I just got an e-mail about this new shotgun from Connecticut Shotguns. This looks like a good value to me!!

RBL Shotgun

Looks incredible. I am plotting and scheming. they say the engraving was designed by Richard Roy. I can not imagine it is real hand engraving. The price of the gun would not be enough for the engraving. Nonetheless, I still want one.

price wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Looks very nice

Oddly enough, looks like the Krieghoff "Essencia Boxlock" prototype shown on the back of this month's Shooting Sportsman".

I have some CSMC guns....great pieces, cost over 20K....wondering how these can come in at under 5k fully decked-out....I smell import...

...anybody else?


JW

"It is completely manufactured in our facility in New Britain, CT........."

Wow. WOW! Wonder what it would take to get a 15 3/4" LOP?

FWIW, Dutch.

Dutch, if they are doing the stockwork inhouse, as they say, it should be relatively simple.

I wonder if they could do one without the engraving. I would have Scrollcutter do some of his magic on it.

Dutch,
I called them this morning. They are offering the gun with two LOP's now, 14 1/4 and 14 3/4". They will not make one longer at this time. the guy did say you could take off the hard rubber butt plate and add on a recoil pad and you would have it. I commented that a 1" pad is overkill on a 20 gauge. It does get your LOP you want though.

They will not make one with no engraving. It is not hand done, he said it was a new method, not previously done on firearms. He did not elaborate.

Chic, thanks so much.

As you might have guessed, I have become somewhat skilled at the "add a pad" routine. That's what 6'5" and 38" arms, and a 5' budget begets you.......

What I did on my Elsie was add a Galco leather pad:

I am going to stop in there tommorrow and see what I can find out.

I am leaning towards a single trigger with a pistol grip. I would like to see them in person to determine the look of the French grey vrs the case hardening. Also I want to find out what forend suits me.

I handled a Kimber Vielro or whatever they import and it was sweet but it's twice the price of this gun and this one is made right here.

Well, I'm "plotting and scheming" myself. The case colored engraved receiver is gorgeous and the accessories and case look real nice.

Savage, ....interesting post about your hometown. I'd also like to know your first impressions of the gun if you go over there.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Wemmer:
Oddly enough, looks like the Krieghoff "Essencia Boxlock" prototype shown on the back of this month's Shooting Sportsman".

I have some CSMC guns....great pieces, cost over 20K....wondering how these can come in at under 5k fully decked-out....I smell import...

...anybody else?


JW

1) Neither the Essencia backlock or boxlock roundbodies are Kreighoff... they are both Ziegenhahn's... with "Kreighoff" engraved on the side... just FYI.
you can see jen ziegenhahn's stuff here...

http://www.ziegenhahn.com

or you can buy one here http://heirloomarmes.com/zieg_pop1.htm
without Kreighoff engraved on it at a significant savings!

2) has to be some importing here, or they've just tooled up to make a "production gun" in large enough volume to get the price down.

Still, it looks better than a comparable Spanish gun, which would put them in at about the same price-point.

PS - Looks like acid-etched engraving to me.

I paid CT Shotguns a visit today and got to handle the gun shown on the site with the pistol grip. The guns personality is a good one. The engraving in particular makes a good impression to me. Of course it's not done the usual way but what with the shadows filled in on the bottom of the engraving in the French Grey style it impressed me as good art.

I was welcomed by CT's sales manager and met Mr. Galzan. This large plant has been filled with machinery to make this shotgun in volume. It's an engineered product and not one, like their expensive stuff, hand fitted.

More later. I have a lot of erands to run, plumbing etc.

My feeling is that I want to hear from other customers of Galzans or CT shotguns. Meanwhile I will wait to see what happens next year.

I hesitate to critique a SXS designed by Galazan. What I like or maybe have just got used to may not be the ne plus ultra of shotgun reality.

Here goes anyway. The eye goes to the action. It's so good looking that it's almost enough all by itself. The forend on the one with the pistol grip has a beavertail forend but it's a delicate one and pleases the eye as well. This one has the exibition grade wood and single trigger also. The barrels are selected by a cross pin in the back of the trigger like a M21. Otherwise it has a typical interia system to fire the other barrel.

The barrels are 28" long and have those inserts in them. Thus the gun seems slow and muzzle heavy to me. On this point I defer to shotgun guru's. However the ones that I shoot are not like this. As to the supposed weight of 6 lbs I don't believe this. I think the gun I handled was close to seven.

I asked the sales manager how he would order the gun as there are many options. He said that the subject gun was "his" as he had been handling it so much. He would get the single trigger with the French Grey as would I. He also would select the exibition grade wood and on this point I have no reference point except the price of the option. He said that all of the stocks would be dark.

The butt plate was a plain plastic one with ordinary grooves in it. Something better is needed here. One of the barrels is engraved "Launch Edition" This to me is not wanted. The lettering on the other hand is not raised and looks good.

The RBL is very good art. For myself the balance is not what I am used to. Time will tell.

The Shooting Sportsman BB has a bit about them. Appears that its design might be a take-off of the Ithaca/SKB doubles of the 70's.

Just received this:

FAQ,s about the RBL shotgun: faq here

quote:

Originally posted by Sendero:
Just received this:

FAQ,s about the RBL shotgun: faq here

Good info...

