There is nothing like having a gun you ordered that is brand new, that wasn’t made for somebody else. The pride of knowing that this is a very special product that was built for you and the pride of shooting that gun well. Not somebody else’s, not something that is rebuilt(rebuilt guns are still rebuilt guns, they have had all the years of massive shock and stress that shooting produces in the metal that are just not removed. It’s like taking a tin can and bending it back and forth, at some point it is going to give.) New is New, and there is nothing like it.

What is diffrent betwwen the RBL Launch Edition and the RBL-28 -
1. It is smaller and lighter
2. They are all case hardened.
3. The engraving is much more intricate with very highly detailed game scenes.
4. Fixed choke barrels with choice of barrel length.
Just to name a few.

Where is the gun made?: The RBL, as with all Connecticut Shotgun guns, are manufactured in its entirety in New Britain , CT. On occasions some smaller parts or initial machining operations will be sub-contracted if we are over capacity, in an effort to deliver products on time. We do not assemble parts that we procure. We machine virtually everything ourselves. They are designed, machined, assembled and finished in our own facility in New Britain, CT , USA . We have nearly 3 acres of manufacturing space on one floor.

What if I currently have an RBL Launch Edition on order?
All Launch Edition RBL's will be delivered by February 2008.

How was the mechanical design chosen for the RBL?: When we decided we were going to build a shotgun that would be a much larger production that we are used to, we acquired every shotgun that we know of from a design standpoint, took them apart and studied them (i.e. sidelocks, boxlocks, trigger plate action guns). We found for years of problem free shooting, the basic design of an Anson & Deeley action was the strongest foundation to build off of. We studied the development of this by other manufacturers. We used what advancements and improvements that we thought would help the gun and also made it a double bridged action, removable hinge pin, a special dog bone locking bolt for strength and many other special features that really make the RBL unique.

I just returned from a trip to Bolivia to shoot early doves, my RBL worked well under heavy fire, probably over 3,000 shells in a week. Of note, I purchased this RBL this RBL used on the second hand market, and was not some specially made-up gun for a magazine article.
– Clair Kofoed
Shooting Sportsman

What are the chokes?

The chokes are approximately:

Right/Left

26" - .006"/.012"

28" - .016"/.0235"

30" - .016"/.0235"

Why is it called a Round Body?: The action housing is designed in such a way that there are no sharp edges and corners. This is much more difficult than just filing them off as the trigger plate and floor plate need to specially designed, the sides of the receiver need to be made where when it is rounded, the edges do not become paper-thin. The internal parts need to be designed in a way that they do not interfere with the rounding of the frame.

“Tony Galazan’s RBL incorporates tradition and modern manufacturing to make a shotgun that is packed with features found on shotguns at several times the price. The fit and finish are superb, but even better, this shotgun swings and shoots like the top-of-the-line shotgun it is.”
- John M. Taylor
Field Editor
Sports Afield

“I said I don’t want to sound gushy, but it would be a fair question to ask if I’m impressed with the RBL. Answer: Unh-huh. Big time.”
- Michael McIntosh
Renowned Author & Sportsman

How are the parts made?: Every component that is subject to wear is machined from a forging. Either a square forging or a profile forging. Many guns use castings or powered metals for major components, of which we do not.

The RBL Launch Edition is a landmark of modern American gunmaking.
– Bruce Buck
Shooting Sportsman

Checkering: The checkering is 22 lines per inch at a 3.5 ratio to one.

Wood: We use American walnut, Black walnut, and we are also using California English walnut. We buy a lot of wood for our other guns and sometimes we buy large lots of wood to be able to procure some of the best pieces. We have been storing wood for many years and have a very large wood supply available for the RBL. If you upgrade the wood to either Three, Four or Exhibition, you can specify the type of wood species. If you do not, you will receive one of the wood types that we use. Please keep in mind, if you were to order a 4X piece of Claro walnut, it would have much more figure than a 4X piece of Turkish walnut. If you are looking for a high figure, we suggest the Claro or the Black walnut, as opposed to the English or the Turkish walnut, where the pieces are just not as dramatic. *What you can expect in the wood quality:*
	· Standard: A nice straight grained stock with good color and a very small amount of figure.
	· 3X: Good color, good contrast, figure approximately on 1/3 of butt section, ie. fiddleback, feather, burl
	· 4X: Excellent color, high contrast, approximately 80% figure in the butt, may not be identical figure from side to side and generally lighter from one side to the other.
Exhibition English Exhibition American	· Exhibition: High color, high contrast, highly figured, approximately 90% figure on butt, on both side. We try and use heavily feathered type figure on Exhibition orders. This is the heaviest figured wood we have, it is what we use on the highest grade Model 21’s, it is very difficult to find.
A highly figured piece of wood is harder to finish and they are subject to checking and they require fill occasionally in some of the inclusions that occur sometimes, in most cases they are very hard to detect. We’d also like to add that as the wood becomes more highly figured there are a lot of pieces that get scrapped due to large imperfections and voids, this is all factored into the cost of the Exhibition stocks.

