Gun Review > Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company
In 1975 Antony Galazan founded the Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company (CSMC). His initial focus was on used shotguns, with a particular emphasis on shotgun gauges and replacement parts for vintage shotguns. Currently their portfolio includes over 3,000 products exclusively related to high-end shotguns. As a fully integrated company they design their guns, employ their engineers, conduct prototyping and testing, and manufacture guns with their own components. One of these guns is the new CSMC Round-action Side Plate (RSP) over/under shotgun.
With Colorado’s upland game season coming to an end, I was excited to get the CSMC RSP to test when I did. The model shipped to me was the 20/28-gauge combo with the ornamental scroll-engraving pattern and their exhibition-grade wood. The CSMC RSP comes with a light brown traditional leather trunk case lined with red felt on the inside. It has compartments for the receiver, barrel and forearm, second barrel, solid brass oil container, four snap caps and accessories. It has a brass lock on the front and two leather wrist straps for added security.
The overall weight of the CSMC RSP with the 28″ 20-gauge barrels was 6 lbs. 10 oz., while the overall weight of the CSMC RSP with the 28″ 28-gauge barrels was 6 lbs. 5 oz. Neither set of barrels were ported. Both sets of barrels had a non-adjustable tapered rib with one Bradley-style red bead at the muzzle. Each gauge’s barrels came with five flush choke tubes: Full, Improved Modified, Modified, Improved Cylinder and Skeet. The choke tubes are 1¾” in total length and use the industry-standard notch markings to designate their constrictions on the muzzle-end of the choke tube. The bore of the 20-gauge barrels measured .626, and the bore of the 28-gauge barrels measured .554.
The exhibition-grade wood stock on the CSMC RSP was fitted with a red 5/8″ thick medium stiffness rubber recoil pad which did not have a curve to it. It was a field stock with dimensions characteristic of a good field shotgun. The checkering on the pistol grip was slightly aggressive and appeared to have been done by hand. As the stock met with the receiver, it was accented by a beautiful, highly engraved, side plate. The trigger guard and safety/barrel-selector part of the receiver were also highly engraved.
Just behind the top lever is the safety which moves forward and backward. The barrel selector is integrated on top of the safety lever and moves sideways to select which barrel will fire first (when a single red dot is showing, the under/lower barrel will fire first and when two red dots are showing, the over/upper barrel will fire first). The safety on the CSMC RSP is automatic, such that it becomes engaged each time the barrels are opened. I prefer this type of safety mechanism for a field shotgun, as it is safer in the field and requires the shooter to disengage the safety as part of their gun-mounting sequence.
The single trigger on the CSMC RSP was not adjustable for length, giving the shotgun a Length Of Pull (LOP) of 14.5″. The inertia trigger mechanism has a trigger-pull on both barrels of a crisp 4.5 lbs. with very little take-up prior. The RSP ejects the hulls of the fired shotshells but just extracts the shotshells which are not fired.
The deep ornamental scroll engraving on the round receiver and side plates is outstanding. It gives the RSP a beautiful and distinguished look which accents the high-grade wood on the stock and forearm.
The CSMC RSP’s forearm was slim in shape and uses the Anson push-rod release, where the button at the end of the forearm is pushed down to remove it. The checkering on the forearm was also slightly aggressive, matching the checkering on the pistol grip.
My gun test of the CSMC RSP took place at Longmeadow Game Resort, Clays Club and Event Center located in Wiggins, Colorado. They offer small game, upland bird and waterfowl hunts as well as sporting clays. My friend Todd Willis and I opted to shoot some upland birds and sporting clays with the CSMC RSP.
Before Todd arrived, I headed to the patterning board with Winchester AA Super Sport Sporting Clays Ammo in 20 gauge and 28 gauge. Standing back 15 yards, my patterning showed me the RSP had a Point Of Impact (POI) of 50/50 with both sets of barrels. This did not surprise me, since upon mounting, my eye was just slightly above the top lever looking directly down the rib. The one “ah-ha” takeaway I got from doing this patterning was just how little recoil this gun exhibited. Granted, sub-gauge guns always have less recoil than their 12-gauge counterparts, but there was no felt recoil on the CSMC RSP even with the stout sporting clays ammo.
Todd arrived with his dog Colt, a beautiful white Labrador trained to point and retrieve. Alex from Longmeadow told us he planted five pheasant and five chukar in the hunting field. With the 20-gauge CSMC RSP loaded with 1oz. 6-shot, and Improved Cylinder and Modified chokes installed, Todd started our hunt on the left side of the field and traversed with Colt to the right side of the field. Colt flushed out four birds for Todd, who hit three with the first barrel and one with the second barrel. I then started on the right side of the field and traversed with Colt to the left side of the field. Colt flushed out two birds for me, and I hit one with the first barrel and one with second barrel. Todd and I felt quite good getting six of the 10 birds. We decided to call it a day in the field and go shoot some sporting clays.
Since Longmeadow has a world-class sporting clays facility, which has hosted the NSCA Regionals and regularly hosts the Colorado State Sporting Clays Championships, they have an outstanding sub-gauge course. Todd and I swapped the 20-gauge barrels for the 28-gauge barrels on the CSMC RSP and inserted the Improved Cylinder and Modified chokes. Using Winchester AA Super Sport Sporting Clays 28-Gauge Ammo in 7½, we hit the course with 50 rounds each.
The sub-gauge course at Longmeadow was challenging yet fun. We shot all different target presentations (incomers, outgoers, rabbits, crossers, chandelles and springing teals). Being a sub-gauge course, all targets were 30 yards or less, but some of the technical presentations could be tricky. Todd and I made a habit of reminding the other person to ensure the safety was off before calling for the targets. We both shot the course using a low (or off-the-face) mount, and we both shot a 45 out of 50.
After Todd and I finished on the sporting clays course, we went into the lodge at Longmeadow to relax and have a soft drink. I forgot we put the CSMC RSP in the gun rack in the lodge until I turned around and saw over a dozen shooters ogling it and remarking on its exquisite engraving and wood.
My impressions of the CSMC RSP over/under was that it felt well-balanced between the hands, came up to the face very naturally, and the swinging/pointing to the target (live bird or clay target) felt effortless. Todd agreed with my impressions but added that the light weight of this shotgun makes it easy to carry in the field for long days of hunting. The RSP retail price is $12,995 but CSMC offers a special introductory price depending on the model and specifications. (Editor’s note: See the Connecticut Shotgun ad on page 35 for more information.)
Shotguns nowadays are not just utilitarian tools used to hunt for food; they are engineered pieces of artwork that can be used in the field or on the target range. The CSMC RSP is exactly that — a beautiful, supremely-designed shotgun which will allow its owner to have incredible success shooting both birds and clays in style. SS
Mark H. Taylor has over 40 years of shooting experience. He has won many regional, state, national and international clay target competitions. He is the author of the book Clay Target Shooting – The Mental Game and co-author of the book Break ’em All. Mark is a NRA Certified Advanced International Shotgun Coach and a High-Performance Shotgun Coach for USA Shooting. He is a Caesar Guerini and Cabela’s (in Thornton, CO) Pro Staff shooter, and teaches monthly beginner shotgun clinics at Colorado Clays in Brighton, CO, and travels nationally and internationally teaching coaching courses and working with world-class athletes. You can email him at c[email protected].
