Tony Galazan’s Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company (CSMC) seems to look for things people say can’t be done. Tony & Co. then not only do it, but do it extremely well. The company’s new side-by-side competition shotgun, the Super Bird, is a prime example. For most types of competition, the side-by-side has been largely replaced by the over/under. But there is still a coterie of enthusiasts who insist a side-by-side is better for situations requiring quick reactions to unexpected circumstances, such as when a bird flies toward you instead of away. As well, renewed interest in side-by-sides over the past 25 years has given rise to events where they are mandatory, and not everyone has a Purdey for the purpose.
Galazan’s Super Bird has a very similar configuration to a Winchester Model 21 “Grand American” from the 1960s: pistol grip, beavertail forend, single trigger, ventilated rib. It’s built on Galazan’s proven “RBL” boxlock action. For any game where you pre-mount the gun, from live pigeons in Spain, to sporting clays in California, to trap just down the road, this configuration conforms to modern practice and your established muscle memory, and that’s no small thing.
As with most modern guns, it has interchangeable choke tubes, and offers options such as wood upgrades and different barrel lengths. It’s available in 12 gauge only. The gun shown weighs a couple of ounces under nine pounds, with 30-inch barrels.
Over the year since we began the Gray’s Best awards, Tony Galazan has won several, for such widely varied firearms as his A-10 American sidelock over/under (2012), Revelation 20-gauge boxlock over/under (2019), SG22 clone of the Colt Woodsman (2024), and the new 28-gauge
Revelation in 2026. The Super Bird acquired its Best in 2023 and has been busy garnering accolades ever since.
