Anybody notice that all the RBL listings are gone on the Galazan used and new guns web pages? The Galazan listings for the RBL's are also gone from Guns International and others. Why?

maybe Galazan cut a deal with a wholesaler to take them all. I think that's what happened with the Parker Repro's back n the day.

About a month ago a group of us where in Galazan's gun room. There were at least 30-40 RBL's in the racks.With inflated prices, of course.

Could it be that they've been put in storage, out of sight for a year or so? Hold them long enough for demand to pick up. Considering the current low cost of money it would seem to make sense--certainly a better "investment" than cash.

Maybe they had sticky triggers that would make them uncontrollable and would go off at a moments notice. The first solution was to remove the trigger guard. Then when that didn't work. They pulled them off the market until the solution could be found.

First Toyota's and now this!

I got an e-mail from CSMC yesterday that had a statement in it saying "the RBL Reserve is almost here". I haven't a clue what that is, and I don't have a clue why they are no longer showing any RBLs for sale, because I know they have a good number still in stock.
JR

I think it's a software problem in the fire (by) wire system.

Maybe they took all the leftovers and recycled them by grinding that crap they called "engraving" off and having a real engraver do something on them.

Wow..they are gone! I still have my 20ga RBL listed on gun broker...maybe it will sell now??? Im keeping my 28ga two barrel set...I like that one! The 20ga is a great gun but I lost intrest in it.....Been wanting a Ithica classic doubles SXS 28ga. I found a nice 28ga.on gun broker but funds are low...)-: Will need to sell something first. Dang it....

Might they have taken them off if the guns were making the big show circuit with them last month? End of this month is Pheasant Fest in Des Moines. Not sure whether Galazan will be there, but they were at Pheasant Fest in Madison last year, with a bunch of RBL's. Most dealers don't pull guns from their internet lists when they go to shows, however.

Probably a temporary phenomenon. I would bet they are trying to create a bit of an artificial shortage to stimulate prices when they reappear. They had too many guns available at relatively high prices for these things to have sold out to individual buyers.

Lets give CSMC a wide berth for their actions,it`s still a buisiness you know.
The RBL intro period is over,the A10 is coming,and its all American made!!

I, for one, won't miss em....

I have a 20 and a 28. I like 'em. Business is business.

Galazan has been saying for months now that the RBLs will be all gone. We have been talking on here about it for weeks. Where you guys been?

they might well have all gone - gone into storage until the economy and prices pick up...

Just a guess, they sent them all out to retailers across the country. There are a bunch of places out there listing RBLs NIB. While I'm very pleased CSM is making the effort to make doubles, the RBL didn't turn out to be what I wanted.

But, I don't think any of us could ask for a better effort by an American maker to offer multiple models in such a short time frame. They're making history right in front of us.

I have a 12ga and a 28ga. Never thought I would buy one but after looking at my friends gun I bought a 28ga.I have shot 11,000 shells through it without doing any more then cleaning it ( once in a while)as I bought for my rainy day gun. The 12ga I don't know if the second barrel works, I yet have missed a bird. It is hard for me to say as I generally like English guns only, although the gun is a very true Anson and Deeley Box lock and I love my engraving. What didn't you like about the gun? Have you ever shot one? Have you ever taken it apart? My gunsmith says "This is not a cheep gun, like most of the other box locks". I can't believe they stopped selling them. I hope they don't dump them on the market. But if they do I will by a 20ga and a 16ga

Cowboy,
Yes, I've shot my friend's RBL 20g, I visited the factory to see the manufacturing and took an hour long tour personally hosted by Tony himself for just two of us. I have no beef with them, but don't think it's exactly what I'm looking for either. I prefer a Parker repro for about the same money as I think it's a better made gun, both asthetically and execution wise (from a manufacturing quality perspective).