Forends: The standard splinter forend is approximately 8 5/8” long and fits underneath the barrels. The optional beavertail forend is approximately 10” long and wraps around to the center of the barrel. Both forends have two escutcheons through the wood to fasten the forend metal to the wood and both use a push button Anson type forend release button.

Stock dimensions: Length of pull can be 14 ¼” or ordered with 14 ¾” at no additional charge. The Length of pull is measured on a double trigger gun from the front trigger center and on a single trigger from the center of the trigger to the center of the butt plate. 1 ½” drop at comb, 2 3/8” drop at heel with 0 cast and approximately 4 degree pitch.

The RBL has excellent fit and finish, perfect balance, and has quickly become my favorite gun to shoot. This American made gun will surely go down in history as a classic.
Wayne Fisler

The superior quality and functionality of this shotgun make it an excellent value. Surely, my RBL will become a family heirloom. I look forward to purchasing another shotgun from CT Shotgun Mfg. It has features not normally found in a shotgun at this price.
– Steve Lefebrve

Single trigger: It is a single selective trigger with the selector in the trigger, very similar to a Model 21. We feel it is the most reliable trigger that we know of. Because the top and bottom tang are joined in the rear, and the use of a draw bolt for the stock, there is no movement between the top and bottom tang because they are joined almost as one piece and movement of the top and bottom tang creates most of the problems with single triggers. When top and bottom tang screws are eliminated on the RBL, because of the use of the draw bolt, this eliminates most of the problems.

What is Hard Gold™?: This is a trademark process by Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co. After the parts are machined they are hardened we apply Hard Gold. The gold will prevent rust from forming on the parts and when hunting moisture can get in the gun and even a minute amount can create problems with the mechanism, especially over time. This is especially helpful where the hammer and sear engages. This will add many years of life to a gun. If you ever bought a drill or machine tool, you will notice a gold color that is put on them.

Wood in the drying room

“It’s not a gun but a precision instrument.”

Draw bolt: All stocks are fastened to the gun with a draw bolt.

Wood finish: It is a traditional rubbed oil finish. It is deeply embedded into the wood, not only on the outside but also on the inside which makes it extremely moisture resistant even it were soaked in water, it would not absorb the moisture, which makes the stock extremely stable. Another feature of the fish is that if you were to scratch it, because of the deep penetrating oil you would be able to sand out the mark and then buff it to its original luster or add an oil finish the existing finish.

“Not made in some foreign country but made right here in the USA.”

Weight and balance: The guns weigh slightly over 6 pounds and the balance point is front of the hinge pin for smooth follow through shooting.

Out of the case I shot a double on woodcock, something I normally don’t do. The RBL is everything and more than was advertised by the CSMC. It is a beautiful, well proportioned, well made American shotgun. Great

Job!! – Richard Claxton

How is the gun marked?: It is marked Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co., New Britain, CT, USA, RBL-28.

How long has Galazan / Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co. been in business?: It was started in 1975 by Antony Galazan who is the President and CEO.

“Proportionately correct, slender and lightweight.”

When will deliveries begin?: The full swing of deliveries commences in February, 2008. When you order your gun we will give you a 60 day window to the best of our ability as to when you will receive it.

What type of warranty?: We offer an full warranty on the RBL for a six month period, which includes mechanics, finish.

Wood drying: Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co. has set up two wood kilns to dry all the blanks before the stocks are made.

What is the receiver made of?: It is made from a solid forging of 86-20. It has been specially formulated to accept the beautiful colors from the traditional bone and charcoal case coloring process.

