doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Side Lever guns in action

The discussion on the Beretta side lever gun got me thinking that most of folks have never used a side lever gun. I have a pair of Charles Boswell side lever BLEs. I use them.

Here is what I have learned.

If you are a right hander, you usually carry the gun on your right shoulder. A side lever that opens on the left, will jab you in the neck when carried. It hurts.

If you shoot the guns as a pair with a loader, the right side lever is faster for the loader. When the loader gets the gun, as he leans right to load the empty gun, his thumb opens the gun putting his hand directly above the ammo bag for faster reloading. It becomes a fluid motion for the loader.

Joe in Charlotte

Joe in Charlotte,

How does she do as you walk up hunt? Only used a SL double gun one time in the Heather, on Mr Stewarts land in Scotland, it was a might fine old bird gun.

RGD/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joe;
Interesting points you brought up there. This could & likely does, explain why the high grade guns mentioned had the lever on the right & my lower grade one had it on the left.

I believe that though built & proofed in Birmingham that this Clabrough built W Richards was built for the US market. Shooting with a pair of guns accompanied by a loader was/is virtually unknown in the US.

As to the lever jabbing me in the neck, well I am right handed but am not one who "Usually" carries my gun on my right shoulder while roaming the fields & forests when hunting. This would simply not be a concern to me.

For the uses to which I put a shotgun if I used a side lever I would definitely prefer it on the left.

When I do carry a shotgun over my right shoulder it is upside down, not lying on the left side. That way if I need to mount it in a hurry I don't have to rotate my hand 90 degrees on the grip. But, I really don't carry one that way much.

Good points, Joe. However, every time I get a loader trained, he gets to where he wants to start shooting for himself. I've resigned myself to loading my own guns, unless .....................h'mmm. I did have a new granddaughter born last week. Maybe ..........

SRH

Stan;
I may be misinterpreting Joe, but I believe he was speaking of carrying the gun upside down over the shoulder. He mentions the lever Jabbing you in the neck, it would not do so if carried on its side.

I have always been leery of this carry when in a hunting situation, perhaps because so much of my experience has been in the Hills of Middle TN. I have over the years taken a few unexpected & unplanned tumbles when a rock rolled underfoot or such.

I never felt the over the shoulder gave me much control over which direction the muzzle might end up pointing when this occurred so do not use it.

After trying that type of shoulder "carry" with my side lever gun, and looking in a mirror, I can't see how a side lever on the left side, carried upside down, would jab me in the neck. I understand that mine is not on the left side, but in order to place a gun on my shoulder far enough to the rear for the lever to contact my neck I would have to place it further to the rear than where it carries well. It becomes out of balance with the rearward pointing barrels pulling down, and my wrist and arm are cramped by being so close to my collarbone. This is assuming that we are talking about the hand gripping the wrist in a normal fashion and the trigger finger outside the guard. I would never carry a gun over the shoulder like that, preferring for it to somewhat balance. With most guns balancing near, or slightly forward of, the hinge pin it places the side lever well out front of your shoulder or neck.

When the limit is filled and the walk back is considerable I will often carry the unloaded gun on my shoulder muzzles front and right side up, with the bottom of the forend resting on my shoulder. I grip the barrels forward of the forend when carrying like this, and only when there is no one in front of me for the muzzles to cover. An unloaded gun never shot anybody, but I don't want to cause someone concern by covering them with the muzzle(s).

SRH

I picked up the habit of using a sling to carry a shotgun (when there's no need to bring it into action quickly) from hunting with Frenchmen in Morocco. Shortly after I came back to the States, I bought a Sauer 16ga that had sling swivels. Found a sling that fit. Discovered it wasn't a good idea to leave the sling on when grouse and woodcock hunting. But when hunting open country birds (like pheasants), a sling makes a lot of sense--like when you're heading back to the truck with a limit in your vest. Or when you want to snap a quick photo without laying the gun down.