Frankly, I think CSM would do well in offering a Fox 20/16 Sterlingworth version of their Fox line, for a common man's price that was competitive to the RBL line. No options, just a couple versions, straight and pistol. No wood choice, no ordering, just off the shelf.

Would you pay $6500 for one, Chuck? That's what Tony more or less related to me years ago when the CSM Fox was first intoduced and a CE was $6800. Everyone was asking about a plain-version Sterlingworth then, and Tony said it would only be about $1500 less and that they had no interest in trying to make such a plain version. I think a similar vesion would have to be at least $6500 today.
JR

Well, no argument about the preference, but you just can't get a Repro in 28 ga with 30" barrels, and if you could the asking price would be twice what the RBL sells for. I have a Repro 28 with DT/splinter/straight grip/28" barrels and I will probably shoot my 30" RBL more than the Repro. I have had my eye out for years for a 20 ga Repro with DT/splinter/straight grip/28" barrels and have not seen one that comes close to the $2860 (PIF) I spent on my RBL 20 in that configuration with 3X wood. So, my preference for the Repro will continue to be somewhat hypothetical.

Exactly, Replacement. Everyone talks about this gun or that gun they would rather have over an RBL, but no one ever mentions that 95% of "this or that gun" is never in a configuration that is desirable or has dimensions that work, much less being able to pick up the phone and order it today.
JR

Not to nitpick JR, but the early CSMC prices lists I have show that when the CSMC Fox CE 20-ga. was first introduced in Sept. 1993 the starting price was $5650, by Sept. 1995 they were up to $7200, by July 1996 they had risen to $9500 and now today they're at $14,500...hindsight is 20/20, but we all should've have bought a couple when they first introduced!

Either that, or else put your $5650 in the stock market in 1993 and pulled it out before it took a nosedive.

I bought a 12 ga RBL that was to be a day to day duck/clays gun when I didn't want to use my 21. Its a great gun, made with nice features and quality that no other recently made American made gun can match.

I actually called a few weeks ago and said that I regretted not getting the best wood that I possibly could buy on it and would they be willing to upgrade? Not only did they say they would but offered to do it for what it would have cost to do it the day I ordered. Try to find another gun company that would do that.

I have considered buying one of the 20 or 28 ga guns as they come available on the used market. Been watching a few on the gun sites. Hope the price does go down as I will buy both if I find decent deals on them.

John,
I acknowledge that the RBL is a decent gun and for the guys that have them, great for them. I had actually ordered a 20g RBL loaded at about $4k. I cancelled when I saw a friend's gun in person. His gun was an early one and had some cosmetic issues. But later guns seemed to settle down in their issues. Still, I just a week ago, picked up the phone and ordered a 28g Parker repro for $4.5k. in near new condition. It has dimensions that fit me. I didn't spend months, weeks, or even days, shopping it. I found it in a matter of about an hour on the net. I figure that's firsthand recent experience which is close enough in price for me to make a comparison . During the hour or so of shopping for a repro, I saw a lot of them for sale. Some in unfired condition. Some cheaper than my 20g RBL order. Some not. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other... I just prefer something else.

But, Chuck, isn't your "new" Repro a single trigger with a beavertail? Just try finding an as new DT with splinter and straight grip and long barrels with tight chokes that haven't been messed with by some effete eastern grouse hunter. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Hi Chuck. I ordered a 12 bore and the the 2X walnut stock is unbelieveably gorgeous. Checkering is good on the stock, but black on the forend. Not too much of a distraction. However, I have had two issues that I had to send the gun back for. The ejector malfunctioned after the first time out. After it was fixed I took it out and the filler in between the barrels at the muzzle fell out. After those two experiences, I have been cool on any more CSMC products.

From a quick search of the internet:

The 20ga Parker Reproductions I have seen in the $4000 - $4500 range all have very plain wood, especially when compared to an RBL Launch of similar price. Also the 20ga Parker Reproductions I have seen have all been much heavier than an RBL Launch.

