doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com RBL: Did it work?

I'm interested in evaluations of the success of the project.

The RBL seemed to be conceived as a semi-bespoke gun (you had all sorts of options as to wood, gauge, barrel length etc) at a low price which was intended to look and handle a bit like a British game gun.

Modern production technology and a vision of traditional looks and handling?

Was it a success?

I have noted gripes with delivery times, customer support etc but what I am really interested in is this:

Did the concept have legs or are buyers so demanding that they expected a $10,000 gun for $3,000 and were disappointed when they did not get one?

Is the RBL still in production BTW?

Thanks,

Dig

The gun was and is a great value. Is it up to custom gun standards? I doubt that anyone make such a claim. It is, IMHO, the best gun buy in this price range and a helluva shooter.
If I were to pick the best of the RBL's, there is no question that it would be the RBL-28. It's lightweight with the feel of a custom gun costing much more.
The worst is the RBL-16 which is overweight and handles like a bottle bat....OK, (I'll be nice) maybe a Model 21.
The RBL-20 falls somewhere in between.
Most owners are very pleased with there guns can live the much publicized imperfections, real and perceived.
I think CSMC has done much better than they ever imagined. It's my understanding they spent a great deal of time increasing production capacity to fill the unexpected demand.
You can no longer order an RBL. I assume that means they've ceased production.

clearly it was a marketing success, people lined up and paid in advance. Offering some choices while not bespoke appealed to many people. Whether it was a business success only Tony knows for sure. The guns themselves were a mixed lot, but for the most part people were pleased even if they had to send their gun back for repairs.

I'm betting that if they broke even it was a success, as my suspicion is the facility itself was the ultimate goal and this endeavor merely helped finance that.
The one guy I know with an RBL 20 loves his and purchased a 12ga clays gun to go with it.

Over time the attempts at embelishment have become less and less attractive on my Launch Edition. The gun earns its keep though with exceptional shootability. It really made my Parker Repro seem to swing like a stump. My guess is that alot of us are happy to have a decent double made in America and we wouldnt be claiming it to be all that pretty if it was made elsewhere. (Maybe its just me but id prefer the lasers be kept away from my guns. Thats both re wood and metal)

I have both 20 and 28. I like them them both and agree that they were/are great values. The 20 gauge is a little thicker/heavier than I would prefer (but no worse than my Beretta 426E), but the 28 gauge (with 30" barrels) is just right. Fit, finish, and wood quality on both is way above average in this price range, new or used. I'll probably have the laser checkering recut at some point. CSMC went to school on this project, and the A10 seems to be one of the results of the schooling. I expect more interesting guns from them in the future, at somewhat reasonable prices.

I have a RBL-20 and love it. A friend lent me his during a hunting trip. I had not shot at anything with feathers in 25 years and had never used a sxs before, but I hit everything I shot at. I drove to New Britain the following week and bought one. My only complaint is that the damn thing has given me the sxs disease, after a lifetime of ignorant bliss shooting a pump.

I am not a double-gun expert, but for my money the ~$3k I paid for my RBL (incliuding a nice case and lifetime warranty) was a great investment, based on value, aesthetics and performance. From the new sxs in that price range that I have seen, nothing really compares, with the possible exception of spanish guns. But those are neither US-made nor US-serviced.

CMSC has stopped production and is sitting on an undisclosed inventory (they also won't say how many they made), which they seem to be selling in small numbers on their website. Knowing their marketing inclinations, I would not be surprised if they come back with some special edition RBL (maybe 28 and/or 20 only) after they finish with the A-10.

Well, options ordered are likely a handling factor with the 16 ga. and 12 ga. guns if you got the changeable pad system. My 16 is 6 lbs. 10 oz. - just right for the 1-1/8 oz. loads I use for wild pheasants over flushing dogs. I ordered straight grip, splinter, and buttplate instead of the pad system. With the buttplate option they bore some additional wood from the buttstock. And contrary to the opinion of some who apparently haven't handled this configuration, the gun handles very nicely.

Jay

6 Lbs 10, is a bit, er, for lack of a better term, "Rubenesque" for a 16, don't 'cha think? 1 1/8th oz is a big 16 gauge load, but, how many do you get to shoot in the course of a day?
My two 12s weigh about 6 and the other weighs 6lbs 10ozs-but, it is a 3" with 28" tubes.
That said, the RBL seems to have been mostly a success. Hard to find anything to compare it to in that price range. The people who had problems complained often and, loudly, here and at a few other sites. I'm thinking they were the exception, and not the rule.
Best,
Ted

I ordered all four. I'm very pleased with the 16-, 20- and 28-gauges. This past season my RBL-16 - ordered 4x straight grip, double triggers, improved cylinder and modified - was my go-to gun for nearly all of my Pheasants. I did have to field test a 1950-vintage Superposed 20-gauge 28-inch modified and full when it came my way! Through a couple of fortunate circumstances I have more then enough 1 1/8 ounce number 6 shot 16-gauge shells to last me to mid-century.

My RBL-12 is just what I ordered, but I really don't like a gun that heavy any more.

Around my area I hear a lot of belly-aching for an RBL-410.