I agree with Stan, a rib is an asset when shooting for the big bucks. However, I had my Galazan Inverness made without a rib because the gun looked so much like a Boss that I thought I would add that Boss feature. I have handled ribless Boss guns with 29" barrels and wouldn't fire the first shell out of them without a six ounce weight clamped to the lower barrel. Some of them weigh just over six pounds and balance terribly. When Don Shrum's collection came out, I had a chance to buy a mint ribless 29" Boss for very short money. I turned it down because it felt so bad in my hands. Of course, now I wish I owned it because it is worth about $50,000 more than it was offered to me for.