The price difference for similar Parker Repros and RBLs becomes even more extreme when looking at the 28ga versions of each.

(I didn't do a comparison between the 16ga nor the 12ga guns)

No doubt the Parker Repro is a great gun. Further, aesthetics is personal choice and a man likes what he likes. Consequently, I can understand when someone says they like the Repro better than the RBL. However, I would suggest that it is not fair to say that a $4000 Repro is a better or better-looking gun than a $4000 RBL, at least as far as the 20ga and 28ga guns are concerned. A $4000 Repro will be a very plain jane gun, a $4000 RBL will have very nice wood. A plain jane RBL would cost roughly $1500 less than its Repro equivalent (for a PIF gun at the introductory price). Not to mention that the RBL could be ordered with any number of options, and is a brand new gun still supported by its manufactuere for now and into the foreseeable future. IMHO, anyone looking for a good SxS for hunting purposes really blew it if they passed on ordering an RBL Launch or 28ga.

My semi-matched pair of RBL Launch guns:





FWIW & JMHO,

--shinbone

I have alot of experience with the SKB sxs's. They are tough and reliable. The RBL is very much the same design and I expect it to give the same if not better service. I am very pleased with mine. I had been looking for years for a reasonably priced 3" double that could shoot all the non tox shot being invented. I could not find one with the configuration of my RBL 32",BTFE,ejectors,double triggers and PG stock. I did own a Parker Repo 12 that I had to send back twice because of ejector falure,it had about 5000 rounds thrue it when I sold it. I will agree that the Parker is a more handsome gun but I bought the RBL to use and use hard. The Parker is somewhat complex and some of the parts are inherently weak. I think the nitride finnish that they put on the working parts will make a diffrence in longevity. When I ordered mine I overheard Lou tell a guy that it would be at least 4 years before they make any more RBL's

I think I have enough SXSs anyway. My next gun? The Browning XS Skeet. And I would not be surprised if that is the last gun I ever buy. Getting too tired, too old and too lazy to shoot that much anymore. Besides, my interests are changing. But, I will have to just wait and see.

On the Repros, splinter/straight grip is far and away the most common configuration. DT, that's another story.

I saw a really nice RBL 16ga a couple days ago. PG/BT/SST, so it's not my cup of tea, but a very nice and well-done gun nevertheless. Weight is 7/5, which is probably about a pound more than a Repro with 16ga barrels on a 20ga frame. The 20ga Repros, which are the least expensive (along with the 12's), are somewhat on the heavy side for game guns. Weight on the 28's is nice, and you won't find many original Parker 12's lighter than the Repros.

reverse packaging, now they are call SKB


John boyd

.....They're baaaaaaaaaack.....

http://www.rblshotgun.com/

Yep! Same guns, with a "new name" (RBL Reserve!) and a new price, $4150 "base" price, which used to be $3650 (28 ga model prices).

To you Parker Repro guys.... My RBL works, it shoots were I point it and I think it is a nice gun,

The industry would be at a loss if we didn't have entrepreneurs like Tony G.

My last experience with a Parker repro was when friend bought a 20 Ga. and could hit anything with it. He pattern it and the two barrels were out of regulation by about 5' at 30 yards! That is Japanese quality alright. I buy american when I can.

That gun Kind of reminded me of a Whore, looks like something you want until you get it and find out what you have is rotten inside.

Jerry

Well, then I'm gonna have a halfbreed whore. Galazan .410 bbls on a Japanese frame.

I've owned both a launch edition RBL and several Parker repro's. The RBL is long gone and the repro's are still in the safe and being shot on a regular basis.

I'll take the repro any day over the RBL. I do admire Tony for what he's doing, but the RBL just isn't my cup of tea. At least I tried the tea first before I said I didn't like it.

Chuck I'll bet your repro will be a Japanese,German,American whore.

What's the difference if you get your money's worth?

And I may have to rape and butcher it if the choke is too tight and blows the pattern.