The top lever is right of center to factor in wear that normally occurs on a double. With that said I have never shot any double enough to get the lever to the left of center. A gun with the top lever left of center has seen excessive use, or more likely been abused with high power loads that it was not designed for. On face means that the barrels are right against the breech (i.e. face of the action). One can tell if a gun is off face usually by visual inspection. See if there is a gap between the barrel and the breech. One can also try to slip paper, or use a feeler gauge to determine how badly a gun is off face. Some gun problems are not visible. I bought a double that looked perfect, but one barrel shot 6" low at 16 yards. There have been numerous posts over the last year about people being stung by double gun dealers, many of them prominent gun dealers. Unless your friend is looking for a fox, it might be better to get a new double that comes with a warranty. Nothing will get a guy out of double collecting faster than a bad experience.
