On June 6, 2024, Tony Galazan’s Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company announced it’s RSP round-body sideplate over/under, and after shooting the 20/28 combo version we can say that you would be hard pressed to find a better American-built bird gun.

Visit the company’s 120,000 square foot facility at 100 Burritt Street, New Britain, Connecticut, and you’ll see a marriage of old-school craftsmanship and high-tech production. Tony has held the torch high to fulfill his vision as America’s premier gunmaker of traditional sporting shotguns. To prove it, the CSMC family tree includes continuation models of American icons such as the Winchester Model 21, A.H. Fox and Parker Brothers. While some of those reproductions may have been financially out of reach for some enthusiasts, in 2006 Tony captured their American spirit with the more affordable and best-selling round-bodied RBL side-by-side boxlock.

The CSMC aesthetic has been his unwavering vision that honors the legends through the entire product family. And that’s because, when examining the premium portfolio that includes the A-10 American, the A. Galazan and Christian Hunter whose steel serves as a canvas for some of Italy’s greatest engravers, people may give Tony credit for being a gunmaking artist.

An A. Galazan .410 with 28-inch barrels and engraving by Torcoli. The engraving is the only Torcoli fantasy shotgun that is gold inlay with quail, setters, and pointers.

Now, after shooting and examining the combo RSP round-bodied boxlock over/under you could see and feel the CSMC bloodlines of tradition even at its introductory price of $8,995 (with a price increase scheduled for full retail at $12,995).

The RSP is in fact a round-action, side-plated over/under. It’s available in 12, 20, 28, and .410 gauge. Special baby-frame versions are available in 28 gauge and .410 with different barrel lengths. The 20 gauge can be purchased in multi-barrel and multi-gauge sets. We shot the 20/28 combo. Although the bobwhite quail season had just ended here in Thomasville, Georgia, the air was fragrant with smoke from the local plantations’ habitat-nurturing controlled burns, which permeated the experience of shooting it on five-stand with a reminiscence of hunting in the field.

Your experience with the RSP actually starts with the hand-crafted, oak-and-leather presentation case. Measuring 33 by 30 by 3¾, it’s covered in whiskey-colored leather replete with two buckled straps and a brass lock secured by tiny keys. Weighing approximately 12 pounds, the interior is lined with burgundy felt. The inside cover wears the Connecticut Shotgun marque. There are dedicated compartments for the nickel oil bottle, two sets of nickel snap caps, a two-piece rosewood cleaning rod, and a small leather pouch containing a brass brush, mop and split jag. Unfortunately, both black plastic choke cases appeared down market.

The RSP features a single selective inertia trigger, your choice of straight grip stocks or semi-pistol grip stock, various barrel lengths, availability of long tang on the trigger guard, as well as a hard rubber butt plate or softer recoil pad. Through CSMC’s custom shop you can order it to your specifications, including bespoke engraving. 

Tony rarely gives media interviews, but in May 2009 he spoke with Michael Sabbeth for a Shotgun Life story. Michael had visited the CSMC facility. He described Tony as “intense” and “obsessive.”

As Michael wrote: “Tony’s eyes darted from one production process to another like an eagle. Staff approached him constantly, giving him updates on one gun or another. Tony explained that he can’t sleep when he’s designing a new gun or mechanism. ‘I stay awake, thinking, how can I make a better gun?’”

That intensity came through in the fit and finish of our RSP.

The inletting was perfect, along with the meticulous wood-to-metal seams. The French gray receiver featured a unique laser-wrought vine engraving finished with hand cutting. Through the CSMC custom shop, other engraving options are available. The vine engraving flawlessly wrapped around the entire rounded action while also extending down to the trigger guard/long tang and grip cap and upwards to the top strap and lever. 

The Vine style engraving on the RSP.

The semi-pistol gripped stock and field forend of American black walnut were finished in a semi-gloss Truoil with 24-lines-per-inch checkering that provided a confident grip. The exhibition-grade stock showed feathered figuring. I’m five feet, nine inches and 174 pounds; the stock dimension of 14⅜ by 1½ by 2 ¼ inches fit and shouldered easily from the ready position.

Mechanically, there were no surprises in the proven underlug lock-up and trunnion hinges. An Anson push-button release was smooth. Each of the beautifully finished 28-inch barrels, with a fluorescent red bead at the muzzle, had its own dedicated field-style forend. A solid rib joined the barrels, while the top rib was vented. The strong ejectors were perfectly synchronized. The safety was manual. It arrived with five flush chokes for each gauge: skeet, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified and full giving you lots of flexibility. 

The exhibition-grade, American walnut stock on the RSP.

Tony has plenty of confidence in his workmanship, since the gun is backed by a lifetime warranty. 

Unlike many new guns that have break-in period marked by stiffness, the gun opened smoothly and all the parts worked in harmony. The integrated barrel selector and safety on the top strap operated crisply. While a leather-covered recoil pad would have afforded a more traditional look, the black serrated butt plate (with matching black screws) never slipped off the shoulder – expediting smoother swings and faster shots when executed through the impeccable four-pound trigger. At about six pounds, four ounces, it was an ideal weight for carrying in the field and encouraging quick snap shots on flushing coveys – or in our case on the five-stand.

This petite scroll with gold birds is one of the engraving options available on the RSP.

We shotgun the RSP at Shotgun Life’s home courses, the Ranges at Oakfield in Thomasville. 

Starting with the 20-gauge barrels, I nailed some long incomers and crossers at the 30-40 yard mark with improved cylinder and modified chokes. Given the shotgun’s handling it was easy to snap shoot rabbits, incoming droppers and trap shots. Even though we used Monarch ⅞-ounce of #8 shot rated at 1,300 fps, there was no felt recoil. Target acquisition was excellent, proven by consistently crushing a flying rabbit. By the third position, I started repeating to myself “this is really nice gun.” 

Then we moved to the 28-gauge barrels and everything changed. It became immediately apparent that, although the 20 gauge was excellent, the 28 gauge was spectacular. The balance felt better, the gun moved faster and overall the 28 gauge became more intuitive. If you’re going to consider a single-barrel RSP definitely go for the 28 gauge. In the field, the RSP should be a joy to shoot on birds with its balanced and sharp dynamics. 

With the possibility of the Trump administration imposing tariffs of about 20 percent on European products, the idea of buying a bird gun from a major Italian mass-market manufacturer should certainly cause you reconsider an American legend from Tony Galazan. And even without the tariffs, the RSP proved itself as an excellent, affordable shotgun of the highest quality and workmanship. 

Irwin Greenstein is the publisher of Shotgun Life. You can reach him at the Shotgun Life Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/shotgunlife#

Important resources:

The Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company web site

Irwin Greenstein

Irwin Greenstein is Publisher of Shotgun Life. Please send your comments to letters@shotgunlife.com.

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