A crowd quickly gathered around my RBL when I went to pick it up at the local gunshop, everyone couldn’t believe that this gun was less than $10,000!
– Fred Tramotola

The RBL 20 bore produced by Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. is a tribute and a reflection of knowledge of double guns, manufacturing techniques, and quality expressed by its craftsman and owner Tony Galazan. I am proud to say that I am the owner of one of these fabulous guns.
– Allan Swanson

Fit and Finish: Most guns sold at the price of the RBL have very liberal wood to metal fits and metal to metal fits. The RBL is a very highly engineered precision product. There are no gaps or spaces, and no inexpensive finishing techniques. The appearance of this gun should be compared with guns that cost much more. Most other guns at this price also have a low degree of finishing, especially on the inside, machine marks, not cleaned from casting. Our gun is finished as clean on the inside as it is on the outside. One of the major differences between a fine gun and a poorly made gun is the degree of the finishing work that takes place. The RBL is built to a very high standard.

Guns in shipping room

How can this product be made in the USA for this price?: The cost of labor in the USA compared to Italy or Germany is virtually the same. The cost of energy (electricity for the machines, fuel oil, cutting oils, etc.) and basic overhead, we feel we have an advantage. We also are dedicated to building shotguns and actually make many other shotgun products that sometimes cross over to the RBL. We have made very large quantity of parts and virtually do everything in house; engineering, design, fixturing, machining, wood work, hardening, bluing, finishing, assembly, marketing and direct sales, etc. Many other guns have many chains of costs; manufacturer, distributor, jobber, dealer and then consumer.

Experience: Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co. has many years of experience of building double guns. We are currently the only manufacturer in the USA of high quality double barrel shotguns. We also manufacture a full line of tools and accessories for shotguns, and we trade many high grade new and used shotguns, allowing us to study and compare many other types of guns.

Ribs: The top rib is a concaved, non-matted game rib with one small brass front bead. The bottom rib is two piece. The short rib is actually one piece with the barrel lug, which makes the chances of the barrel lug coming off or becoming loose almost impossible, which is a very common problem with all side by side shotguns.

Steel: The forgings come from a steel mill in Kentucky , USA.

Case color receiver: This is done by traditional bone and charcoal method.

Ejectors: It is the time proven Southgate selective ejecting system.

“A Masterpiece”

Regulation: All barrels are regulated at 40 yards to shoot flat.

Came in 2nd at Vintager's.

Again, thanks for the great guns!

-Chuck DeVinne

Ejector blades: There is a right and left and each is machined from a solid forging.

“For my money, it is the best value in its price range by a wide margin. My only regret with the RBL is I did not order two of them.”
- Steve Wilson

“A gun of this quality is usually several times more”

Can I request a special serial number?: We are not offering that. You could put it in as a comment, and if possible we will try to accommodate you. If more than one gun is ordered, you can request consecutive serial numbers.

“Now I know why American products set the worlds standard.”
- Michael Luzich

Trigger guard: Pistol grip or straight grip both have long tangs that fit into the trigger plate and is very unique as they are installed without any screws and have rolled edges on both the right and left side. There are no sharp corners to hit your finger on.

“Demand will be much greater than supply.”

Did Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co. buy a gun line to produce the RBL? NO. Everything is designed and built by us in the USA . We did buy many new specialized machinery for barrel making and other machined parts as well as more trained personnel.

Butt plate: It is made from traditional hard rubber type material. It is not plastic.

Case and accessories: The RBL comes with a marine quality canvas case with genuine wool felt interior. With leather corners, the case corners and assembly is stitched through the hardwood frame. Included in the case is; two nickel plated snap caps, one oil bottle, cleaning rod, one mop, one brush, choke tube pouch with chokes and wrench, shooting glasses and hearing protection in aluminum container, a Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co. RBL leather label, warranty card and instruction manual.

Why shooting glasses and hearing protection as an accessory?: We do a lot of shooting at Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co. We never go shooting without both of these items. Over time from constant shooting it will affect your ear drums and the glasses are poly-carbonate. If something were to happen while shooting like a ricochet, they will protect your eyes from stray pellets or debris.

“The RBL-28 is the sweetest gun you will ever own.”
- Anthony J. Chimblo III

Engraving: We use our proprietary process, it is a series of different techniques including hand engraving. It is designed by the Grand Master James Demunck, engraved with a pointer on one side, a setter on the other and a flying grouse on the bottom, surrounded by magnificent scroll engraving.

“CT Shotgun making a gun of this quality, at this price is like Rolls Royce making a car that anyone can afford.”

Assisted opening system: This is found on some of the very best guns made in the world. If you are going to do a lot of fast shooting, all you need to do is open the top lever and it will assist in the opening, ejection of the fired shell and cocking of the gun. It makes shooting a lot of fun and the design of our system there is very little extra effort needed to close the action. If for any reason you do not want to use it, it is easily removed in 15 seconds and can be easily put back in when it is required again. If it is not purchased initially with the gun, the cost will be $900, and not $450.

