doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com BSS Sidelock...

Ted, I like the BSS Sidelock. Think they're nice guns. That being said, I just bought a Grulla sidelock 20ga marketed by Orvis for $3,000. You won't come close to a BSS Sidelock in 20ga for that money.

NEW Spanish gun prices have really gone up. But there are some nice buys on the used market on Spanish guns. My Grulla is hand detachable (the BSS isn't); has an articulated front trigger (can't recall on the BSS); has bushed firing pins (can't recall if the BSS has those either); the bottom of the action body is rounded (which some people prefer); and the comb of the stock is not fluted (which I think Mr. Flynn mentions in his article, and which is a deviation from the British style). Which is "better"? Well, they're both nice guns. The only way to test reliability, if that's what we mean by "better", would be to put a bunch of shells through both of them. I have not done that with the Grulla, nor did I put a ton of shells through the BSS when I owned it. So I'm not really in a position to knock either of them when it comes to reliability.

On the other hand, any Parker Repro has much nicer wood than either of those . . . and some of the Repros have really spectacular wood, which is way beyond what you'd find on the BSS or on all but maybe the most expensive Spanish sidelocks. And they sell for a lot less than a BSS Sidelock in 20ga, and come in a nice case.

Lots of good guns out there, depending on one's tastes.

I got wood, Larry:



BSS sidelock wood. Haven�t seen a Repro top this.

Yes, Mr. Flynn said the fluted comp was not an English feature. Did you read between the lines in the same article about his opinion of Spanish guns? Ever heard Kirk, Abe, or Dewey wax poetic about Spanish guns? I have a notion on reliability of either, based on what these guys, and a few others say. Dewey has a great repair article involving an AYA number 2 on his blog. It is not confidence inspiring.

I�ve never seen a complaint about the mechanics or steel in a Japanese gun. Can�t say that about Spanish guns, up and downscale.

I horse traded into my BSS, but Bob says he got into his for about what a BSS boxlock goes for.

I wish you all the luck in the world with the Grulla. Sometimes you need it on a Spanish gun.

No articulated triggers or bushed strikers on the BSS sidelocks, it would be nice, but, not truly necessary. I never said it was the best gun, but, it represents a heck of a buy for a sidelock with 2 3/4� capability. I can make the LOP work, I get it that some guys can�t and won�t put a pad on. No go for them.


Best,
Ted

Ted you dog!
That's the nicest wood I've ever seen on any BSS.

It is nice...



too bad the engraving leaves him cold.

Ted, that is unusually nice wood for a BSS Sidelock. It'd rank at least average, maybe slightly above, if it were on a Parker Repro. Take a look at the Repros listed on gunsinternational, Ted, and--well, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but if you're objective about it, you won't have any trouble finding better wood than yours. And the AVERAGE Repro has much nicer wood than the AVERAGE BSS Sidelock.

Bushed strikers not necessary? Ted, weren't you the same guy who knocked the Webley & Scott 700's because they didn't have those? Good German guns are also well thought of for their mechanics and steel. Yet I bought a Sauer with a busted hammer (no bushed strikers, and the seller agreed to have it fixed by Del Whitman). And you don't often hear of hammers on Sauers or Merkels or Simsons breaking either. . . but it does happen. Which was your point, I think, about Webley & Scott 700's . . . of which I've owned a few and have never had a broken hammer. But I do think the Model 400 I owned was a superior gun in that regard . . .because it did have bushed strikers.

Given that there are about a bazillion Spanish guns out there (quite a few of which were made to a price point) compared to 1100 BSS Sidelocks, frequency of repair is going to be tilted in the direction of the Spanish guns. And one does have to wonder . . . if BSS Sidelocks never break, why do we hear quotes praising them from gunsmiths? All that disassembly taking place purely for stripping and cleaning, or just out of curiosity to see what they look like inside?

I do agree--based more on Ithaca SKB's and Parker Repros than any other guns--that Japanese guns tend to be pretty darned reliable. Yet I also owned a Hibiki, which I think was a Miroku under an earlier name (and therefore out of the same factory that made the BSS) that had various mechanical issues. And when I did an article on Japanese guns, I talked to a gunsmith who said that while the Japanese-made Charles Daly OU's were pretty nice guns, he'd replaced broken leaf springs on a number of them.

So on sum, Japanese guns--in terms of reliability--are probably as good as Japanese cars and trucks. And I've owned a number of those, and they're darned good. But not perfect.

Talking about Teds wood is fighting words Larry...

Cold engraving....now average wood.

I'll give your 15 hundred for it Ted to help you out of your misery.

I knocked boxlocks with integral strikers/tumblers, Larry, because if one breaks, you are out of the game that year. If I had to, I could service the striker in a Holland pattern sidelock. Fact is, I have a spare for the BSS, and it just takes a screwdriver to do it. I won�t be repairing the integrated striker in a boxlock, however.
Has it occurred to you the subject here is a sidelock gun, not a boxlock? Further, that once the sidelock is out of the way, you have pretty easy access to the striker, something that is completely different in a boxlock? Disc set strikers are WAY more important in a boxlock, Larry.
Make a note of that. Your education continues.
Did you take a look at the spring Dewey repaired in the AYA, Larry? It was poorly made. That is not a cheap Spanish gun. I have a Spanish boxlock gun Larry, use it all the time, but, it cost me $400, and has disc set strikers AND the tool and spare strikers.
The Flynn article was done after he did a strip and clean to a customers BSS sidelock. He mentioned Abe Chaber in the article, as Abe agrees with Flynn about the BSS. I�m going to guess people with sidelocks are a bit more religious about getting them serviced than the run of the mill boxlock or, pump owner.
Good wood is where you find it. Having great wood on a Parker, or, Parker reproduction wouldn�t change the fact you are stuck with a Parker, a design I�m not overly impressed with, ESPECIALLY small bore and single trigger versions.


Best,
Ted

I�ll sell you a Stupid Black Eagle for $1500 DOLLARS. But, I actually doubt you have 1500 pennies.

Best,
Ted

I'm shocked Ted I didn't think you put that high a value on an Italian made SBE.

If that Japanese made BSS breaks do you have to send it back to Japan for repairs ?

If your Stupid Black Eagle breaks, do you send it to Italy to be repaired?

Dumbass.


Best,
Ted