doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Round Action vs. SLE

In terms of technical advantage given best quality of make (H&H, Purdey, McKay Brown, Dickson) which is technically superior and why in comparing the Round Action vs. SLE?

I know that the small gauge Purdey SLE will beat out all in retaining and growing in value. I am interested in terms of mechanics.

I think the head of the stock is considered somewhat stronger in the RA vs a sidelock.
That said, IMHO, if the hammerless boxlock had come first, neither design would have been bothered with.
That is the technically superior design.

Best,
Ted

It's my opinion that the trigger plate round action is of superior design to the boxlock and sle. Like already mentioned the stock head is stronger than both the boxlock and sle, the action body is also more solid than a boxlock or sidelock. this allows one to reduce action body size of desired creating a more petite gun all around whilst still retaining strength.

I'm in the mindset that if the Dickson had been made in England it would have been more popular and copied more.

For these reasons I'm actually in the process of producing round actions in rimmed rifle calibers and shotguns.

In my opinion the Round Action is superior because the ejector work is not in the fore-end but is part of the action on the trigger plate, thus keeping the main weight between the hands leading to a better balanced gun and better handling.

Hmmm. I would argue that the stock, especially in the head area is the weak part of the round action/blitz design. So much wood has to be hogged out to accommodate the trigger plate, etc. The "fillets" of the stock are often very thin and prone to damage. The stock design doesn't allow much error for bending either....kind of like a Darne, if the RA stock doesn't fit, best to move on.
The hallmark of the Scottish RA is the strength of the action and its beauty.
Rimmed double rifles have obviously been built and have proven to be very successful on all the listed actions, so that point is moot.
I think (from what I've seen) that the head of the boxlock has more points of contact and broader points of contact with the action than the other two mentioned actions, therefore it would be the stronger head design of the two.
The less parts a gun or machine has the more reliable it will be, the easier it will be to produce, the parts can be built more robustly, etc. There in lies the technical advantage from one type to the next.
Depending on the type and design of SLE, like comparing a Rogers action to a Beesely/Purdey action is like comparing apples to oranges. One is actually pretty simple, the other is a beautifully executed Rube Goldberg that is very difficult to produce and maintain.
Boxlocks are pretty much the same across the board with a few exceptions of course. I think boxlocks beat out both in terms of design, function, reliability, ease of maintenance, manufacture of parts, assembly, strength, etc.
If we are discussing aesthetics and beauty....both the SLE, hammergun, and RA easily beat the BL. :-)

I think if one action type was very superior to others, then the rest would have faded into history. The anson and deeley boxlock is probably inferior to a lot of sidelock actions, but yet it is a popular, strong, probably easier/cheaper to produce and adequate for shotgun pressures.

The Rigby/Bissell rising bite action is extremely good, being strong enough for double rifles as well as shotgun usage, but fell from favour as it was very expensive to make.

Each has its merits and its disadvantages . Holland pattern side lock is know every where and is simpler to repair as is the standard pattern Anson & Deeley boxlock. Round action guns and guns like the Purdey self opener are more complex and more difficult to repair and need a greater depth of knowledge and experience in doing so .
As to personal choice, handling and shootabilty I have no comment .

I'm inclined to agree with Ted - and go for an Anson & Deeley boxlock.

Both the round action and the best grade SLEs (H&H, Beesley/Purdey) are superb work, but as an all rounder, the A&D is really hard to fault.

Of the Beesley based SLEs, the Henry Atkin 'Spring Opener' version of the Beesley is often considered (including by Gough Thomas) the finest version of that action.

As I recall virtually ALL the guns we have seen with cracked frames have been box locks. there is a lot of steel hogged out in the action body of a boxlock.

Yea but it was the sidelock that did all the work, exploring continents, protecting settlers, leading the way. Then the boxlock showed up and tried to grab all the credit. Credit grabbers and Johnny-come-latelies, that's what boxlocks are.

And a boxlock is way beyond ugly. An old scrubber woman that cooks and cleans well enough but walks around the house in old grungy socks and combat boots.

Now a sidelock is a super model that's also a gourmet chef!!!!