How many RBL - 28's will be made?: We are not making that number available.

How long will the $200 paid in full discount be in effect?: It will expire when we can no longer keep up with the demand of priority delivery.

Springs: The main spring is a flat V main spring. The majority of the springs are flat springs, and there are some coil springs.

“I entered the 20 Gauge World Championships and smashed all but two targets to win the Open Bronze Medal. There is no gun like it on the market! The Galazan RBL represents a true, best gun value for the S x S enthusiast.”
- Hal M. Hare
NSSA All-American

Can custom alterations we ordered for the RBL?: NO. We do not offer any work outside of the standard options.

Engraving - There are a number ofpropritary techniques used in engraving the RBL, to produce the very highest quality engraving. It was designed by James Demunck, one of our Master Engravers, and is exactly like the original plates that he had initially engraved. It is very hard for us to tell which is the original and which is not because it is very high quality.

Chamber length: All RBL’s are 2 ¾”.

“It’s not a gun, it’s a magic wand.”

Wood Flaws - Highly figured pieces of wood sometimes have blemishes, checks, or inclusions that require filling and this happens on all high grade pieces of wood used on any gun.

Wood in the drying room

http://rblshotgun.com/images/update2/DSCN1339.JPG

Wood Quality - We spend a lot of time grading the pieces of wood after they are made into a gunstock so that we can truly see the quality of wood. Three people independently grade each wood stock for quality to make sure that the customer receives the quality of wood ordered and all three inspectors must concur that the wood is the proper grade that the customer ordered. We also buy the wood in the same grade in the blank form which also helps in grading the final end product.

Wood finish - The wood finish on the RBL is oil. We are currently shipping the guns with a low luster, English type rubbed finish with an alkanet tone. This finish could be buffed to a higher sheen or if you would like to add more finish you can use our Best Oil Stock Finish or Tru-Oil.

It has many of the attributes of a fine gun for a very modest price. It seems to me to be a complete gun system for all types of shooting as one could find. The workmanship is excellent; the gun looks great, and has fine Balance.
– Bryant Barnard

“This will be handed down from generation to generation.”

Case Coloring - It is done in the traditional bone and charcoal method as all of our guns are, and the case coloring is not an exact science, some are more blue, some are more green, etc.

Butt Plate - The butt plate is not plastic but is actually made from a resin similar to a bowling ball. This is not an inexpensive, cheap plastic part.

Case - This is our high quality canvas case that we offer in our catalog with stitching that goes through the leather corners and into the wood and have real wool felt interior. All of the accessories are the same high quality accessories that are in our catalog and have been tested over many years.

My CSMC RBL has performed beautifully right out of the box. During dog training in the spring, I have put down several quail at extraordinary ranges…a testament to the terrific patterns this gun throws. At a recent Ruffed Grouse tournament, my RBL 20 bore prevailed for a high score against a field of mostly 12 gauge sporting clays guns.
– Chuck DeVinne

Bluing - All RBL barrels are blued in the traditional method of rust and caustic bluing. On case colored guns, furniture (trigger guard, top lever, etc.) is blued with a special black oxide process.

Alterations - We do not offer any type of gunsmitthing on these guns. No recoil pads, no stock bending, nothing. The reason we do not do this is we are trying to standardize it to keep the cost of the gun in line.

Approximately each week we take one gun off the line and shoot about 2000 shells through it

SST setup - It operates on an inertia system and the gun needs the recoil of the first shot to set up the second barrel.

Guns awaiting final inspection

Parts - We have manufactured thousands of parts and are planning to support this gun for many years. If anything should arises we would like to take care of it immediately.

Can I get another set of different gauge barrels? - They are available in 28 gauge only. For additional cost you can order another set of barrels in 26, 28, 30", also you can order additional forends

How many RBL's will be made? - We do not make that information available but this is a very limited production gun that should have strong collector appeal.

How many guns ship each day, week, month, etc. - We do not make this information available on the RBL or any of our guns.

“I put just over one hundred boxes (2500 rounds) of ammunition through the RBL while in Uruguay. It functioned without flaw the whole time.”
Tracy Walsh

Warranty - The gun comes with a six month warranty but if there are any problems and you are beyond the six months we will support the product as we do with anything else we handle.