Fine Gunmaking

Evolution of the Sidelock, Part II

In Part I (March/April) of this series on the evolution of sidelocks, I examined the earliest forms and the similarities between the working parts in all sidelocks. Part II (May/June) was devoted to what is considered the highest development of the English hammerless sidelock, in the form of Purdey's and Holland & Holland's versions. This time I will discuss what I consider the two most common types of American sidelocks. The L.C. Smith is obviously the most identifiable and prevalent. Some might consider me daft for including the generic H&H-type Spanish sidelock as the other, but I have my reasons.

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