The allure of the British gun

On narrow guns like 410s I prefer it on the left. On 12s even trim ones like my Dougall I prefer the right hand so i can push it to the full extent to open the action. Guess I have short thumbs. Never really noticed before....thanks lol
There is something special about a side lever opener though
 
Never really got to play with one... but I think on the left side would be more natural. At least as far as opening the action :unsure:

Speaking of opening the action, kind of surprise that no-one else other than Dickson made a side opening O/U? Seems like it make for a svelte shotgun... Yet another late 1800s creation!

Pictures from Bonhams website

12-bore side-opening over-and-under round-action ejector gun by J. Dickson & Son, no. 4178, The first of only four ever made

Incorporating John Dickson & Son's patent number 215, sidelever-opening, the treble-grip action-body with the makers name in a scrolling banner surrounded by best foliate-scroll engraving, the highly-figured stock with pistol grip and horn pistol grip-cap, the barrels engraved John Dickson & Son, 63 Princes Street, Edinburgh with matt top-rib and horn-tipped wooden side-fillets, the right with lever-latch release
Weight 7lb. 4oz., 14¾in. stock, 30in. barrels, approx. cyl. & ⅜ choke, 2¾in. chambers, recent London nitro reproof

Footnotes​

The makers have kindly confirmed that the gun was completed in 1888 for Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian

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sillymike said:
Never really got to play with one... but I think on the left side would be more natural. At least as far as opening the action :unsure:

Speaking of opening the action, kind of surprise that no-one else other than Dickson made a side opening O/U? Seems like it make for a svelte shotgun... Yet another late 1800s creation!

Pictures from Bonhams website

12-bore side-opening over-and-under round-action ejector gun by J. Dickson & Son, no. 4178, The first of only four ever made

Incorporating John Dickson & Son's patent number 215, sidelever-opening, the treble-grip action-body with the makers name in a scrolling banner surrounded by best foliate-scroll engraving, the highly-figured stock with pistol grip and horn pistol grip-cap, the barrels engraved John Dickson & Son, 63 Princes Street, Edinburgh with matt top-rib and horn-tipped wooden side-fillets, the right with lever-latch release
Weight 7lb. 4oz., 14¾in. stock, 30in. barrels, approx. cyl. & ⅜ choke, 2¾in. chambers, recent London nitro reproof

Footnotes​

The makers have kindly confirmed that the gun was completed in 1888 for Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian

image


image
Click to expand...

There was an article in Shooting Sportsman some years ago about the SuperBritte side opener O/U. I can't find it online but there are other sources of info inline. Here is an excerpt from an article in Shotgun Life written by The CEO of Griffin & Howe in 2008:
"Théophile Britte himself had a keen appreciation for unconventional engineering. Britte earned a patent in 1931 for a side-opening over and under design, and announced it to the world the following year as the “SuperBritte.”

The “Super” part of the name derives from the French word superpose(over-and-under), but the word fits Britte’s gun in more ways than one. It is an over/under, but instead of a conventional drop-down, the SuperBritte opens to the side.

He wasn’t the first to think of this ingenious design. W.W. Greener patented a side-opening over/under in 1873 – but his Wedge-Fast was a side-by-side action turned ninety degrees. John Dickson later did essentially the same thing with his famous round action – rotated it a quarter-turn to make a side-hinge over/under. Dickson’s built fewer than 10 examples altogether.

The key difference between these guns and the SuperBritte is that while Greener and Dickson adapted existing side-by-side actions, Théophile Britte designed his from scratch – and in doing so, perfected the side-opening action. The completed guns engraved with stocks mounted were entirely built in the Britte workshops and delivered, ready to shoot, after proofing in Liège and testing at the shooting grounds.



SuperBrite


The SuperBritte​

Because it does not require a frame in the conventional sense, this side-opener is inherently the shallowest over/under action possible. Because the action bar is on the side, there’s no need for the deep, U-shaped frame that a drop-down action requires. Therefore, the height of the action is exactly the same as the height of the barrels – and you just can’t make an over/under any slimmer in profile than that

Britte’s action is also about as narrow as an over/under can be. The cocking system works directly from the side-lever; push it down with your thumb to open the action, and you #### the locks at the same time. The degree of mechanical leverage is such that you don’t notice any unusual resistance or stiffness. The fastener is a double-bite bolt on the left and a rib extension on the right. The lump, moreover, extends completely through the action bar, lending additional support resulting in incredible action strength."

https://www.shotgunlife.com/shotguns/art-of-the-gun/the-fine-firearms-find-of-the-century.html
 
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