When I called CSMC I was told it look better in life than on the computer. Is this a true story?
I had the chance to inspect an RBL in person, and my answer to your question is an unqualified
"NO".
The overall fit and finish were nice, but there were 2 things I didn't like:
1. The engraving; the advertising pics showed guns that had been hand engraved by Richard Roy, and they are gorgeous. The engraving is deep, sharp and crisp, the shadowing made it even better. The shipped guns' engraving is MUCH less attractive, IMO. I felt it a HUGE drop-off from what was promised in the ads. The French Gray receiver also looked better in the ads than in person.
I can understand that they only had hand-engraved guns when the ad campain started, but if you look at current RBL ads, they're still showing the hand-engraved guns, not the machine-engraving that you'll really get. VERY dissappointing, if not downright misleading. Again IMO.
2. The stock finish.
VERY shiny - it looked like it has about 1/2" of plastic on the stock. I guess that means the finish is deep; again, this may be more reflective of my taste than a critique of the gun.
Bottom line - Between CSMC's lack of communication with customers, quality control issues, and my disappointment with the finished product, I cancelled my order and spent it on another SxS that is hand-engraved, has nicer wood with a nicer finish, and best of all is in my hand for about $100 less than CSMC had been sitting on for over a year.
