Mark. Wouldn't have known much about it were it not for an ad in a 1960 Shooters Bible I recalled having seen. Mine matches up nicely to that ad. The standard gun came with double triggers and extractors, and sold for $400 in 1960. (Mine has ejectors--$50 option.) The ad specifies "custom-made to customer's specifications"--and it needed to be, given the price. (In the same book, a Sauer Royal sold for $280, and a Bernardelli Holland Sidelock for $450.) Profuse game scene and scroll engraving on the receiver, as well as deeply engraved fences with game birds. Wood is much nicer and checkering a lot finer than on the Ithaca imports. Weight with 28" barrels is under 6 1/2, which makes it half a pound lighter than my 28" Ithaca SKB 150. Mine sports a beavertail forend (somewhat trimmer than that on my Ithaca 150), as does the gun shown in the ad--but it could have been ordered with a splinter. Chokes are marked IC/F. Stamped SKB Royal Deluxe on the water table. I've seen a few SKB Royals previously,some with double triggers, but they were plainer guns and I'd always assumed they were made for the European market. This one has pretty much standard "American" features from that time period.

Sorry I don't do photos. Back when I did a couple articles on SKB's for Shooting Sportsman several years ago, I'd never heard of any SKB's imported to the States prior to Ithaca's involvement. And given the price, I doubt many of the Royal Deluxes were sold. Should make a great pheasant gun.

ROYAL DELUXE

12 ga., 2 � in. chamber, 26, 28 or 30 in. barrels with fixed chokes and swamped rib, the base model was fitted with ejectors, double triggers, beavertail forend and pistol grip stock, receiver was hand engraved with a game scene. Special Order models included: Trap and Skeet and Heavy Duck with 3 in. chamber. Imported by Stoeger Arms Corporation 1960-1961.

http://bluebookofgunvalues.com/Gun_Values/Gun_Manufacturer_Models.aspx?id=SKB_SHOTGUNS_SHOTGUNS_SxS

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1960-Print-Ad-o...=item2842199821

Yes, I had one, briefly several years ago. A local shop had it, didn't know much about it and the price reflected that. It was a nice gun. I sold it as something else caught my attention. I REGRET THAT! It too matched the description in the Stoeger catalog. Might be the same gun?!

Chief

Does it match closely to my description, Chief? The improved/F chokes weren't mentioned as being standard, so that might be a clue.

Re the Blue Book: I'll be darned! That information is also in my latest copy. Either I missed something in earlier editions or they didn't include it.

I have only seen pics of couple online. First was some months ago at place called A-Coin Stamp Gallery in Fl which I check periodically because they often have odd guns I might be interested in buying. Second was several days ago at place called Artemis in Delaware. The recent one had thin aftermarket pad installed and right barrel choke opened up from Mod. to IC if I remember correctly. Nice looking heavy duty upland game guns with substantial timber and lots of hand engraving. The folks from Delaware had pics of add from what looked like old Shooters Bible with MSRP shown as $400 which was lots of money in those days.

It's been a while. Here's what I can definitely say about the gun. It had double triggers and ejectors. 28" barrels and extensive cut engraving. The wood was just OK, decent, not outstanding. A fore end that was what I would call semi beaver tail. It was a kicker(light)!

Chief

Sounds like a great gun. Bobby

Can't say that I've ever seen one, but consider the Ithaca SKB's to have been fine 'sleepers' at the time they were being imported. Sounds exactly as Bobby says above.

Nice thing is your acquisition timing is spot on for roosters and then you can enjoy it in the off season w/some light target loads at international style or low-gun skeet or sporty clays.

Hope that it brings you many grins and a few brace of birds for the table!

There is some unusual stuff out there. Last one I have looked over was blackened action with acid? etching engraving, 12ga 76mm chamber, SST, fixed chokes, PG, beavertail plastic grip cap and vented Pachmayr pad with SKB logo. The barrels seemed long so I measured them and they came out to be 30". Well designed not too heavy gun with stock design that would make shooting 3" shells bearable. Post Ithaca import through company called Mitsushi or Mitsubishi?

A friend just pointed out the Artemis gun to me. Pretty much a twin to mine, except it's an extractor gun and mine has ejectors. Wood to metal fit on mine is also better. There's one photo of that Artemis gun clearly showing fairly proud wood where the stock meets the receiver. The Shooter's Bible page shown in the Artemis photos is what I found some time ago in my old Stoeger book.

Planning on busting a few clays with it tomorrow--likely trap as well as skeet, to see just how full that full choke looks--before heading down to Iowa next week for a rendezvous with a few roosters.