BUT only a 6-month warranty?

Well, I'm one of the guys who popped for one. If you check the forum at Gunshop.com, a lot of people. Apparantly the first couple of days last week, you couldn't even get through to their phones. The order clerk I talked to confirmed that they were receiving an incredible number of orders.

Based on the pictures, and if the specs are close, I don't see how you can be hurt too badly with an entry level gun from one of the most expensive gunmakers in the world. I opted for a traditional setup; upgraded wood, double trigger, splinter, straight grip, case harden, long pull. I plan to add a thicker pad and have a little stock bending done. All this in a fitted case with accessories for $3100. (You get a $300 discount and priority scheduling if you pay in full). Compared to what you can buy from Spain for $3000, it looks like a steal.

As to the engraving, I have no idea, but if I had to make a guess, they are using a high precision computer cutting system, followed by a little manual touchup. With machining tolerances now possible in the few thousandths of an inch range, there is no reason this coudn't happen, especially since they are cutting the actions from solid billets.

Reading the Faqs carefully, I don't think this pricing will last. They say they are only going to make parts for this edition until next May. They also are only offering the cash discount as long as they can meet their priority shipping obligations. Long term, I don't think that Galazan's is in the $3000 shotgun business. I would not be surprised to see this model discontinued after the initial period, and higher grade guns built based on the design. (That's when the legend on the barrel will likely disappear). I saw it as a chance to get a user gun with a lot of appeal at a cost near what a run of the mill Beretta now costs.

Art S.
Dang, I had myself talked out of it until you posted. I am vascilating with some funds available but my daughter in the U of Washington and a son heading there next year.

I was thinking of the pistol grip, the single trigger and the bt foreend and the upgraded wood.

I am not going to order a RBL. I don't like the balance or the long barrels and now I see the 2.75" chambers. I am going to wait.

If I got one it would be a single trigger, Circassian walnut with no upgrade, a pad to 13.75", French Grey and 26" bbl with no choke inserts to IC and Mod. and a pistol grip. I would also not prefer "Launch Edition" on the top of the left barrel.

Tony drove his yellow one that day.

My guess is that the "Launch Edition"tag will make it more valuable in 24 years. I don't think this model will be around long. I suspect it is just that, a "Launch Model" which will disappear as soon as the first run is over. I may be wrong, but I was willing to take a chance. I have been putting off buying a new double for 2 or 3 years. Everytime I get ready to order a new AYA or such, I get up to the $4500 guns before I get to one I think is relatively nice looking, and then the wood still looks like some of the budget stocks I have put on rifles I own. I've never been able to pull the trigger, so to speak. When I saw the website this morning, I picked up the phone and ordered immediately. I may end up being sorry, but life's full of risks.

My other new gun that should be ready about the same time is a 16 Ga Sterlingworth which I am getting restocked with a proper stock and new polish, blue and case. I am going to skip the engraving. This one is in great shape and has the original hang tags. It will join my NID 16 with custom stock, a 16 ga Charlin and a Beretta Sporting as my hunting guns. Those and a camo Rem 1100 will be my shotgun battery for my retirement. I may get a 28 again at some point, but I keep selling them. A shotgun can only be so small and light and be shootable, and in my mind that happens about the 6 pound range.

I thought that might be one plus for the new gun. For upland hunting, I agree that neutral handling is important. However, I do a lot of dove hunting, and a forward balance, particularly if light in weight, will help in pass shooting.

Savage, turkish can be Circassian walnut but unlikely at a standard or utility grade. I suspect that most of the wood called Circassian is just Turkish and although it is the same species, The Circassian walnut came from the Circacus Mountains and most of it was in Russia with some in Turkey. Common thing for folks with Turkish wood, either owning or selling, to "upgrade" the label to Circassian.

quote:

I thought that might be one plus for the new gun. For upland hunting, I agree that neutral handling is important. However, I do a lot of dove hunting, and a forward balance, particularly if light in weight, will help in pass shooting.

Art, these are my thoughts also as I do a lot of dove hunting too and I don't think you would be particularly handicapped with 28" barrels hunting quail etc. I also like every thing you picked including the upgrades which is smart IMO. I would order the exact same thing except for the stock length and bending.

I probably won't order one now but if I can sell a few guns I may later if still available. I have a Merkel mod. 8 12ga., and would like to have the RBL gun...along with a camo 870 for ducks geese... this will be my shotgun battery.

One thing I don't understand is why the choke tubes and just the 2 3/4" chambering? But...I can live with that.

Yes, when compared to the price of the other doubles such as the aya 4/53, Merkel mod. 47 etc. and considering the accessories that come with it. I think it's a heckuva deal....

New_Guy,

I was fully aware of the "Essencia" deal...Intrestingly enough, I had a deal worked out on one of their Back-actioned 20s a few weeks back...Balanced well, decent wood, and an articulated front trigger - nice package, but due to quality problems with the gun - I declined to close the deal....krieghoff had better look a little closer to the sub-contracted peces they are sending out.

PM me if you want the gory details.

Jeff

I just ordered one two days ago. I think they are going to be a nice upland double and a very good investment.

Hello,
I handled the RBL this weekend in Stamford CT. and it looks to be a nice gun for the money. Alot of people were crowding the table so it looks like it will sell out.
John