doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com RBL Experience

Showing my inexperience. The RBL was the first NEW gun I have ever owned. I did not know I was supposed to overlook defects in a $3200 gun. I thought it was supposed to be "perfect." That is why I returned it twice and attempted to return it the third time, and why I finally returned it for refund. I am not trying to be a "wise guy." I really and truly thought a new gun would be free of all defects.

Tom McDevitt

There are an awful lot of people on this board that don't mind telling ya that $3200 is nothin but chump change, sux don't it??

Agreed, there are different income levels here, as in life, but I've been a member on this board for quite some time and no one, to my recollection, has ever said anything like that, let alone "an awful lot of people on this board".

I think your statement is a bit smug.

Mickey, if it's any consolation, I would feel approximately the same way, because $3,200 is a lot of money to me too. However, I could live with a small defect or two, if I thought enough of the rest of the gun overall and it fit me well. After you use it a couple times it won't be perfect anyway. Having said all that, I have seen lots of $2k guns that were perfect as far as I could tell, so you were well within your rights to return the gun. To each his own.

It's not chump change (and I don't know about "awful lot of people" who would call it that on this board) AND I can't comment on your paticular situation, but considering the price the RBL goes for, I would be surprised if some minor flaws didn't come through. I'd expect it on a Spanish double or a Beretta too (the only new guns I can think of in the price range). I haven't seen the issue with your gun so again I can't comment on your situation, but since they gave you a full refund I'd say you did OK.

I'm not some CSMC groupie (I have no interest in their other guns, really) but I think the RBL is a great deal. If you want true perfection, now you know why people spend $20-100K on a gun.

Have you guys ever disagreed with people, yet at the same time you also totally agreed? That is kind of how I feel after reading most of these posts. I think $3200.00 warrants a perfect gun. Both of my $1500.00 686 Berettas were perfect. Or at least I didn't see anything wrong with them. I expect to get 50,000 rounds out of each one before repairs/replacement parts are needed. I couldn't ask for more for the money. And I agree with tw that it depends on how picky one is. I would wonder how deep the trigger guard was set. For some, if it's not perfectly flush, then it's time to be upset- for others- not. I guess I would have to see the gun to decide. But remember, a really nice piece of wood is usually in the neighborhood of $2000.00+ minimum, so I wondered about the quality of the wood the first time I saw an ad for the gun. Figure that one out. Hmmm.... $2000.00 for a blank of Claro, French, American walnut upgraded to 4X is $500.00. Doesn't leave much room for the cost of the rest of the gun, does it? But then, Tony does stand behind his gun and did try to satisfy a customer in this case and even gave a refund. Not many people would do that.

I also cannot remember any statements like that either - and I lurked here for a very long time before registering.

What I do know is that many people who own fine, and what could be termed as expensive guns are able to do so because they go without other things - such as boats, expensive cars / trucks, alcohol. They have been prudent with their purchasers or have managed to trade up over their lifetime.

Just because somebody owns a fine gun/s, it doesn't mean that it is "chump change" to them - quite often they have gone without other things to enable its purchase.

no offence intended to anybody...

Jonty

$3,200... Hm, well, probably I will go to pre-war German double for that money and it's gonna be complitely hand made double without any defects.
Yesterday I saw just fantastic 20g boxlock in perfect condition made by unknown for me German artist Franz Hauben in 1943 with outstanding deep engravings. The owner wants 100,000 rubles wich is $3,700.

Mc'D I agree with you 100 %.

A new gun should be perfect. It doesn't matter if it's $300, $3,200 or $32,000. I don't believe that anyone in their right mind wants a new gun with issues.

If RBL can't make a perfect gun they should never have taken on the project.
There are allot of "take it or leave it" attitudes in the gun world it would be a better place without them.
L.F.

I think that every gun needs to be "right" for the buyer before he or she buys it. In this case, the gun was purchased sight-unseen, so the buyer was taking a bit of a risk.

When the gun was received, the buyer didn't find it to be "right". He asked the seller/maker to make it right. Seller tried (twice), but was unable to meet the buyer's expectations. So, full refund was given.

As I see it, kudos are due both to the customer and the seller. Customer wasn't satisfied with the product, stood up for himself and made the seller aware of his unhappiness. Seller did his best to satisfy customer, and, failing that, offered a full refund. Both sides lived up to their obligations.

I'm sorry the buyer didn't get the gun of his dreams, but I do believe both parties behaved honorably; the solution, while not ideal, is acceptable.

Slightly off-topic:

I've had the opportunity examine an RBL personally; the engraving quality was disappointing; the wood was supposed to be exhibition, but looked to be 4x at best; the gun's owner said he thought the finish on the barrels "looks like paint" (his opinion, not mine).

The RBL may be a good deal and a lot of gun for the money, but it's defintely not what has been advertised for over a year. Personally, I've made an offer on another gun; if it's accepted, I'll cancel my RBL order.