I've never gone so far as to put swivels on a gun that didn't come with them. Nor, however, have I ever removed them on a gun that had them.

You ever think of moving back to Morocco ?

The older I get, the more appealing a sling seems to sound. Worse than worthless for grouse hunting though, save the trail only hunter.

Larry Brown,

Using a sling in the Grouse woods is a might dangerous further you end up in the wrong position to quickly mount the gun to shoot also. I have a Best J.P. Sauer 16 Gauge double gun also, it was made with the swivels way back in the late 1800's, and in Germany because of the way they hunt a lot of Fur & Feather the swivels probably were used a great deal.

Doubt the vintage 16 J.P. Sauer Grouse Gun will ever have another sling on her now that she belongs to me, however I will leave the original swivels on the gun. If the J.P. was a Drilling with the rifle barrel, that might be a different situation. They are definitely real nice Turkey and Fox Guns.


RGD/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Pulled my old W Richards out & tried it in an over the shoulder position for carry. didn't go anywhere just held it so that it was at a comfortable balance point.
Stan is 1001% correct, no way the lever is going to Jab my neck.

Gun would lay on shoulder in the chamber area & lever is behind the action body, well ahead of my neck with that carry. Scratch that one as a disadvantage. I don't carry that way anyhow. As Stan said after the hunt with an empty gun would be fine, but not while walking in possibly rough terrain with a loaded gun.

Of course as I have already stated I have never actually hunted with a side lever gun, but I certainly would not turn down a nice gun on that account. The side lever may or may not be better than a top lever, but is certainly no disadvantage if on the left side for one loading their own gun. I simply cannot speak for someone using a Loader as I haven't worn that T-Shirt.

I would like to add that in now way am I "dissing" my friend Joe, who is the O.P. on this thread. Joe is a straight shooter, in more ways than one, and when he posts something it is worth listening to. I just meant that for me, the way I shoulder carry, a left side lever would not be prone to neck discomfort.

SRH

+1

Larry probably didn't see this because he was at the Mosque saying his morning prayers.

+1 Joe is one of the very best people I've had the pleasure of knowing. And, boy, can he shoot!

DDA

To Joe�s original point about carrying a side lever on the the right shoulder, I believe he was referring to carrying the gun open over the the right shoulder with barrels forward as we often carry guns on a sporting clays course. The side lever is then on your shoulder side and away from your neck.

As to which side the side lever is most comfortable to use for a right handed shooter, I think the answer is somewhat counter-intuitive. The right side works most comfortably because the right handed shooter can hold gun with one hand under the action body and rotate his hand laterally as he opens the gun with one motion ( supinating the wrist). This leaves the left hand free to load the shells. Easier than opening a top lever with one hand!

If the lever were on the left, you would have to bring your hand over the gun and not be able to support the action from beneath, a less secure grip.

I say this as a regular shooter of a Grant side lever pigeon hammer gun and an Alfred Lancaster side lever Anson Deeley BLNE side lever...both on the right. They are truly effortless to open and hold with one hand!

I have also served as a loader for Joe in Charlotte with his beautiful pair of Boswells at a number of flurry shoots and find loading a pair of side levers much easier than loading a pair of top levers.

Dr. P

A further clarification of my statement above: all four of the side lever guns above (the Grant, the A. Lancaster and the pair of Boswells) have relatively svelte round English straight grips. The shooter or loader�s right hand rotates under those round grips behind the trigger guard as he backhands the side lever with his thumb. This keeps the weight of the gun firmly in your hand.

I owned and hunted a 1905 vintage Stephen Grant with nitro proofed Damascus barrels. That is one I should have kept! I always wondered why the side lever did not become the norm VS the top lever. It is so much more intuitive to use and does away with some parts like the Scott spindle. Personally, I think it is a simpler and therefore stronger in some respects to the top lever. To my eyes it is also more aesthetically pleasing than any top lever and the best examples are those made by Stephen Grant. Best guns in every sense of the word.